This project focussed on designing for a specific target group in health care. We chose to redesign a birthing stool for midwives. The current one is very low and thus physically very taxing for the midwives to use, as they need to bend over very far in order to see everything they need to. In preperation for the birth, the bed of the mother is often increased in height to 80 centimeters. We made use of this aspect by using the bed as an extra support for a higher birthing chair. Which would give the midwife a better view of the mother's cervix from a more ergonomical position. The new stool allows the mother to recieve support from her partner, who can take a seat behind her on top of the bed. The stool can also be reduced back in size, in order to act as a more usual birthing stool and for easier transport. The foot supports can be adjusted in height to fit mothers of different sizes. And a bucket is attached to catch waste. During the design process we had the opportunity to work together with a midwife who gave us a lot of new insights to improve our design concepts.
