Appliance Design - September 2007 - (Page 40) INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EASYFORALL The contents of this refrigerator model are accessible via a revolving Lazy Susan. Universal design concept offers features for older consumers and their juniors. by larry adams 40 applianceDESIGN September 2007 merica’s aging population has some manufacturers salivating over future sales possibilities. Today’s market includes phones with magnified displays and large displays with backlit keys. In the bathroom there are walk-in tubs and faucets that respond to a simple touch. In the kitchen, an over-the-range convection oven with a floor that drops down to countertop height is already available. These are some of the products that have been designed for the older consumers of today. But what will the older consumers need in the next few years, especially as the tens of millions of baby boomers that are approaching their 60s enter that demographic? That is what researchers at a leading university in conjunction with one of the world’s largest appliance companies have been working on. What they developed was a suite of appliances that not only present potential opportunities for the future, but also may influence the designs of today. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, in concert with Louisville-based GE Appliances have been studying the best ways to serve the older consumer. That doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel, but instead using small innovations that can make a big differ- A ence. Mark Baskinger, assistant professor of design at Carnegie Mellon, who oversaw the project, says that what they have come up with are products that will aid older users, but also be a help to consumers of all ages. Marc Hottenroth, industrial design leader at GE Consumer & Industrial, who helped launch the project, says that the ideas that were generated may not all make it to market, but that doesn’t negate their influence. “A lot of these things have influenced current programs,” he says. “They have influenced them and focused attention on the concept of universal design.” Aging population In the past, technologies associated with aging were related to disease or disability, but that is changing along with changing lifestyles. It is generally assumed that retiring Baby Boomers will be healthier and wealthier than those that came before them. They also will be more adept at working with technology because many of them are familiar with computers and electronics technology from having used them in the home and the workplace. In the U.S. today, there are approximately 45 million people over the age of 60, and www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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