Innovative Highchair Design Revolutionizes Pediatric Care: A Collaborative Journey From Concept to Prototype

Highchairs are common in homes with babies and toddlers, as well as in places such as hospitals and restaurants where young children are fed. In hospitals, they are mainly used in pediatric care for infants, toddlers and children undergoing treatment or recovery. Highchairs provide a safe, stable seating option during meals and interactions with family, friends and staff, promoting normalcy and supporting developmental needs.

For children who can sit up and eat, highchairs help them eat safely in an upright position, reducing the risk of aspiration. They also facilitate socialization, allowing children to interact with family during visits or participate in therapeutic activities. However, the design and adaptability of highchairs for all children are somewhat limited.

In 2021, Shelley Coleman Casto, MS, OTR/L, and Melanie Stevens, MS/CCC-SLP, BCS-S, both occupational therapists, developed an innovative concept for a new highchair and began working with Kyle Murrah, senior licensing associate in the Office of Technology Commercialization at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This marked the beginning of a collaborative journey that would involve multiple stakeholders and lead to the creation of a novel highchair designed to benefit children’s health.

Michelle Wollenberg and Alisa Pinciotti, who are involved in purchasing and construction at Nationwide Children’s, played pivotal roles throughout the project. They suggested reaching out to Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), a leader in art and design education located in downtown Columbus, for assistance with the design. CCAD was enthusiastic about the project and saw it as an excellent opportunity for their students to engage in a real-world design challenge.

“Health care design is an impactful space that we love connecting our students with through partnered projects,” said Nicole Monahan, associate vice president for Creative Careers & Collaboration at CCAD. “To know that CCAD students and faculty could design a real highchair that would help babies and children was especially meaningful to us all.”

Thus, an agreement was executed between CCAD and Nationwide Children’s.

The project officially kicked off in the spring semester of 2023. Students from CCAD began by shadowing Coleman Casto and Stevens to gather research on the highchairs currently in use. This hands-on approach allowed the students to understand the practical needs and challenges faced by occupational therapists and their young patients.

Throughout the semester, various collaborative work sessions were held on the CCAD campus to identify key design criteria and user experience considerations. Co-design sessions were conducted to inspire innovative solutions for the highchair. These collaborative efforts culminated in a presentation at the end of the semester, where students shared their findings, including essential design needs, materials and features. Broad proposals for the design elements were laid out, setting the stage for the next project phase.

The spring semester of 2024 marked the beginning of the actual design of the highchair. The kickoff event featured a patent presentation by Kyle Murrah and Joseph Mills, PhD, licensing associate in the OTC, highlighting the importance of protecting the innovative aspects of the design. These include innovative design features such as low muscle tone support, a chair sliding track and nesting capabilities. Throughout the semester, clinicians and Nationwide Children’s personnel provided feedback during presentations held at Nationwide Children’s. This iterative process ensured that the final design met the practical needs of its users.

The semester concluded with the presentation of a final design and a prototype.

“The clinicians and staff at Nationwide Children’s were amazing collaborators and provided our students with a fantastic career-building experience,” says Monahan. “It was a joy to celebrate the final design with Melanie and Shelley, who had dreamed of it for so long.”

As the team moves into the final stages of filing a utility patent on key elements of the highchair, the contributions of Shelley, Melanie, and the CCAD team remain central to the project’s success.