Directions for Future Development

The following steps are recommended to further develop the design.

User testing: The Scissor Stopper was only tested by ourselves and our client, who is a physical therapist. Since our client did not have a patient who could test the Scissor Stopper, additional testing should be done to see where improvements can be made from the patient’s perspective.

Performance testing: The Scissor Stopper underwent limited testing, so additional testing should be done to test durability. Also, since the Scissor Stopper was mostly tested by us, we could not replicate how much force that a patient with scissoring gait will actually use on the barrier. More testing should be done to see how well the device will hold up after several uses.

Adjustability: The Scissor Stopper should be able to adjust horizontally to fit all walkers and vertically to account for patients of different heights. However, the Scissor Stopper was created for a medium-sized walker. Additionally, there is no horizontal adjustability component. Further research of materials and sizing can be done to allow for a better and easier range of adjustability.

Material: Since our client does not currently have any users, we do not know if the device will be too heavy for the patients to operate easily. Also, we do not know if aluminum will be strong enough to act as a barrier and withstand the force put on it. More research should be done for more lightweight and durable materials for the Scissor Stopper.