Rescue Buoy

Rescue Buoy 

#cognition  #ergonomic

The project is investigating public buoys in Sweden and how they are supposed to be used in an emergency.  

Most common public buoys in Sweden aren't following the SOLAS (The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) guidelines and research shows that they are complicated to handle in an emergency.

In stressed situations the ability to read and follow instructions is very difficult. Optimally, if the product is intuitive to use, it should not be possible to use it in a “wrong” manner. User tests with  the existing lifebuoy revealed that users usually do not use the buoy in the way it is intended to, to be effective. This insight paved the way for creating a intuitive buoy where the risk of misuse decreased.

Design suggestion

The wire inside the handle is attached to the buoy itself and the handle is mounted on the board. The board have two upper hooks for mounting the buoy. It also have two clamping brackets for the handle. It is not possible to dismount the buoy without forcing the user to separate the handle from the buoy, thus making it ready to use in a correct fashion. The design is also made to make it easier to throw and tow. It also takes SOLAS’s recomendations into consideration