design is collaborative

Daily Living Labs

accessible solutions for people with disabilities

Inspired by my Opa’s post-stroke challenges, I partnered with Daily Living Labs to design a stabilizing bed tray that lets people eat with dignity and independence while bedbound.

Faatimah’s signature

Individual Contribution

Took a stabilizing bed tray from research to tested prototype: interviewed a power-wheelchair creator, co-facilitated immersion workshops, designed and 3D-printed 5 iterations, and usability-tested the final prototype with 7 wheelchair users.

Project Tools

Figma, Prusa, Illustrator, Blender, 3D printer, 3D pen, foam core, ceramic clay, metal weights, Velcro

Project Duration

Fall 25 · 4 months

Team Members

Our cohort had 17 UX students across three teams (AI development, research, and product design), with project leads overseeing each. Sophia was my paired researcher; I led the design, prototyping, and user testing.

Dillon Malone • Project Lead Catherine Hyatt • Project Lead Chloe Rivera • Project Lead
Faatimah Gamble • Product Designer Kerime Siller • Product Designer Amber Waters • Product Designer Amelia Velazquez • Product Designer Camryn Yanes • Product Designer Jakael Meadows • Product Designer
Sophia Lee • My researcher Cameron Bell • Researcher Brianna Sawyers • Researcher Hannah Vice • Researcher
Aniyah Threats • AI Development Miles Angelo • AI Development Tori Tauch • AI Development Angelica Sainz • AI Development
01.

Overview

Daily Living Labs (DLL) is a nonprofit focused on activities of daily living (ADLs). It connects people with accessibility needs to the designers, engineers, and makers who can help.

It works in two parts. People post what they need. If it already exists, an AI chatbot sources it; if it doesn’t, DLL pairs them with designers and engineers to build it. I was part of the product design team.

Product Design Team

Faatimah Gamble Kerime Siller Amber Waters Amelia Velazquez Camryn Yanes Jakael Meadows
02.

Research

Finding a focus meant moving from broad ecosystem research to a specific, at-home observation.

To understand where accessible design falls short, I interviewed Zebreda, a YouTube creator who uses a power wheelchair. She builds her own solutions because no one else does. But she can’t build everything, and that gap is where DLL steps in.

key insights

  • Users are already solving their own accessibility needs.
  • DLL has an opportunity to connect them with people who can help them go further.
Zebreda Makes it Work

We ran empathy immersion workshops where volunteers simulated physical limitations to evaluate early concepts against the seven core Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).

key insights

  • Pinpointed specific areas to focus our design efforts on.
  • Built a baseline of empathy for testing with real users later.

Workshop Facilitators

Faatimah Gamble Amber Waters Catherine Hyatt Dillon Malone Cameron Bell Amelia Velazquez

While the workshop data gave me a broad map, my actual design direction came from my own living room. My Opa was staying with my family after a series of strokes, and I watched him struggle daily just to keep his plate steady while eating in bed.

key insights

  • Narrowed my design focus entirely to the feeding ADL.
  • The goal got specific: a bed tray that holds his bowl steady, so he can eat on his own again.
03.

Prototype

I started with a competitive analysis of what already existed and where it fell short. Three products shaped the design.

Line sketch of the spill-proof snack bowl: an inner bowl held inside a wide outer ring with cut-out handholds

spill-proof snack bowl

Design for the extremes. These bowls were made for toddlers, but an inner bowl that swivels to stay level helps on any unsteady surface.

Line sketch of the bed tray, shown from above and with its folding legs extended

bed tray

My Opa ate in bed, propping his plate on whatever was in reach. Bed trays aren’t new, but I wanted to make it work specifically for an unpredictable surface.

Line sketch of the sloped scoop bowl: a shallow dish with one raised wall to push food against

sloped ‘scoop’ bowl

A sloped bowl can be used for one-handed eating, but nothing holds it steady as you push against it.

Built with Prusa 3D printing, 3D pen work, and hand sculpting, so I could iterate fast.

See the gimbal in 3D →

04.

Results

I put the prototype in front of real users and made refinements around their feedback.

5

Rapid Prototyping

iterations tested with classmates, friends, and family who don’t struggle with the feeding ADL, just to get the form right before it went in front of the people it was really for.

7

User Testing

adult wheelchair users of varying mobility levels tested the prototype at the Power to Move adaptive gym.

The biggest ask was a way to attach the tray right to the wheelchair, and every round of feedback drove a change:

Before and after line drawing of the tray: a flat top, then the same tray with a contoured body cutout notched out of the near edge

A body cutout

A contoured opening in the tray sits around the torso for a more natural eating position.

They said, “I want to sit closer to the tray, especially in a wheelchair.”

Before and after line drawing of the tray: an open bowl well, then the same well with locking tabs added to hold the gimbal steady

A gimbal lock

It turns the rotating mount into a stable, flat surface on demand.

They said, “I need it to stay put and feel secure when I’m not moving.”

Before and after line drawing of the tray: plain legs, then the same legs fitted with Velcro wheelchair straps

Two configurations

Fold-out legs for a bed or flat surface, and Velcro wheelchair straps for on-the-go.

They said, “I want to attach it right to my armrests.”

After testing and feedback from seven real users, the design finally became something people said they’d actually use.

05.

Beyond

The tray didn’t stop at a final prototype. It was featured at the Abilities Expo, where the disability community comes together to discover new assistive technology.

next project Doctor Notes Take a look at this project where I designed the UI screens for a new sharing feature in the Doctor Notes app.