Bad Design Style: Case #39

Alright, this product does function and may be helpful for some people, but not for the many people who have a disability or the elderly.  The product is called the Shelevator and it is a pulley system that brings a storage bin down from an upper cabinet shelf. However there are plenty of other products on the market that make upper cabinets accessible which are more user friendly.

Steps 1 thru 6
But let’s talk about how this system works. After opening the cabinet door, the user grabs a handle on a string then pulls it out. This pulls out the storage bin out from the shelf. Then the user moves forward to lower the storage bin onto the counter. To put the bin back up and away, the user pulls on the handle to raise the storage bin up. Then uses the handle to push the storage bin back into place.

Problems
Now why this wouldn’t work for wheelchair users or the elderly. First the handle is mounted too high for a wheelchair user to reach. But let’s say that the handle is kept low and reachable. The user still has to back up a couple feet to get the storage bin out. Asking an elderly person to walk backwards while pulling on a string is not a great idea. Plus if the kitchen is small and crowded, then there’s a space problem. Finally once the storage bin is back up in the top position, the user has to use the handle to push the storage bin back onto the shelf. Which from the video doesn’t look to be as easy as it should be to do. Of course not doable from wheelchair.

Conclusion
Too many steps and not efficient. Especially when there are so many better alternatives on the market, I can’t recommend this device.