Our hope is that mass-market manufacturers will start using these simulation tools during the development of their products in order to better inform the decisions they make.
-Sam Waller
A set of gloves and glasses which simulate common physical limitations, like age-related long-sightedness or arthritis, have been released in the hope of getting more designers to think again about the usability of their products.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre say that millions of people around the country – in particular the ageing, baby-boomer generation – have unnecessary difficulty using everyday products ranging from gadgets, to packaging, to windows and doors, because of poor design. Addressing these issues would also reduce the costs of social care.
Many baby-boomers only suffer from mild problems, such as long-sightedness or pain and discomfort in their joints. Although these issues are far from unusual, they are rarely taken into account by mainstream manufacturers, builders and designers. Their customers often find a way to “make do” despite their difficulty using the product, but would benefit from simple and inexpensive design changes.
The simulation gloves and glasses, which are on sale from the inclusive design toolkit website (http://www.inclusivedesigntoolkit.com/tools), allow designers to experience these limitations for themselves, so that they can identify opportunities for design improvements that would help these 'baby-boomers'. The glasses even set a calibrated benchmark, calculated by researchers, which enables the wearer to work out if a product feature has sufficient visual clarity for 99% of the population to be able to see it.
The development of the tools was led by Dr Sam Waller, an inclusive design researcher in Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre, who studies how everyday products can be made and designed to accommodate the diverse abilities of different sectors of the population. His work builds on 10 years collaborative inclusive design research, conducted by Professors John Clarkson and Roger Coleman, and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Watch a video and read the full story
Image: Dr Sam Waller wearing the simulation glasses and gloves.
Credit: University of Cambridge
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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