Third age usability and safety—an ergonomics contribution to design

The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users (Kirisci, Thoben et al. 2011). However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines (Goodman, Dong et al. 2006), (Kirisci, Klein et al. 2011). Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design (Zitkus, Langdon et al. 2011). This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls.

Increasingly the world is full of small, hand held, complex electronic products with modern interfaces e.g. small digital cameras and personal organisers. The control of the operations of the products by embedded systems has removed the necessity to organise the human interface according to the mechanical constraints. Another consequence of the size of the products and the control systems is that there is much greater likelihood of dynamic concurrent use of the hands in any given task. The scope for inclusive design (and inclusive design errors) is infinite. Using a product based Hierarchical Task Analysis and reviewing the available ergonomics data revealed only inadequate tools and large data gaps in ergonomics information. A method of task analysis is being developed, and a series of investigations are planned, to attempt to fill some of the data gaps and discover more about the ways in which people use their hands. This will allow the potential for inclusive design for small electronic products to be explored.

The Application of Ergonomic Knowledge by Undergraduate Product Design Students: FAULisbon as a Case Study

The complexity of contemporary society can be described also through the diversity between individuals, expressed not only in terms of mental and physical capabilities, but also with respect to social and cultural differences. Diversity, however, can be considered as a limit or a resource for the economic development of society. Design for inclusion has already shown that confront the human diversity, in a different way than traditional ergonomics has done so far, represents a major opportunity in the first place for business, becoming an extraordinary lever of communication, expanding the market dimensions, differentiating the production and retaining customers, but more importantly, it determines a positive effect for the entire social system and for the collective well-being. This inclusive and participatory approach to design, is growing also in the specialized productive sector of maritime transportation design. The paper offers a critical reflection on the need to confront the issues of inclusion and participation in the design of products, systems and services related to specialist areas such as maritime transportation. Through synthetic remarks about good practices, we highlight the benefits and opportunities that the spread of a design approach considering human diversity can determine also for the maritime transportation domain.

In order for products and services to be designed inclusively, designers need to understand users' capabilities and needs Thus methods for involving and understanding users are of key importance for inclusive design. However, many of these methods have limited uptake, possibly because of a poor fit with design practice. We conducted a card-sorting study with twenty-one product and communications designers, examining how they view user-centred methods, and how they relate them to other design methods. Results were analysed using hierarchical agglommerative cluster analysis to try to identify groups of methods that are considered similar to each other. This paper particularly examines the differences between product and communications designers. We found that product designers perceive a larger distinction between user involvement and other design methods, and communications designers are less structured in their approach to methods. We conclude that inclusive design methods and their presentation need to be adapted for different groups of designers.

Considering the critical importance of public transportation, especially rail transit, in shaping urban landscapes and its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this investigation delves into the architectural intricacies of rail transit environments through the lens of inclusivity. This scholarly inquiry adopts a multifaceted qualitative research methodology that synergizes empirical case studies, the formulation of strategic frameworks, and the application of design methodologies to elucidate and operationalize the principles of inclusive design within the context of rail transit systems.The study embarked on an initial empirical exploration through an in-depth case study of Singapore's Thomson-East Coast Line, where able-bodied participants role-played and engaged in an immersive experience by wearing glasses that simulate mild visual impairment. By coding the data from these on-site experiences, a robust inclusive design framework was distilled, characterized by a tripartite structural hierarchy and four thematic pillars. Building on this foundational framework, the study proposed a quintet of innovative inclusive design prototypes tailored to enhance the tactile interaction points within rail transit environments. These prototypes were further evaluated through the reconstruction of subway navigation scenarios experienced by visually impaired commuters, employing storyboards as a tool for situational analysis. The comprehensive inclusive design framework and the ensuing design prototypes unveiled through this study hold profound implications for the strategic planning and architectural design of urban rail transit systems, particularly within the ambit of nascent urban centers poised to embark on or currently engaged in the development of rail transit infrastructures. This research significantly contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban development and the promotion of social inclusiveness, presenting actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and designers engaged in the creation of more accessible and inclusive urban transit ecosystems.

This paper takes an extreme, and to some extent stereotypical, view of the various ‘inclusive design’ paradigms. It has been written to be provocative, and to encourage designers to adopt a radical approach to including older and disabled people within their design brief. It recommends focussing on the needs and wants of older users followed by addressing the challenge of including able bodied people in the potential user group, rather than vice-versa. The paper concludes by suggesting the use of professional theatre to assist this process. The paper focuses on Information Technology systems, but a similar argument can be applied to product design.

Widespread population ageing (Keates and Clarkson, 2004) has increased the importance of considering older and disabled people in the design process and reducing their exclusion from product usage. Accordingly, approaches such as ‘inclusive design’, ‘universal design’ and ‘design for all’ have been developed to help designers to include different user groups in design. Inclusive design research understands users’ abilities, needs and expectations, strives to relate the whole range of users’ capabilities to the properties of product interfaces, and aims to optimise design for maximum accessibility and minimise the effort required in using products. Currently, companies start to adopt a more inclusive approach to design led by a twofold moral and financial incentive. Previous research has shown that designers can provide good interaction in products by paying more attention to mental models of users, prior tacit knowledge, interface metaphors, affordances and mappings (Krippendorff, 1989; Norman, 2002). It is believed that inclusive interaction in products can be achieved by means of minimising the sensory, cognitive and motor effort required for product usage, facilitating simplicity and intuitiveness, providing perceptible information and enhancing user satisfaction (Langdon et al., 2010). To support designers in designing more inclusively, tools that foster understanding of sensory, motor and cognitive difficulty with product interactions are required. While the most valid technique will always be to have users interact with the product in question, a variety of constraints mean that this will not always be possible.

High Speed two (HS2) believes that an inclusive design approach will make the network easier for everyone to use. The design of stations and rolling stock will be based around the people using them and developing a better understanding of users and their needs is therefore key to defining the best solutions and to informing the development of new standards and best practice. An opportunity for developing a new standard was identified to address a gap between the provision of ‘Accessible Toilets and ‘Adult Changing Places’ facilities in Figure 40 and Figure 48 in BS8300[1]. Bridging this gap will improve the usability of toilets on station platforms, both for wheelchair users and for people requiring specific features for a range of needs. These are additional provision which exceed current best practice. A multi-disciplinary investigation was undertaken involving Architects, Human Factors Consultants and Access Consultants, into what would constitute an enhanced platform toilet facility. Information relating to a wide range of users and toilet facilities was collated and scenarios considered such as for travellers with luggage, families travelling with children and push chairs, colostomy bag users, and wheelchair/scooter users. The study also drew upon three toilet layouts, selected as being the most informative for the purposes of the study, within BS8300-2:2018: ‘Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment’[1], cross comparing the features and configurations with the requirements identified for a range of users. An inclusion/exclusion matrix was produced to reflect this comparison, which enabled the identification of gaps between the functionality of each layout and the requirements of each user group. The results from this matrix analysis led to the development of new layouts which were refined through user engagement and stakeholder feedback to a single square layout with the inherent flexibility to be rotated to suit different contexts. This study has greatly assisted HS2 towards achieving its strategic customer experience objectives and the process can be replicated for other key customer facilities to support HS2s Inclusive Design commitments. The proposal is now mandated into the HS2 Inclusive Design Standard and will therefore be implemented at all stations and has potential to influence the development of national standards.

Challenges around inclusive design and social design consciousness require understanding the thoughts and feelings of the people around us. The role of empathy in the design process is widely recognized in the literature, increasing the attention of researchers and design educators to include empathic design as a research approach in product design education. Developing empathy through experiencing others’ life provides opportunities for students to understand how people with disabilities live, feel and experience their everyday life. Product design students need to gain socially conscious awareness and improve their empathic horizon. According to the literature, through training and experience, the empathic horizon of designers can be extended and changed over time. To acquire more empathy with people, simulation devices or wearable kits can be designed to mimic the weaknesses and limitations of people with disabilities. This paper describes an empathic design process where the students designed and prototyped an empathic wearable kit and perform the task independently. Putting on ‘other shoes’ the students record the experience in video and use the think-aloud technique to communicate the difficulties felt during the task. By learning to empathize, students can improve their abilities to recognize and make interpretations of what people think, feel, and need. Empathy practice during product development can provide empathic collect probes to help in students' design process decisions.

With the population of older consumers increasing and with the recent changes in legislation and attitudes towards this group, there have been corresponding changes n product design practice and a growing attempt to adopt an inclusive design approach. This recognises that people can become excluded from using products, services or environments if the needs and capabilities of all potential users are not taken into account. The inclusive design approach has developed from collaborations between industry, designers and researchers. One major influence in this area is the i~design project, whose definition is simply that “inclusive design is better design” (EDC, 2011). The Inclusive Design Toolkit website, a key output from the i~design project, states that a successful product must be “functional, usable, desirable and ultimately profitable” and that a key to good design is to reduce the demand on the user when capabilities decline with age or disability (EDC, 2011)

The prolonging life expectancy and, as a result of it, the growing number of people of elderly age means that more attention should be devoted to the design of ergonomic equipment which includes the needs of this group of customers. Elderly people often suffer due to poorly designed technical facilities, which discourages them from using equipment to improve the quality of their lives. The article summarizes the identified needs of elderly people in relation to control devices along with the general guidelines for the ergonomic design and design approaches for people with disabilities including: universal design, inclusive design, design-for-all, barrier-free design, and accessible design. Among the most important limitations of elderly people are included: reduced psychomotor and sensory efficiency and range of motion, decreased strength, and a decreased ability to remember. In this way a checklist is comprised of criteria such as anthropometric compatibility, ease of use and handling, transparency and visibility, tolerance for error, sensory substitution, and palpability and feelings. The list of identified criteria is evaluated by users resulting in a quantification of individual requirements. Based on interviews with users, an identification and classification is also made of the basic groups of control devices used by the elderly. As a result of these measures checklists are obtained to evaluate each group of the control devices, which examine the typical and commonly used devices in the Polish market. Some selected devices have also been subjected to an evaluation during arranged performance situations involving elderly persons. The information obtained during this is discussed within the article.Keywordsergonomic designheuristic methodsdesignergonomicsdevices for the elderly

The aging trend of the world population has increased the number of elderly people. Older people prefer to spend most of their time at home. The problem is that today's homes are often unsuitable for the elderly and the disabled. Thus, problems of the current design approaches, which are based on percentiles as well as the tendency to involve the elderly and disabled people in society, have put the concept of inclusive design into consideration. Application of new design approaches, such as inclusive design allows designers to design products and services to meet the needs of a larger group of users regardless of their age and ability. Given the rapid aging of the world population, more research is needed to design specific products and environments for elderly people. Keywords: Home design, Aging, Ergonomics, Adaptation

The integration of wearable technology into inclusive education presents a promising avenue for empowering individuals with disabilities, particularly the deaf community. Despite advancements in smart textiles, few innovations have specifically addressed the intersection of fashion technology education and safety for deaf users. To bridge this gap, this study evaluates the effectiveness of a CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) based smart safety jacket developed for deaf individuals in educational and community settings. The primary objective was to assess the improvement in safety functionality, the accuracy and usability of biometric monitoring components, and the differences in user satisfaction between student and community groups. This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental design, involving a pre-test and two post-tests, to collect data from two user groups: fashion technology students and community members with hearing impairments. Three key constructs, safety, health monitoring, and usability, were evaluated using structured questionnaires. Inferential statistics, including two-way ANOVA and independent t-tests, were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Results revealed significant improvements in safety and health scores over time (p < .01), affirming the functional impact of the CDIO-based intervention. Usability scores showed a notable difference between groups (p = .006), with students reporting slightly higher satisfaction, suggesting that age-related or technological familiarity effects may be at play. The discussion reflects how CDIO’s iterative, user-centred design enhances assistive garment functionality while promoting inclusivity and autonomy. The findings demonstrate that incorporating CDIO principles into smart garment development not only improves safety and health monitoring but also fosters user engagement and educational integration. This research contributes new insights into the convergence of wearable technology, inclusive design, and fashion education for special populations.

The textbook is dealing with product ergonomics both from the point of view of the development engineer, who of course has to ensure the functionality of the product, and from the point of view of the designer, who should ensure that the product is also aesthetically perfect. The purpose of the textbook is not to provide empirical data, but to introduce basic concepts and present mutual relationships and recommendations that can help engineers and designers to develop products with a focus on ergonomic and aesthetic value. In the second edition, a completely new chapter is added, which deals with inclusive design and its most important aspects. In most cases, these are in line with the ergonomic aspects of product development, with one important difference. Instead of adapting the product to limited target population of users, the goal of inclusive design are products suitable for the widest possible population.