Consultancy
Stannah Stairlifts gains unique insight into customers’ needs
Company
Stannah Stairlifts
Expertise
Loughborough Design School
Iconic British company Stannah Stairlifts used Loughborough University expertise to help its staff better understand the challenges faced by its customers.
The international stairlift manufacturer is using a state-of-the-art osteoarthritis simulation suit – developed by University ergonomists – to enable its engineers and sales staff to gain a personal insight into what it is like to suffer from the condition.
Experts from the Loughborough Design School SKInS (Sensory and Kinaesthetic Interactive Simulations) Programme have been researching wearable simulations of given health conditions.
They have developed a range of suits that are proving invaluable insight to organisations in many sectors including transport, construction, healthcare, banking and finance.
The Loughborough team collaborated with clinicians at the University Hospitals of Leicester to deepen their knowledge of osteoarthritis, which affects about eight million people in the United Kingdom.
Sharon Cook, SKInS programme manager said: “Empathy with suffers is generated amongst designers, sales teams and staff trainers, thereby guiding improvements to future product and service design.”
Nick Stannah, Product Marketing Director at Stannah Stairlifts, added: “The osteoarthritis suit is already having a very positive impact on how Stannah designs its products and empathises with the needs of its customers.”
Impact
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Stannah has now bought its own suit which will use in global training and induction sessions to help its staff understand more about the difficulties encountered by a large number of its clients.
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Research in this area is constantly being pushed forward through the Loughborough SKInS Programme with the current area of work relating to simulations of Occupational Health conditions.
For further information, contact the Loughborough SKInS Programme Manager, Sharon Cooke by emailing: s.e.cook@lboro.ac.uk