Duration: 10 weeks
Collaboration with Alana (ID) & Elisha (IxD)
Designed for Teague
Duration: 10 weeks
Collaboration with Alana (ID) & Elisha (IxD)
Designed for Teague
A system that is inviting, supportive, and restores independence within your home. More than a chair, Motra transforms every seated moment into strength.
A system that is inviting, supportive, and restores independence within your home. More than a chair, Motra transforms every seated moment into strength.
A Connected Wellness Chair
A Connected Wellness Chair
The Problem
The Problem
Aging Hurts
Aging Hurts
To many, aging is painful and unavoidable. Losing independence and the ability to do what we love makes it even harder.
How can we allow baby boomers to age in-place, with confidence and dignity ?
To many, aging is painful and unavoidable. Losing independence and the ability to do what we love makes it even harder.
How can we allow baby boomers to age in-place, with confidence and dignity ?
Design Opportunity
Design Opportunity
Movement is Medicine, but the Tools Don’t Exist
Movement is Medicine, but the Tools Don’t Exist
Accessible at-home movement tools are virtually nonexistent, and when they do exist, they’re clunky, outdated, and frustrating for both users and physical therapists.
Accessible at-home movement tools are virtually nonexistent, and when they do exist, they’re clunky, outdated, and frustrating for both users and physical therapists.
The Goal
The Goal
Design a low-barrier solution that makes movement easy and care circle interactions simple and positive.
Design a low-barrier solution that makes movement easy and care circle interactions simple and positive.
Ideation Process
To understand our users, we studied a day in the life of five diffferent groups and found a shared barrier: pain limiting dignity and the ability to do what they love.
Different Lives, Shared Pain
User Research
Interview with a home-based physical therapist, Maria, uncovered key insights that led to our ah-ha moment:
A Physical Therapist’s POV
+
Motivation is the hardest part of her job
+
Digital and remote tracking does not exist
+
Equipment is outdated and overlooked
+
Sitting & Standing, Balance, Resistance Bands
+
Many exercises require caregiver assistance
+
Preventative education is always lacking
At-home exercise tools are flimsy and hard to set up, while progress tracking relies on tedious paper checklists, blocking progress and motivation for elderly and PTs.
DIY Solutions, Disconnected Care
Current Market Products/Solutions
We identified the problem early on and explored a wide range of directions. Ultimately, we set out to address the root cause rather than settling for a temporary, band-aid fix.
Going as Wide as Possible
Concept Development
But why a chair? Aren’t Chairs overdone?
We know that older adults already spend on average 8 to 9 hours a day sitting.
Rather than seeing this as a problem, we saw an opportunity to transform a common, familiar space into an easy entry tool for movement strength, and connection.
What Does the Chair need?
3 Key Exercises
Sitting & Standing
+ Practice sitting & standing to get up from any chair or sofa
+ Build confidence getting up on one’s own without assistance
+ Develop strength for everyday activities
+ Build confidence carrying groceries, cooking, or other hobbies
Full-body resistant band training
+ Build core stabilization muscles that prevent accidents
+ Reinforce trust in your own body to prevent falls
core & Balance
Collaborative Chaos
Concept Exploration & Refinement
Taking the good from every concept
The Process
Understanding Chair Ergonomics
Rapid Prototyping
Not just a chair…
A Gentle Guide for Strength at Home
Motra is more than a chair; it’s a gentle guide and a beautiful part of your home that helps you move, care for your wellness, and stay close to the people you love.
Not just a chair…
A Gentle Guide for Strength at Home
Motra is more than a chair; it’s a gentle guide and a beautiful part of your home that helps you move, care for your wellness, and stay close to the people you love.
Onboarding
First Introduction to Motra
App done by Elisha Jeon
Downloading the Motra app and pairing your chair
Greeted with a gentle walkthrough and a precise baseline assessment
Scalable for All
Motra is equipped with 6 different levels of athletic resistant bands, allowing anyone to perform a full body workout at their current level.
Preventative Resistant Band Training
Motra makes workouts seamless and secure with three adjustable hooks on each side. Hooks extend for quick band attachment and retract to lock them safely, giving users confidence to train harder.
Furthermore, the info beacon gives him an at-a-glance view of progress, like where he is in the workout, how many reps he’s completed, and simple gamified visuals that guide motion with real-time feedback.
Exercise 01
Resistant Band Training
Exercise 02
Sitting & Standing
Exercise 03
Core & Balance
Care Connections
Your progress, shared with PTs and family, celebrating wins big or small.
Core and Balance
Understanding that the chair can be utilized in a variety of ways, Motra is designed to incorporate two additional key exercises for preventative and rehabilitative measures.
CMF Options
Designed for You, Made for Your Home
CMF Options
Designed for You, Made for Your Home
Motra should never feel clinical; it should feel like you, blending beauty, comfort, and motivation into one.
Motra should never feel clinical; it should feel like you, blending beauty, comfort, and motivation into one.
