The entry received international recognition in the Product Design – Concept/Prototype category, Student division, for its ergonomic solution designed to improve the experience of people of short stature travelling standing up on city buses. HOLDI, a portable and ergonomic accessory designed to provide a secure grip and improve stability for people of short stature whilst travelling on public transport, was one of the winning projects at the Latin American Design Awards (LAD Awards), an international competition that recognises outstanding design proposals developed in Latin America.
The project was created by Jeffersson Zambrano, Ariana Lozada and Belén Villegómez, students at the Faculty of Art, Design and Audiovisual Communication (FADCOM) at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL). HOLDI began as an academic project for the ‘Product Design II’ and ‘Digital Design’ modules, under the guidance of lecturers Andy Rodríguez and Elizabeth Elizalde. Once the modules had concluded, the team members decided to continue working on the project, refine it and submit it to the international competition.
The solution emerged from ethnographic research and real-user testing in Guayaquil, which helped to identify the difficulties faced by people of short stature in reaching the overhead handrails on city buses. Based on these findings, the team developed an adjustable device that attaches to the existing handrails without altering the vehicle’s structure. Its retractable and portable design provides a more accessible grip, aids balance and aims to reduce fatigue during journeys. The proposal combines research, ergonomics and product design to address an everyday mobility need.
In March 2026, the team submitted HOLDI to the Latin American Design Awards, in the Product Design – Concept/Prototype category, Student division. The proposal was declared the winner, and this recognition is linked to the education of its members at ESPOL, an institution and country listed on the competition’s official platform. This achievement highlights the students’ initiative in taking a project beyond academic requirements, continuing its development independently and submitting it for international evaluation. HOLDI demonstrates how design can transform needs identified in the environment into proposals aimed at more accessible and inclusive mobility.
© Photography: Courtesy / Text: José Luis Castro
