AIM OF THE STUDY

Support climbing trainers, aiming to make their teaching more effective.

Improving learning, understanding and retention of information.

RESERACH QUESTION

“What are the shortcomings in current sport climbing education regarding disseminating essential safety knowledge, and how can design bridge these gaps? “

“Which methods or strategies could improve the retention and correct application of safety knowledge in sport climbing?”

PROBLEM STATEMENT

SCALING SAFETY: AN OVERVIEW OF CLIMBING ACCIDENTS

The Association of Climbing Gyms KLEVER and The German Alpinism Club (DAV) record reported accidents and analyze them statistically. The number of member gyms managed by the DAV and KLEVER is currently around 250, covering the majority of climbing facilities in Germany. They focus on accidents that require the intervention of rescue services:

• Rope climbing accidents in 2022 were predominantly characterized by ground falls and impact injuries, with a notable frequency in lead climbing. These incidents were primarily attributed to improper use of belaying equipment and poor communication between climbers.

• Bouldering has the largest number of reported accidents and the cause is mainly due to bad falls on the mattresses. Although it is the largest number, it has no fatal accidents as opposed to rope climbing accidents.

THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING SAFETY-RELATED KNOWLEDGE

The formation of memories is one of the most basic elements of learning, and it is understood to have three important stages. The first is encoding. This is when the knowledge is first encountered. When knowledge first enters our brain, many researchers believe that it first enters our short-term memory. The second stage is that of consolidation, which is understood in different ways. It is understood as an ongoing process where the memory is strengthened, for retrieval in the future. Sleep is often mentioned as an important component of consolidating memories into long-term memory. For my thesis, I will leave the considerations on consolidation aside and move on to the third stage: retrieval. During retrieval, the contents of memory once again enter our short-term memory, to allow the person to use the contents of that memory. One can compare this to opening files on a hard drive, or retrieving documents from a cabinet, to get the information that one needs for the task at hand. The concept of retrieval will be very relevant for learning safety-related knowledge, as we will see.

DESIGN APPROACH

PARTNERSHIP

To commence the research and be able to implement the findings, a crucial step in completing this thesis project was to establish contact with a partner climbing hall in Berlin. This was achieved at MAGIC MOUNTAIN, which is one of the largest climbing halls in Berlin.

EMPATHIZING PHASE

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

Summary of outstanding results from the Preliminary Survey

- The fear of falling may worsen after a previous bad climbing experience or an injury

- 94.3% of the climbers surveyed have had some sports injury or bad experience 

What bad experiences have climbers had that affected their performance?

INTERVIEWS

OBSERVATION

CONCLUSIONS

• Throughout the course, there are no graphic or visual resources to assist the trainer's explanation.

• Cases were observed in which knowledge of the first part of the session was forgotten and they carried out the practical part without certainty of what they were doing.

• At the beginning of the course the trainer makes a reminder of the knowledge taught in the first part, without allowing the students to remember on their own what they learned or even an effective way to check that the participants remember everything correctly and are prepared for the practical part of the course.

• At the end of the course, there is a theoretical part where the trainer explains the correct handling and storage of climbing equipment. However, there is no graphic resource to help him exemplify the damage that the participants should recognize in their equipment.

• At the end of the course, there is a time dedicated to summarizing the most important techniques taught during the session, but after 3 hours of climbing and listening to the trainer, the students are too tired and overwhelmed to pay attention.

DEFINITION PHASE

The definition phase is the one in which the users’ needs and problems are specified. For this, there are two steps involved. First, a mind map is created collecting and summarizing the most important information obtained from the trainers, summing up the two expert trainers interviewed.

This map allowed us to better understand their needs, challenges, perspectives, and behaviors which in turn provided valuable insights for finding the most effective design solutions.

• The conclusion is that climber's past experiences, which affect their performance, are often marred by a lack of awareness of the risks involved in climbing. This leads to a failure in performing basic safety routines like effective communication between climber and belayer and implementing crucial safety techniques such as buddy checks, which can prevent many accidents.

• To tackle these errors at their root, it's essential to enhance both the learning approach for climbing course participants and the evaluation methods used by trainers. This will contribute significantly to improving overall climbing safety.

IDEATION PHASE

DESIGN AND TESTING

The selected ideas are now set to be transformed into a physical product, a Kit that supports the trainer in testing his students and the participant in recalling climbing safety knowledge.

The prototype was developed using the concept of „My vertical World”. It is the name of the tool we developed since metaphorically you have to learn the rules to “live„ in a vertical world. For this purpose, a “kit“ was designed which, is a set of cards to be used at the beginning of the course, supports the trainer with an ice-breaking activity, an interactive and dynamic way to review the knowledge acquired in the first part of the course. In addition, to support the trainer in explaining the theory taught in the last part of the course two posters were created to illustrate to the participants examples of damage to be recognized on the rope and harness.

In this way, it offers a tool to be used both at the beginning and at the end of the course, thus covering the most important parts where theory is taught.

Two posters were designed as a graphic aid for the trainer to explain the damage of materials on the rope and harness, thus exemplifying the damage to be prevented and educating the participants in a more visual and assertive way.

Both posters were designed in A3 size. Since it is a size that allows to visualize the images in detail and allows maneuvering among the participants.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

COLOR PALETTE

It was created based on the colors of the climbing wall with which we worked in a partnership.

TYPOGRAPHY

The font chosen for the logo was BC Alphapipe, a headline typeface designed by Radek Sidun. The basis of the font is a simple geometric construction derived from the shape of a circle. The letters A and M have a very interesting inclination that can be associated with the angle of the mountains.

Poppins by Jonny Pinhorn and Ninad Kalewas was chosen as complementary font because of their readability, versatility, and good pairing with BC Alphapipe.

DESIGN OUTCOME

Contains 9 small cards size 2,5in x 3,5in, 4 large cards size 3,5in x 5,5in, 2 ropes with knots at their ends, and two A3 posters.

TESTING

To test the effectiveness of the proposal and to have valuable feedback for the next iteration, the „Kit: My Vertical World“ was given to two trainers to support the lessons of their climbing courses and I was also present watching from a distance how the trainer and participants interacted with the proposal, it was decided not to take a photographic record so as not to interfere and alter the interaction. In addition, the proposal was presented to 2 other coaches for their feedback.

Based on the feedback obtained from the trainers and what was observed during the product interaction, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• The concept of „game“ should be reformulated as an interactive activity for the beginning of the course. Where the trainer reads the questions to the participants and waits for the correct answer, then the trainer decides if something needs to be added or rephrased to the answer already obtained.

• The point system should be eliminated, and instead propose a package with two compartments for the cards, one for the cards already answered and the other for the cards to be read.

• Create an illustration to implement in the partner check-up card. To allow the participants to point out the procedures to be considered.

• Although the poster had very favorable responses, it could be improved by creating a sample display with the different damaged ropes, so that participants can interact with them, see in real-time what to avoid, and check on their ropes.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS

This thesis concludes with a strong affirmation of the potential and impact of the proposed design. Tailored initially for the specific requirements of the partnership wall, this design holds extensive applicability in teaching safety practices in climbing and is effective across various environments, whether on natural rock formations or artificial climbing walls.

The prototype presented herein represents merely the initial step towards a more comprehensive solution. It demonstrates significant flexibility and adaptability, making it suitable for integration into diverse teaching methodologies across different climbing disciplines. This flexibility underscores the prototype's potential for evolution and refinement.

A notable discovery in this research is the identified gap in teaching about the wear and tear of climbing equipment. This gap opens many creative avenues to develop solutions that can aid instructors in better demonstrating and explaining this crucial aspect. An envisioned solution, such as a display featuring samples of damaged rope, would enable students to examine potential rope damage visually and physically, fostering a more interactive and effective learning experience. However, due to time constraints, this specific proposal remains unrealized.

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