The Development of a Bra for the Disabled.

Abstract

This mixed-method research aimed to study the problems and requirements of the disabled in terms of bra to create guidelines for designing and developing a bra for the disabled, and studying the acceptance of the developed bras. The problems and requirements were collected through qualitative study of in-depth interviews, user research methods in product development, and the quantitative study through structured questionnaires from 20 purposely chosen disabled individuals. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to test product acceptance. The research study revealed that: 1) the problem of using a bra for the disabled is that putting on and removing the bra are very difficult, particularly the hook attachment, and the tiny shoulder strap which caused shoulder pain. 2) The desired disabled bra is a bra with easy removal attachment, a two-centimeter wide velvet bra strap, without mold and wire, and that is easy to adjust. 3) Overall product satisfaction was high, and the convenience of removal was highest. The product acceptance test results showed that the sample who accepted were satisfied with using the disabled’s bra in daily life more than the others.