Appliance Design - September 2007 - (Page 5) ® www.applianceDESIGN.com Winner of the 2005 APEX Awards For Publication Excellence Design for the Chronologically Challenged EDITORIAL publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 ddelano@adelphia.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (734) 354-1874 britcherm@bnpmedia.com I circulation Christine Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Audience Development Manager schulera@bnpmedia.com Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. Ronan (248) 244-8259 Audience Audit Manager ronanc@bnpmedia.com Robert Liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing Danielle Kimble Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-8257 kimbled@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry Roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree Tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $116.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $145.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $156.00 (airmail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2007, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40026999. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. ’d wager that most people reading this know at least one older person who has trouble hearing but won’t wear a hearing aid due to vanity. That reluctance aptly illustrates a rising dilemma for product designers: how to design products that better serve the rapidly growing older segment of the population whose members often prefer not to admit they are not so forever young anymore. Their surging numbers present an enormous opportunity, but their sensitivity to being age-labeled presents an equally enormous challenge. Even finding inoffensive terminology has become problematic lately, especially for us in the scribbling trade. Are they elderly, golden agers, senior citizens, mature consumers, the over-60 set? I’m sticking with the greeting card line: “chronologically challenged.” Aging baby boomers will go even less gently into that good night of retirement than their predecessors. That defiant attitude is often exemplified by advertising aimed at them. Ameriprise Financial’s “Dreams Don’t Retire” commercials feature Dennis Hopper cracking that “your generation is definitely not headed for bingo night.” As one observer put it, boomers won’t accept that they’re over the hill until they’re six feet under it. Unfortunately, attitude alone cannot stop the hands of time as they methodically work over the body the way Ali worked over Liston. Arthritis, hearing loss, and declining vision will visit the defiant and submissive alike. Many will come to know the slight tingling and numbing sensations of peripheral neuropathy, and many others will experience the cognitive decline, often abetted by medication side effects, that inspired the phrase “senior moment.” Such afflictions affect one’s ability to easily and correctly operate a gadget or an appliance. An often-touted solution for the dilemma is universal design, which suggests that separate product lines for older people are unnecessary. Design a product that is easy for them to use, and it becomes easier for everybody else, as well. That idea gave us the title for our story on a universal design research project. (See Easy for All, page 40.) Some of the innovative ideas mentioned would clearly have a broad appeal. For example, who wouldn’t want a dishwasher with easier access? In a similar vein, there’s been a lot of buzz lately about the Jitterbug cell phone, and justifiably. It’s an elegantly simple device with big buttons, ergonomic shape, and ear cushion. Its features are accessed by answering simple yes or no questions, and the company programs your favorite numbers for you. While clearly designed for the older crowd, it is also attracting interest among those who are weary of trying to figure out overly featured, overly complicated electronic devices. But it may be wishful thinking to portray universal design as a panacea. Design always involves tradeoffs. In some cases, designing an appliance for an older user may involve added expense that the younger user may not want to pay for. In other cases, the more senior-friendly product might leave out some features the younger consumer wants. The one-for-all approach may have limited application. An alternative may be to just boldly embrace the idea of an age-specific product, then make it cool enough so that targeted customer embraces it also. Take, for example, Phonak’s Audeo, a hot-selling, stylish hearing aid that comes in 15 vibrant colors. Marketed with ads featuring a rugged-looking volleyball player, an ex-punk rocker, and an amateur ultimate fighter, the product has turned the image of a hearing aid upside down, making it now hip to wear one. Audeo is selling so fast, the company can barely keep it on the shelf. It seems that the answer to the dilemma is actually quite basic. Good design sells. < Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN September 2007 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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