Gelidus

The first round of prototypes was made using latex dishwashing gloves, as seen in prototypes 1 to 3. Users and studio leaders observed the low-fidelity prototypes to narrow the design’s direction. The first two prototypes were helpful in understanding that users did not desire the product to look like a traditional glove. Thus, the cutouts seen in prototype 3 were much better received regarding function and aesthetics. The idea of a cooling/ heating insert made of sodium acetate, demonstrated in prototype 1, was rejected by users as it seemed too complex to maintain the cleanliness of the product and would add bulkiness to the design. Continuing with further improvements, the glove should aim to move away from a heavy design to appear less like a traditional glove. While prototype 4 had an interesting approach due to the adjustable fastening around the fingers and wrist, the overall form was not favoured. Instead, prototype 5 was preferred due to the cutouts made to expose more of the user’s hand. Users recognised that this design seemed manageable for the user to maintain their sense of touch. During this stage, the material choice pivoted to silver as the survey identified pain points for cotton gloves, the traditional product choice for those with atopic dermatitis on the hands. In considering the benefits of cooling inflamed areas with ice and the disadvantages of cotton gloves, metal was the most helpful in addressing the user’s concerns. Additional research revealed the anti-bacterial properties of silver, commonly used in the medical field (Sim et al., 2018). Anti-tarnishing coatings such as waterborne polyurethane (WPU) can also be applied to silver to make the glove suitable for everyday wear (Kazemzadeh et al., 2017).