Innovation and Design
With age, people change physically, mentally and psychologically. For most people, these changes involve multiple, minor impairments in eyesight, hearing, dexterity, mobility and memory (Haigh,1993), all of which have significant implications for design that is mismatched to their ability (Laslett,1998).
However, innovating for seniors, while focusing on this functional decline, rarely takes into account some of the more aspirational desires that older people still have. People do not lose their taste or individual preference for products and services as they grow older and correspondingly, products and services should not just address younger people in terms of desirability and product empathy.
Socially responsive design, in our opinion, can be most readily classified as Inclusive Design. This has been recognised by the UK government as a potentially important driver of change; it is described as ‘a process whereby designers ensure that their products and services address the needs of the widest possible audience’ (UK Department of Trade and Industry, 2000). This promotes design that is not specially created for older people but inclusive of them. No older person wants a design that selects them as a ‘special needs’ user.
Government legislation is changing to make discrimination on the grounds of age illegal. The Age Discrimination Act in the UK is part of worldwide change to protect and enshrine the rights of older citizens.
The time is right for innovations that include the needs and aspirations of older people. Companies, organisations and individuals that can get this right will move into one of the most commercially solid areas of activities as older people are the consumers of the future. As well as meeting socially responsible needs, they will be future-proofing their work.
Sources
Haigh, R. (1993) The Ageing Process: A challenge for Design. In: Applied Ergonomics, 24, 1. Butterworth-Heinemann, London, pp 9-14
Laslett, Peter (1998) Design Slippage over Life Course. In: Studies in Health Technology and Infomatics. IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp 84-92
Department of Trade and Industry (2000) Foresight: Making the Future Work For You. Department of Trade and Industry, UK