Prohab: Keys to Ageing Well
Prohab chief executive Lyndon Huf with co-designer Vicki Jarnis and Alex Vanderzon. Image courtesy of The Advertiser Independent Lifestyle magazine.
Project Overview
The LifeLab® conducted research using an exercise and strength-testing device invented by technology company Prohab.
The device – initially developed with a focus on the elite athlete market – measures and feeds back effort and performance to the user in real-time.
The device clips into existing rehabilitation equipment, such as resistance trainers, and gives feedback on the quantity and quality of work someone is doing and how to safely progress.
Prohab chief executive Lyndon Huf brought his rehabilitation sensor device to the LifeLab to “engage a market segment and try and understand what that market segment really needs and how we would approach that market segment”.
“The Global Centre for Modern Ageing led a project to better understand the potential for our exercise and strength-testing device to appeal to older people. We initially developed our device for the elite athlete market and wanted to understand the needs of older people to enable us to explore this market segment. In the GCMA’s living laboratory, researchers thoughtfully engaged older co-designers to explore their experiences of our product as customers. The GCMA’s living laboratory approach provided rich, timely insights, enabling us to better understand how to engage with older people in a way that makes sense for them.”
The Trial
During the session, 12 participants contributed to a series of facilitated discussions and contributed during a number of exercises.
The activities included becoming familiar with the Prohab device and discussing and imaging one’s future activity and mobility. The entrepreneurs were participating in the keen discussions alongside the older participants.
Co-designer Vicki Jarnis testing the products with Prohab’s Alex Vanderzon.
Outcomes
Prohab CEO Lyndon Huf said he discovered the volunteers were more interested in the process around the device than he imagined and has welcomed the feedback.
Co-designer Vicki Jarnis took part in the PROHAB sessions and relished the opportunity.
“My experience is that it’s been a wonderful opportunity to create connections and meet other people who are like-minded but are so diverse in terms of their backgrounds that they bring a very different backstory,” she said.
Vicki hadn’t really known what LifeLab was about when she agreed to take part in the Prohab project but she had speculated that it would be a basic market research exercise. “The result was that it was much, much more than that,” she said.
“When you are listening to other people you realise you hadn’t thought of that and that opens you up to think about things in a different way.”
The client report provided summarised the responses and insights gathered from participants; and identified some opportunities and potential next steps.
These insights helped Prohab adapt the device for use by older people and communicate the benefits to users and clinicians.
More Information
To learn more about this case study, and how the Global Centre for Modern Ageing® can support your business, contact our knowledgeable team today on +61 8 6117 5510.
