PUB LDS 749 What is good design in the eyes of older users_Final without chapter (2).pdf (513.19 kB)
What is good design in the eyes of older users?
chapter
posted on 2012-03-12, 11:17 authored by N. Goddard, Colette NicolleWith the population of older consumers increasing and with the recent changes in
legislation and attitudes towards this group, there have been corresponding changes
in product design practice and a growing attempt to adopt an inclusive design
approach. This recognises that people can become excluded from using products,
services or environments if the needs and capabilities of all potential users are not
taken into account. The inclusive design approach has developed from
collaborations between industry, designers and researchers. One major influence
in this area is the i~design project, whose definition is simply that “inclusive
design is better design” (EDC, 2011). The Inclusive Design Toolkit website, a key
output from the i~design project, states that a successful product must be
“functional, usable, desirable and ultimately profitable” and that a key to good
design is to reduce the demand on the user when capabilities decline with age or
disability (EDC, 2011).
It is also important to consider more emotional aspects, such as social
acceptability and whether the potential user would actually want to use or be seen
using the product (Keates and Clarkson, 2003). Other authors also emphasise that
whilst inclusive design research and practice to date have focused primarily on the
physical accessibility and usability of products, a better understanding is required
of people’s emotional needs, such as social acceptability and desirability of
products (Coleman et al, 2007; Lee, 2010). Similar views regarding the required
shift in design focus are reflected in a number of other sources: the need to
consider the less tangible human factors such as identity, emotion, delight and selfexpression
(Cassim et al, 2007); simplicity, aesthetics, pleasure, personality,
conspicuousness and fashion (Pullin, 2009); the product’s visual appearance (Crilly
et al, 2004); creating pleasurable experiences (Demirbilek and Sener, 2003; Jordan,
2000); and the importance of the emotional aspects of design for a successful
product (Norman, 2004), as well as needs related to specific cognitive conditions
(e.g. Baumers and Heylighen, 2010).
History
School
- Design
Citation
GODDARD, N. and NICOLLE, C.A., 2012. What is good design in the eyes of older users? IN: Langdon, P. ... et al. (eds.) Designing inclusive systems: designing inclusion for real-world applications. London: Springer, pp. 175 - 184.Publisher
© SpringerVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publication date
2012Notes
This chapter was published in the book Designing Inclusive Systems: Designing Inclusion for Real-world Applications [© Springer]. The publisher's website is at: http://www.springer.com/ It was accepted for publication in the conference proceedings of the 6th Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access (UA) and Assistive Technology (AT), CWUAAT 2012, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, UK, 26-29 March 2012.ISBN
9781447128663Publisher version
Book series
Cambridge Workshops on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT);Language
- en