Abstract
Drowning is a prevalent problem in South Africa, particularly among young children and in poor communities. International studies indicate water safety training and awareness contribute significantly to reducing drowning incidents. Drowning prevention modules, forming part of school-based swimming training, support preventative measures. However, there is no prescribed or recommended equipment for this essential training. Currently, local swimming instructors have two options for assistive devices: expensive commercially available equipment used by swimmers (i.e., pool noodles and kickboards) or recycled products. This paper reports on an Industrial Design Master's study which established that swimming instructors and teachers are implementing an 'unorthodox' approach by using empty plastic bottles as assistive devices during water safety training sessions. As a result, the training takes longer and is less effective within the curriculum. This allowed for the identification of an opportunity to develop an appropriate assistive device for water safety training by following a human-centred design approach. The design outcome is a low-cost and scalable solution that suits implementation on a small and large scale and relies on recycled and easily available materials. The researcher interpreted the user comments from a design, materiality, and manufacturing perspective during the discovery phase, and this informed the development of a final solution. The final design solution was tested by a teacher for final evaluation of appropriateness for implementation. Failures and successes were documented as part of the prototyping leading to the final design solution and will be unpacked in the final paper. The final user input evaluated the success of the design solution, as well as assisted in the fabrication of several units for testing. Recommendations for future study included curriculum changes in South African Government schools to include school-based swimming training as well commercial concepts to explore within the private swimming training context.