Earlier this year, Janet Ball one of the
research nurses at The Min, got in touch to
ask if any of our group members would be
interested in joining a focus group being put
together to review a new device called ‘The
Nimble’. She told us that Bath University
Research & Development Design Service
were looking for people with joint pain or
joint problems in their hands to test out
and give their views to gadget inventor
Simon Lyons of Version 22, Design School
in Loughborough.
After graduating with a Masters in Product
Design Engineering from Loughborough
University, Simon began to work full time
on products & ideas for Version 22. One
such product was ‘The Nimble’ - an easy
to use finger tool designed to help cut
open awkward packaging such as drinks
packaging, microwave meals and even
hard to open clam-shells.
Introducing....
The Nimb
Winner of a Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Aw
manufactures and sells innovative co
department stores and d
gadget as part of a focus group for people
with hand related disabilities, such as
arthritis, to see if we felt it would make
life easier so, one Monday in June, three
intrepid PsAZZ-ers joined a mixed group
of other people with dexterity issues at The
Min to meet up with Simon and colleague
Sam Warren. We were sent a link to a
promotional video on You Tube - www.
youtube.com/watch?v=sK3iCBUhUUc
- which meant we had some idea of
what we would be looking at before the
meeting.
In May 2013 the gadget won the national
‘If Only’ competition run by KT Equal
and the University of Bath and in June
it was entered into the 2013 ‘Think Big’
competition and awarded prize money to
At the
help with further development.
asked
PsAZZ were asked to help review the
asked
Simon explains the reason behind the design.. kinds
beginning of the session we were
to fill out a questionnaire which
a range of questions from what
of packages we have difficulty
opening to how it
makes us feel. Simon
then introduced us to
his prototype of The
Nimble and we all got
to see it close up and
try it on.
After we had passed it
around, Simon asked
us for some feedback
and
some
lively
discussion took place
on how it felt to wear,