Click here to watch the switch in action. Jerry Switch, a DIY shell based design to convert any mouse into an HID compliant motor switch.

Jerry Switch

A very very affordable accessibility switch. Switch being actively sold in India and used by people with motor disabilities.

Research

Accessibility

Prototyping

HID Compliant

Testing

STATUS

The switch is being actively sold in India.
A metallic version (called BlueClick) was designed by the Enability Foundation and is being used for events in India.

The switch won the Student Design Challenge at the Empower 2021 conference.

Buy the Switch DIY Jerry Switch

DURATION

3 months
Aug, 2021 - Oct, 2021

TEAM (x4)

Sumedh Supe, Product Prototyping and Testing
Ayushi Gupta, Visual and Form Design
Sehej Jain, Web
Swati Ramtilak, Research

CONTRIBUTIONS: Product Prototyping and Testing

Led user research for the problem space, and led the creation and testing of prototypes.

I had visited multiple motor disability play zones for kids to observe and understand their needs. Conducted multiple doctor and parent interviews to understand what kids need the best.

As the Prototype lead, I was responsible for creating and testing multiple iterations of the product and ensuring that is mass manufacturable.

FINAL OUTCOME

An outline of a die-cut template design for the switch. The design includes dashed lines indicating fold areas and colorful accents: a yellow rectangle on the top left section and a pink rectangle on the bottom left section. The right side of the template features overlapping colored lines, possibly marking assembly or folding instructions. Scissor icons on the bottom left indicate a cut line.

DIY die cut template to make your own swithc at home with cardboard

A template that could be customizable according to different mouse sizes was created to enable people to build their own assistive switch devices.

To enable quick designs, a website was launched to make customizations easy. Instructions included.

Jerry Switch Website

PROBLEM

An infographic featuring five key product attributes, each represented by an icon: a dollar bag with scissors for 'Low cost,' a Bluetooth symbol for 'HID standard,' a battery icon for 'At least 3 hours battery,' a touch icon for 'Light/Rough touch,' and a flexible loop icon for 'Flexible.' The design is minimalistic with a light background and flowing lines connecting the icons.

The requirements of the switch

A collage of various assistive switches and devices for accessibility: a large red button switch labeled 'Big Buddy Button Switch,' a rectangular blue and yellow switch with a hand interacting with it, and four spiky half-dome switches in various colors (red, blue, green, yellow). Each device is accompanied by pricing information and a 'Sale Price' banner.

The prices of the switches are extremely high for Indian markets

Assistive Switches are extremely expensive for Indian markets. This makes it impossible for many kids to have them, making their growth dependent on others.

Through our conversation with experts, we realized that children did have access to switches in schools and learning centers but they were just too expensive to be bought for home.

The lack of demand and the need to personalize each switch makes them really expensive. But underlying technology has been around for decades now and is extremely cheap.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Creating a wireless HID-compliant assistive switch with a cost of production of less than 500 INR.

PROCESS

During the ideation part of the process, we came up with the idea to use an already mass-manufactured device like the computer mouse instead of creating an entire switch from scratch. We had already come across single button switches that were replicating the left click of the mouse on the computer. So we decided to create an encasing for the mouse that can act as an accessibility switch. The encasing can be of different surface areas for different people and can be customized as per the need.

Using computer mice had the following advantages-

- They are mass-manufactured, branded wireless mice are available in the Indian market for as low as 250 INR
- They are built for durability, so can handle most human presses
- Mice buttons produce a click sound upon pressing to give feedback to the users
- Wireless mice last for months on a single battery/charge

We followed it up by looking at all the possible movements that we could incorporate with a click on the switch to design the encasings accordingly.

A linear timeline with six labeled milestones: 1. Problem Statement, 2. User Study, 3. Ideation, 4. Concept Exploration, 5. Prototyping, 6. Testing. The timeline is depicted as a straight arrow moving from left to right, with labels placed evenly along the path

The design ideation process

A set of photos showcasing different interactions with assistive devices: on the left, a foot interacting with a foot pedal or switch, and on the right, a series of hand gestures interacting with a laptop touchpad, showing a closed fist, an open palm, and various positions in between. The images are timestamped and appear to document a testing process.

Various hand forms identified for using the switch

MOCKUPS AND THE SOLUTION

A collection of hand-drawn sketches showcasing design concepts for assistive devices. The designs are categorized into '3D Print,' 'Cardboard,' and 'Sheet Metal Formed.' The sketches feature various forms, including soft and ergonomic designs, structures for stability, and concepts with elastic bands for adjustability. Annotations highlight features such as 'pressure created when tab is pressed' and 'simple clip-on structure,' emphasizing functional and material considerations for the designs.

All designs, to be prototyped in black color, the rest in gray

Solution: Customized skins/covers for mice that can convert any mouse wireless/wired to an assistive switch

These were the final drawings of the three encasings we had designed for the mouse. They were fabricated with cardboard and 'M-seal' and were tested by the team. Making all the prototypes cost us less than 50 INR. These were then tested along with the Logitech M170 wireless mouse.

PROTOTYPE GALLERY

A prototype labeled 'A' made from cardboard with a flap mechanism for clicking. The design features colored flaps, one yellow and one blue, on top of the structure. Images show the flaps and mouse placement underneath the structure. A conceptual sketch is included, illustrating a clip-on structure for mouse usage

Backward Design

A cardboard prototype labeled 'B,' featuring side flaps for functionality. The top has two flaps, one yellow and one blue, with a mouse placed inside the structure. Additional images show the side flaps for added adjustability. A conceptual sketch in the bottom left depicts the intended design for pressure and usability.

Front Buttons

A prototype showing a computer mouse mounted with a cover made from M-seal material. The image includes a close-up of the mouse with a purple and silver cover and additional photos displaying the mouse without the cover. A sketch labeled 'C' is shown in the top right corner, indicating the conceptual design for a soft and ergonomic form.

Hard Shell

Backward Design

Front Buttons

Hard Shell

We decided to use the backward design for DIY ability and quick manufacturing with sheet metal. The backward design was also more stable.

Software

Not all mice inputs are recognized as switch buttons on all devices. JerrySwitch works best with software that directly works with or accepts left and/or right click of the mouse.

Kavi PTS(free)
Boardmaker

REFLECTIONS

This was the first time we were desingning a product for children, that too children with disabilites. Although we decided not to work with children directly, it was a great learning to get insights from their parents and teachers.

We ensured that manufucturing would not be a hurdle so decided to open source the project under the CC BY 4.0 license.

We are thankful to the support of our mentor Prof. Anil Prabhakar, CREATE Lab(IIT Madras) and the team of mentors at Empower 2021.