Once I undertook some primarily research into the issue of ageing I found it relevant to look into design solutions which are helping the ageing population. We have to rethink and redesign our future so that getting old is no longer something to be feared and that older people are seen as an asset and not a burden. Old people are experienced, knowledgable, valuable and in some cases wealthy member of society so I found it interesting to see how the creative industries are engaging with old people.
What if Amazon did housing?
In my overview of an ageing population I found out that it is imperative that governments design innovative policies specifically targeted to the needs of older persons, including those addressing housing. So I found an interesting article about if Amazon designed housing for all ages, as housing is key to providing a better future for our older selves. Research reveals that we would much rather spend our latter years in our homes than in a care facility (no surprise there). But most housing, in the UK at least, is ill-equipped to cater for the needs of older people. And the role of the home itself is changing. In future, healthcare and work may increasingly take place where we live. So the article is about if service-based, or so-called ‘disruptor’ corporates got involved with housing and what would housing look like if it was designed and run by, Amazon?
As a part of the home section of the Design Museum’s NEW OLD show, Future Facility who are a agency who helps clients reach grasp the future to inform the present, were asked to design a future-proofed home environment for independent living into old age for Amazon. Future facility's response imagines an apartment complex for today’s ‘Digital Natives’ as they reach their later years.
“Despite the implicit promise of digital technology to make our lives simpler and easier, there is a crisis afoot for the growing, older population,” Future Facility say. “Although many household appliances are easily acquired, these same products are inherently difficult to manage and maintain over time; what was once purchased as a convenience has potential to become a burden in later life. As we age, we become less likely to navigate the conditions that shops and manufacturers require of youthful consumers. This puts the ageing population in an unfortunate position – abandoned at the exact moment when they need better products, increased assistance and servicing. Alienated by the speed of change in trade, manufacturing and technology, older consumers would benefit from a revolutionary domestic independence.
In the first section of the future house proposal you have a washer/dryer which as you can see has a a single button with one setting and not endless interfaces. It is positioned at standing height, with a shelf below, to avoid the need for bending down. On the service side, large boxes of powder that last up to a month are installed. The fridge has two doors with on the living side, the left-hand door houses new ordered produce that has been delivered and is moved to the right side for consumption. On the service side, there is only a right door for delivering the orders. One pretentious addition in my opinion is the water fountain appliance which allows the user to have a choice of filtered or branded waters to be plumbed in.
Future Facility are not suggesting that the Amazin Apartment is necessarily a good idea but merely a concept to provoke discussion. From the concept imagery you can clearly see the simplicity for usage of each appliance, with an older would easily be able to manage and maintain.
Warning elderly people road signs
In 1981, the UK’s Department of Transport introduced a new road sign. The winner of a competition for schoolchildren, it was meant to warn drivers of the presence of elderly people, acting as a counterpart to Margaret Calvert’s classic ‘children crossing’ sign from 1964. Ever since its launch, the warning, elderly people road signs has been the focus of complaints and controversy.
The problem of the sign is that it portrays a small proportion of the older generation and the frail depiction of an older couple is disrespectful. The designers must have assumed that everyone old looks like this but they don't. But I found a solution from design studio NB who challenged the creative community to come up with a better message. In order to see whether it was possible to come up with a more appropriate message, design studio NB and designer Michael Wolff issued a challenge to designers and illustrators to come up with an alternative design.
The project was called Sign of the Times with the intent to raise awareness about how old people are treated by the media, government and society. As to the wider issue, the key is a series of small steps towards changing the cultural stereotypes, and combating the issue of ageism in general. The more awareness and support there is for an issue like this, the more businesses and governments will be forced to act. The responses were varied as it pulled in a number of responses from notable names such as Milton Glaser and Margaret Calvert but the designs were nothing to be taken to seriously as a alternative to the 1981 road sign. Nevertheless I think the responses worked for making people think of needs of older people.
Japan:Designing a society for all
As Japan is faced with the challenges of becoming the oldest society in the world, it has embarked on a mission to adapt universal design principles to its unique culture, a process which has seen unprecedented collaboration among its major brands. Japan has been taking influence from European and American approaches to old age but in a very Japanese way. Traditionally, collaboration and harmony have been central to Japanese culture and these attitudes, along with the rapid ageing of the population, have helped shape developments in Japan by prioritising empathy, kindness and consideration for others over pure functionality. The goal is to ensure that towns and cities, transport systems and public services are accessible to all, creating an inclusive and welcoming society in which all people can participate and contribute.
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