The goal for our hand sanitizer dispenser was to create a device that would encourage people to use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizing a simple way people can stay healthy. People should be using hand sanitizer after they cough, sneeze, blow their nose, shake hands, touch their face, or do other common actions. We created the hand dispenser because it intrigues people and draws them in, enticing them to use the sanitizer and stay healthy. The dispenser also clamps onto the desks that we use at NuVu, so NuVu students can keep them close and use them all the time.

Studies have shown that hand sanitizer decreases the risk of colds and other illnesses, so if NuVu students were to keep the dispensers around them and use the sanitizer regularly, they would stay healthier. The germ bugs on top of the hand serve the purpose of reminding students how dirty their hands are, so they are drawn to use it. This product is important because it encourages people to use hand sanitizer, therefore keeping them healthier.

One thing people could do everyday to stay healthy is just the small task of washing one’s hands. Though it seems so easy, about 95% of people do not wash their hands correctly. In the medical compliance studio, the central goal between all the groups was to create a product that would help people follow medical protocol or help them to comply by what their doctors say. This could mean taking one’s prescribed pills, or remembering to look before crossing the street. We delved into the creating a hand sanitizer dispenser that would encourage people to actually clean their hands. Our goal was to create a hand sanitizer dispenser that looked interesting and NuVu students and coaches would actually use, because many people don’t use hand sanitizer. Two main reasons for this are accessibility and reminders: when the hand sanitizer isn’t in sight, or it would involve getting up/moving around to use it, the hand sanitizer is less likely to be used.

Our first iteration was made it out of cardboard and tape, and it was a U-shaped piece. It looked very similar to a regular dispenser, and there was absolutely nothing interesting about it. For our next iteration, we looked at different types of sensors, buttons, and automatic or manual pumps. We thought about reconstructing our dispenser so that it could have an automatic sensor.

We looked into making the dispenser into a clamp that would fit to the tables that we use at NuVu. We also realized that if we were going to make a pump mechanism, we didn’t need to make the it very complicated. All the mechanism needed was a hand sanitizer tank and some type of pump or button. We changed the idea of an automatic dispenser and instead started sketching various buttons and releasing mechanisms.

What we took away from the second iteration was that we really liked the pump mechanism and the idea of the hand sanitizer fitting onto the table. However, as soon as we started drawing it became clear that an automatic sensor would be too complicated, so we switched our idea to a simple design that only needed holes to align to allow the hand sanitizer to be released from the tank. We weren’t sure how this would work exactly, but we were set on the table clamp idea. In our next iteration, our goal was to come up with a button or pump system because it was critical to our design.

In our fourth iteration, we designed the button so that the inner key shaft pushed in (it’s connected to the piece with a spring), when enabled the key to slide into the dispenser tank and line up with the holes in the disk above and the bottom piece below. This created a clear line that the hand sanitizer could flow through, from the tank to the palm of the user’s hand. We really liked this idea, but we needed to make the key shaft wider so that it wouldn’t slide around, and we needed to 3D print it. It was also critical that we build a container around it, and create a larger button, so that it would be easy to press. Also, the tank needed to be able to screw on and off of the connector pieces, because there needed to be a refill mechanism.

In our fifth and final iteration, the dispenser had all the holes lined up and the button was larger and rounder, making the pushing mechanism more comfortable. The clamp attached to the table, and the sticker paper lined up on the hand. The sticker paper was designed to look like many germs on a hand, so that it emphasized just how much bacteria is actually on someone’s hand. In the final iteration, the entire piece worked properly, and the tank for the dispenser screwed on and off the piece very easily.