Abstract
In this chapter we look at design from a consumer point of view. It describes testing carried out by consumer organisations and some of the practicalities involved in assessing products from the point of view of disabled people. Some of the findings of this research are reviewed. It suggests that few mainstream products are designed to cater for older and disabled people and that very few cater for the range of impairments frequently found in the population. Much of this problem is due to simple ignorance of what is needed. This is partly due to a lack of teaching in design colleges. Closer collaboration is needed between those who evaluate the design of products and those who are responsible for this design. Recommendations include the need for a cultural change within certain industries, the consolidation of information about the inclusive design, and more creative thinking all round.
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Further reading
Etchell L (1999) Designing domestic appliances for everyone. Human Factors in product design: current practice and future trends, Taylor and Francis UK
DRC (Disability Rights Commission) (2001) Inclusive design: products that are easy for everybody to use
DTI Government Consumer Safety Research (2000) A study of the difficulties disabled people have when using everyday consumer products
ISO/IEC (International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission) (2001) Guide 71: Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities
Ricability (2001) Meeting the needs ofolder and disabled consumers: guidelines for product design and testing, http://www.ricabilityorg.uk
Ricability (2002) Stay in touch
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© 2003 Springer-Verlag London
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Yelding, D. (2003). Power to the people. In: Clarkson, J., Keates, S., Coleman, R., Lebbon, C. (eds) Inclusive Design. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0001-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0001-0_7
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-700-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0001-0
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