DESIGN FOR EVERYONE

NOT EVEN OLD PEOPLE WANT PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR OLD PEOPLE. The MIT AgeLab has studied the profound mismatch between products built for older people – and the products they actually want. And in every example, they discovered that product designers thought they understood the demands of the older market, but underestimated how older consumers would flee any product giving off a whiff of “oldness.” And this notion was even more pronounced in Tech. Technologists, particularly those who make consumer products, will no doubt have a strong influence over how we’ll live tomorrow. By treating older adults not as an ancillary sub-market, but as a core constituency, the tech sector can do much of the work required to redefine old age, for the better. Asking young designers to merely step into the shoes of older consumers (which the MIT AgeLab has literally done with their ‘physiological ageing simulation suit’) is a good start, but it is not enough to give them true insight into the desires of older consumers. Luckily there’s a simpler route: hire older workers – and design for everyone. For more info, check out http://agelab.mit.edu/