On any given day on the internet you can find a whole load of tweets,
blogs or news about the grooviest gadgets. They all have one thing in
common - they look sexy. Care products on the other hand, don't.
This was a sentiment expressed to me by several care campaigners at a conference recently. So when yet another link dropped into my inbox, this time for the coolest transparent gadgets the problems became all too obvious.
I mean here is a bunch of things which by and large are rendered aesthetically pleasing just by making them see-through. Design ideas don't have to be big to work, yet you'll struggle to get most care gadgets in anything other than that most bland of colours - beige.
Where is the next Steve Jobs of the care sector? Perhaps right visability aids aren't quite as fun for designers as the all singing all dancing iGadgets.
There is the odd exception. Just last month one pioneering individual won the Design Management Europe prize for his wheelchair design which looks like it was crafted by the hands of Pinin Farina himself. The competition in the care market is more Lada than Lamborghini by comparison.
If you want things to improve I figure you have to give people an incentive. So starting right here I'd like you to all go to the website of the prestigious D&DA design awards (which basically involves a big book of the years most sexy stuff) and ask them to institute a category for care aids. Maybe that way we can inject a bit of silicone valley into caring for disabled people, grandads and grannies.
I mean here is a bunch of things which by and large are rendered aesthetically pleasing just by making them see-through. Design ideas don't have to be big to work, yet you'll struggle to get most care gadgets in anything other than that most bland of colours - beige.
Where is the next Steve Jobs of the care sector? Perhaps right visability aids aren't quite as fun for designers as the all singing all dancing iGadgets.
There is the odd exception. Just last month one pioneering individual won the Design Management Europe prize for his wheelchair design which looks like it was crafted by the hands of Pinin Farina himself. The competition in the care market is more Lada than Lamborghini by comparison.
If you want things to improve I figure you have to give people an incentive. So starting right here I'd like you to all go to the website of the prestigious D&DA design awards (which basically involves a big book of the years most sexy stuff) and ask them to institute a category for care aids. Maybe that way we can inject a bit of silicone valley into caring for disabled people, grandads and grannies.
One area where there has been a bit of progress is, believe it or not, walking sticks. As an osteoarthritis sufferer ad, as a result, an occasional stick user I was delighted to find an alternative to plain wood or black metal for a folding model. My stick of choice is purple with silver spots but I may add other designs to my collection in the future. I've also seen people with flame designs, flowers & stripes on theirs.
It may seem a bit frivolus to some but design like this is important. If you require an aid it becomes part of how you are perceived, part of your personality. Spectacles are good example of this - they now reflect someone's personality rather than all being the same.
Lets all start lobbying for some excellent design now.
Thanks for your blog post, I couldn't agree with you more!
I have MS and quickly got fed up of assistive equipment looking clinical, ugly and making my home look like a hospital. As a result I've set up an online community called Enabled by Design for people to discuss their experiences and views on assistive equipment, as well as prove the business case for producing desirable, functional products that support independent living.
If you're interested in finding out more:
www.enabledbydesign.org
I couldn't agree more - funky design is really important. As someone with joint hypermobility syndrome, I occassionaly need to use a walking stick. After much searching I finally found a pink spotted walking stick from Switch Sticks, a company that believes walking aids can be funky. www.switchsticks.com
It made a huge difference to how I feel.
Thanks for your blog post, I couldn't agree with you more!
I have MS and quickly got fed up of assistive equipment looking clinical, ugly and making my home look like a hospital. As a result I've set up an online community called Enabled by Design for people to discuss their experiences and views on assistive equipment, as well as prove the business case for producing desirable, functional products that support independent living.
If you're interested in finding out more: