New Ostomy Appliance Design Research

Hi,

My name is Stephanie and I am an Industrial Design student at Brunel University in London. Both my younger brothers and my father suffer from Crohn's Disease and one of my brothers is due to have his second operation this year in which he has been told his chances of a colostomy are quite high. We began looking into what this meant as a family and I was particularly struck by reading online blogs and forums and reading about life with a stoma. Much of it made me cry but much more of it made me laugh and on a personal level, it has given us so much hope and encouragement for the future.

I decided to embark upon a project to design a new ostomy appliance that will defy that term 'bag'. Absolutely crucial is that it works, and it works to the best possible standards. Yet why at the same time can it not celebrate the body and look great? In particular, I have been looking at a possible appliance that is designed to be worn in more intimate occasions - at a time when you want to look great, let go, yet still feel secure. The success of this project however, relies on me getting real feedback from as many people as possible. I have a questionnaire which I would be extremely grateful if anyone interested in helping could fill out. It should only take a few minutes. If you are interested in answering this questionnaire please PM me here and I will send it to you.

The aim is only to provide a product that will be beneficial, and therefore parts of this questionnaire may touch on very personal and sensitive matters. By being clear and direct, addressing issues not normally part of everyday conversations, I hope to tackle problems currently ignored. Please feel free to answer as many or as few of the questions as you like. Of course, the more detail you can give, the more insightful your feedback will be. All data will remain completely anonymous and will be stored confidentially throughout the duration of the project.

Thank you so much for any help in advance. :D

Stephanie

Sorry i forgot to mention I do have permission from Peter Waite - thank you!

Approved