The team at Colebrook Bosson Saunders are using their design expertise to help a wheelchair user access areas with multi-levels or rough terrain with ease.

The task at hand? Build a ramp holder that attaches to the back of a wheelchair that’s light, easy to reach, and allows hands-free transportation of a heavy-duty ramp.

“At CBS, we specialize in designing ergonomic products. We’ve never designed something like this, but with our background experience, we were up for the challenge,” said Nick Cox, Product Designer at Colebrook Bosson Saunders. “There were many similarities including ensuring the design is user-centric with easy usability, designing within a constrained space, considering aesthetics tie in with surroundings, utilizing similar materials and manufacturing processes, and improving the design through an iterative process.”

The team kicked off the project as part of MillerKnoll’s Day of Purpose in 2021 in partnership with Remap London South and continued to iterate throughout the year. The day started with creative brainstorm sessions and sketching. That grew to concepts and models, and soon after they were ready to design tests and prototypes. With this design thinking approach, the team identified a final solution.

The final ramp design was fitted and tested by an individual from the local community who uses wheelchair. The result? It worked effectively and efficiently.

“As a company, we are really proud of this project.  The team has worked to support a design need that would not normally be visible to them in their daily work,” said Andrew Humphreys, Managing Director at Colebrook Bosson Saunders. “By having the Day of Purpose in our calendar we can use our collective skills and spirit to help make a difference for people like Andy and further support charities like Remap South London.”

Learn more about how our brands work to give back to their communities year-round on MillerKnoll.com/environmental-social-impact