Reinventing the cane: choose who it serves and what it should do better

Come up with a new cane. Choose who it is for, which of their problems it solves, and why they would pick it over the canes available today. ```hint Walk through a day People carry canes for very different reasons. Pick one group and follow a day of using the cane before you name any features. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this a physical product we would make and sell, and may it connect to a phone or other devices, or is that open? - Which goal matters most: user safety, independence, reaching people who avoid using a cane, or revenue? - Are canes for walking support, long canes used by people who are blind or have low vision, and hiking sticks all in scope? - Is there a price range, or a line on health claims such as medical-device regulation, that the design must stay within? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A comparison of the different people who use canes, and a justified choice of whom to design for first - Pain points grounded in a realistic day of use for that group - Ideas ranked by impact and effort, a defined first version and what is left out - Success metrics with guardrails - Risks specific to this group and product, such as safety, cost, stigma and regulation ### Follow-up Questions - How would you test your riskiest assumption before committing to hardware? - Who pays for it: the user, their family or a health insurer? How does that change the design and the price? - Which group did you set aside, and what would you build differently for them?