> Design for the elderly

Dingeman Kuilman

AOG School of Management

Nunspeet, April 12, 2013!

> Contents

•  From craftster.org

•  The elderly market

•  Design for the elderly

•  Cases

> From craftster.org

•  My father is 89 and quite frail but he insists on showering without assistance

•  He has trouble holding a cake of soap so I tried to buy soap-on-a-rope for him at Christmas

•  After searching for a week, I found two - $9 and $12! •  Not wanting to pay $9 for a cake of soap), I

crocheted this •  I originally intended to make more of an open mesh

but then decided it could be a combination washer/soap pouch

•  Only one problem - he won't use it •  We don't know why - he has dementia

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> The elderly market (1)

‘People still think that elderly means pathetic, poor and unfortunate’

> The elderly market (2)

•  Many people do not want to see themselves as being ‘old’

•  Also those who are not necessarily frightened by or ashamed of their advanced age

•  They may notice that they are weak and tire easily, see poorly, hear poorly – but they do not feel age as such

•  Thus, age is not built into their sense of self, their identity

> The elderly market (2)

•  The elderly market is the largest market there has ever been •  70 is the new 50

•  The elderly find pleasure in consuming and experimenting, like travelling, are quality conscious, loyal to brands (but also critical and willing to switch), well informed and increasingly open to new media

> Typologies of the elderly (1)

Typology A

1.  Elder youngsters (18%), everage age 52, mainly males

2.  Golden Girls (18%): everage age 58, mainly females, everage income

3.  The self-contained (25%): everage age 62, lots of time without purpose or use

4.  Global hedonists (18%): everage age 62, active and outgoing, wealthy

5.  Geranium hedonists: (21%): everage age 69, home oriented, socially active

> Typologies of the elderly (1)

Typology B

1.  Young seniors: in denial, lifestyle is not consistent with biological age

2.  Conscious hedonists: uncomplicated, pragmatic;

3.  Elderly seniors: physically and mentally restricted, living towards their death

Marketing to the elderly shouldn't start from the differences with the young – lifestyle, behaviour, mentality and health are more significant than age

> The elderly market in The Netherlands (1)

•  The elderly account for 40% of all 15+ consumers and have 80% of total assets at their disposal •  Only 10% of advertising and marketing budgets are

spent on the elderly

•  In 2015 three million of the Dutch are 65+ •  Everage inhabitant reaches the age of 78

•  Half of the households consists of people aged 50+

•  At least 60% doesn't want to move house anymore (85% of 65+)

> The elderly market in The Netherlands (2)

•  Almost 35% feels occasionally lonely and 10% feels desolate •  At least 800.000 always have their meals alone

Research on ‘greying employees’ •  Age and personality (openness to experience) have

a positive influence on creativity •  Older employees consider themselves more creative

•  Creativity doesn't seem to depend on the aging of skills and other cognitive processes but on the level of expertise: the more someone has specialized in a certain task or discipline, the easier he or she thinks ‘outside the box’

> The elderly market in China

From research by Philips Design

•  Present: > 119 million people aged 65+

•  End 2013: 200 million people aged 60+ (16% of population)

•  Estimate for 2050: 400 million people aged 60+

•  23% of people aged 65+ live by themselves

•  In Beijing < 50% of elderly women live with their children

•  In Beijing 4.4% of residents aged 65+ are suffering from depression

> Design for the elderly (1)

How can we rethink the experience of ageing in today’s society?

> Design for the elderly (2)

•  Design for the young and you exclude the old, design for the old and you include the young

•  Designers should not limit themselves to products specifically marketed to the aged or elderly, except for extreme products

> Design methods (2)

Victor Papanek, Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change (1971)

•  Designing for the poor and needy is the mother of innovation

•  Engagement in design doesn't equal functional and ergonomic design, but encompasses also shape, beauty and the experience of the environment

•  Engagement in design focuses on the relationship between man and environment and the means to relate to the environment

> Design methods (3)

•  Experience design focuses on the physical and mantal experience within certain environments

•  Social design and transformation design: holistic approaches involving political, social, economic and ecological criteria and developments •  These methods can stimulate the elderly to take life in

their own hands, to emancipate and take action

> Research program Lund University (Sweden)

•  Retain as much as possible in habitual setting and change as little as possible

•  Maintain rhythms and balances if a change of setting is necessary after all

•  Sustain ability to act and learn on one’s own •  Maintain communication with those who are nearest

and dearest •  Have good accessibility to the local community and

to telecommunications, physically and mentally •  Have good opportunities to continue planning one’s

own life •  Have support for memory functions

> Cases

1.  Age Man Suit: shows young people what it feels like to be old

2.  Hospital Patient Room Furniture by Michael Graves Design Group and Stryker Medical

3.  GoSafe: mobile personal emergency response system (PERs) from Philips Lifeline

4.  Bioscleave House: ‘Lifespan Extending Villa’ by Arakawa and Gins

5.  Granny’s Finest: designed by the new, produced by the elderly

6.  Knitted Lives: project and touring exhibition by Equal Arts

> Age Man Suit/ Age Explorer

•  Developed by Meyer-Hentschel Institut/ Swiss Age Exporer Institute

•  Meant as a tool for gathering information on possible optimization of products and packaging, and

•  to create hands-on empathy for senior populations by selectively limiting sensory perception and prowess to simulate the feelings of growing old •  Ear mufflers distort sound •  A yellowed visor blurs eyesight and murks colors •  A 22-pound vest weighs one down •  Padded joints make it hard to bend limbs •  Huge gloves hamper motor controls

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> Michael Graves (1)

•  American architect and designer •  Castalia, Louwman Museum (both in The Hague)

•  Alessi kettle (> 1,3 milion sold)

•  In a wheelchair since 2003, when a spinal infection left him paralyzed from the chest down

•  At his sickest moment in the hospital, he was quoted as saying ‘I can’t die here, it’s too ugly’

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> Michael Graves (2)

‘My first day in my wheelchair, I thought, ‘Oh, good, today finally I can shave. So, I took myself into the bathroom - I was very proud of myself, by the way - and I reached for the hot water tap, and I couldn’t reach it.

And so I thought, well, that’s not such a big deal. I can ask somebody to bring me my electric razor. And then I looked around where I would plug in the electric razor, and the outlet was on the wall next to the floor.’

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> Michael Graves (3)

‘One of the things we understood was that people have to get to the front edge of the chair before they can get up,” Graves explains. “And when they get there, then it’s the big push. My grandmother wouldn’t have made it. She would do that two or three times before she was able to get up.’

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> Philips GoSafe (1)

•  Mobile personal emergency response system (PERs) from Philips Lifeline •  Philips Lifeline’s legacy is built around helping seniors

age with grace and independence

•  Designed for individuals in search of an easy-to-use medical alert system that provides access to help whether at home or on the go

•  Delivers innovative fall detection capabilities as well as a comprehensive suite of locating technologies

•  Can help provide seniors and the elderly with a sense of confidence to continue to get the most out of life

> Philips GoSafe (2)

The GoSafe User: •  Would like to continue doing the activities they enjoy

knowing they have an added layer of protection

•  May have a fear of falling while they're out and about or at home

•  May visit places or spend time in areas where a good Samaritan or passerby may not see them if they have an incident or emergency

•  Is concerned about being able to access help quickly in the event of an emergency

•  Is looking for an easy-to-use PERs system for added peace of mind

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> Bioscleave House (1)

Reversible Destiny Foundation: dedicated to the use of architecture to extend the human lifespan

(Shusaku) Arakawa (1936-2010) was a Japanese artist, architect and poet •  Moved to New York in 1961, in his pocket $14 and the

phone number of Marcel Duchamp, who became his patron

•  No longer considered himself an artist but a "coordinologist," frequently engaging in dialogue with philosophers and scientists (as a result, he has become a model for many young people today)

> Bioscleave House (2)

Madeline Gins (1941) is an American artist, architect and poet •  ‘The future of philosophy lies in architecture’

•  ‘This mortality thing is bad news’ (after Akara died)

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> Bioscleave House (3)

Comfort is a precursor to death

•  House on Long Island, after eight years completed in 2005, building cost > $2 million

•  The house is meant to lead its users into a perpetually ‘tentative’ relationship with their surroundings, and thereby keep them young

•  The house makes people use their bodies in unexpected ways to maintain equilibrium, and that will stimulate their immune systems •  Arakawa: ‘If Neil Armstrong were here, he would say,

This is even better! ’

•  Gins: ‘They ought to build hospitals like this’

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> Granny’s Finest (1)

Designed by the new, produced by the best, worn by the greatest

•  Hats, scarves, gloves, gifts & accessories

•  Kickstart for young creative talent •  Designers, models, photographers, cosmeticians and

stylists

•  Getting known, portfolio building, working experience

•  ‘Feel good factor’: contributing to a better society

> Granny’s Finest (2)

•  Fostering the well-being of the elderly •  Fighting loneliness and social deprivation by building

knitting communities and connecting seniors to young professionals

•  Sustainable fashion •  Natural yarns

•  High quality handcrafted products

•  Part of revenues goes to other social projects

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> Knitted Lives (1)

Organised by Equal Arts

•  40 women between the ages of 60 and 93 worked with Fiona Rutherford and Jenny Burns, textile artists, and writer Carol McGuigan

•  Over a year the knitters produced a total of 125 three-dimensional knitted objects representing stories from their lives

•  The exhibition toured seven venues and was seen by over 40,000 at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show

> Knitted Lives (2)

Testimonials:

‘An unexpected total surprise – one of the loveliest exhibitions I’ve seen – it brought a real smile to my face and even my teenage boys were impressed.’

‘A fantastic experience for older people to contribute their expertise and experiences in a creative, empowering and supportive project.’

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