Life time design

Following yesterday's blog about "self-identity".The research in the report helps to explain why people, as they get older, are often in denial about needing walking sticks, hearing aids etc because they don't identify with the types of people they perceive as needing them. While a walking stick will actually help to prevent a fall it is quite often only after the event that the need is realised and begrudgingly accepted by the fall victim.

This reality poses a great challenge (how to support people better when they don't feel they need the support) but it also means there are great opportunities for creative solutions. The Royal College for Art for example has for many years been promoting design for life ie everyday items which just grow as you get older without it being a specific "old" product. An example of better design is when B and Q started to target older people designing lighter weight drills, improving colour and choice etc. This helped to open up the market to a much wider customer base such as women. Design for life therefore makes good business sense, it also addresses the issues of ageism and the fact that unplanned for life events can change our ability to function well at any age, and provides flexibility and choice.Maybe if we all started to focus on the customer's lifetime, rather than a simple short term product focus,we could all be much better supported in our older years.