Building off the knowledge we gained from seeking out and listening to different voices, we sought to learn more about allergies, muscle weakness, and ways to make our products more inclusive for a diverse audience. We achieved this through two-way conversations with medical professionals and everyday people.

To further our understanding and get advice, we sought professional help by consulting with multiple experts in different fields. These interviews further reaffirmed our understanding that a lot of people with more sensitive skin conditions, like eczema for example, can not use DEET-based repellents as it would cause contact dermatitis. Furthermore, using DEET products on infants is also heavily discouraged by health professionals because of its potential toxic effects, cutting out a large number of customers. It has been documented that exposure to products containing DEET could cause skin irritation, varying severity of rashes, and even blisters (Forsey, 2023). The risk of these side effects discourages users and forces them to use other repellents that are often less effective and more expensive or sometimes discourage them from using any at all.

Many current insect repellents use an ethanol base, despite its association with damage to the skin barrier, leading to dryness and irritation. Prolonged alcohol exposure, as is the case with repellents that require frequent reapplication, can cause contact dermatitis. This condition is often triggered by a compromised immune system that produces histamines in response to alcohol on the skin, resulting in symptoms such as rashes, difficulty breathing, stomach cramps, collapse, and even anaphylaxis (Weebler, 2022).

Thus, we prioritized finding an alternative solvent. Through our interview with Dr. Chen, we learned about potential alternatives such as creams, oils, or water-based formulations, which could make our product more accessible to a larger audience, including those with sensitive skin conditions or skin-alcohol allergies. By avoiding ethanol as the base for our mosquito-repelling fragrance, we are expanding our product's inclusivity for individuals with these sensitivities.

From the analysis of our online survey, we became aware of the commonality of allergic reactions to fragrances and alcohol solvents. To gain a comprehensive understanding, we expanded our research through street interviews. We asked them about specific allergens further reaffirming our belief that different people react differently to a wide variety of fragrance ingredients. This greatly emphasized the need for us to create a product that was customizable to suit each individual's needs and is inclusive to their allergies and sensitivities.

This initial insight naturally led us to consider a more inclusive approach—not just addressing allergies, but also exploring personal preferences. Recognizing that the formatting of the online survey questions only being in categories limits the ability for people to fully respond with their true preferences, we delved into greater detail during the street interview. This process confirmed the incredibly diverse range of scents people enjoy. Additionally, what’s interesting is that many participants expressed difficulty in choosing just one favorite scent, often torn between several they love. The vast range of opinions we gathered further highlighted the importance of customization in our eventual product. Through our street interviews, we made sense of our survey results and better understand the importance of inclusivity towards individuals, both in terms of allergens and scents.

From observing children struggling to use spray bottles, we identified people with reduced muscle dexterity as a potential marginalized audience. This led us to consider the elderly, who often face similar challenges when handling objects like spray bottles. To gain firsthand insights, we spoke directly with these individuals in our street interviews to understand how we could incorporate accessible design elements into our product, making it more inclusive for these groups. They shared challenges they face with conventional spray bottles regarding grips, nozzles, finger strength, and hand coordination. These personal experiences allowed us to better understand the problem and greatly inspired our hardware design.

From the kindergarten activity, we began to understand the importance of creating a bottle that is easy to use. We began researching and recognizing the flaws with some conventional repellent bottle designs.

The photo on the left is of a conventional repellent bottle design featuring a pump style spray mechanism. The right photo is of the spray bottles we used in the kindergarten activity. Both use a similar spray mechanism that requires the user to press down on the small surface area for the spray bottle to work. However, this requires manual dexterity that people like younger children and those with physically limiting conditions do not have. Like what we observed during our educational activity, this spray mechanism discourages these users. Furthermore, holding the bottle relies a lot on friction due to the shape of the container. If the bottle were to get wet, getting a good grip on the bottle would become much more precarious, especially for those whose grip strength is already weakened by the individual’s condition.

To combine every research and knowledge that we have gathered, we implemented these insights into the development of actual products and ideas, ensuring that each of them helps our product to address the diverse needs of our consumers, ultimately enhancing inclusivity and making our offerings accessible to as many people as possible.

AroMatch, our personalization quiz, was created to ensure that we are able to be inclusive to everyone’s unique preferences and needs. The quiz identifies potential allergies and offers diverse scent categories to cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences, so everyone can find something they love.

The user interface is designed to be quick and easy to use, taking only about two minutes to complete. AroMatch is accessible to individuals with varying levels of familiarity with fragrances, making it user-friendly to all. The quiz guides customers through a series of allergy checks and questions, helping them select their unique perfume or cologne by choosing personalized top, middle, and base notes. With the help of our Software Team, we developed an algorithm that matches each user with the most suitable fragrance. Through these thoughtful features, AroMatch creates a welcoming environment that prioritizes safety, preference, and individuality, allowing everyone to explore and enjoy the world of fragrance.

Visit AroMatch to customize your scent!

Through research and people’s experiences, we created our inclusive product design, AroFuse, emphasizes accessibility for all users, addressing various needs to ensure ease of use. The bottle is shaped to accommodate different hand sizes, featuring an hourglass shape and non-slip material for a secure grip, providing comfort for everyone. The nozzle is designed to be adjustable, allowing users to control the pressure and spray distribution. For those seeking a more even distribution and smaller droplet size, the flat fan nozzle can be adjusted so the tip is closer to the opening, increasing the pressure for finer control. However, this could make the bottle harder to press, so users with weaker finger strength can loosen the nozzle to reduce the pressure required. Additionally, our bottle’s trigger mechanism is slightly elevated, providing a greater pressing distance, which allows the use of a weaker spring and makes pressing the spray significantly easier. This effect is modeled by Hooke’s Law which we describe in depth on our hardware page. This customizability allows for a greater range of customers, specifically, those with arthritis and muscular dystrophy who have been previously ignored by product designers, to comfortably use our product. To promote inclusivity, the label includes large, clear print in high contrast colors, braille for the main name, and universal symbols, such as a mosquito, to ensure that it is easily identifiable by all, including those with visual impairments. Overall, our product combines effective hardware design, AroFuse, with clear, accessible labeling to create a user-friendly experience for everyone.

Visit our Hardware page for more details.