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Design for the elderly

  • 07-11-2009 10:01pm
    #1
    mark11original
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 52 ✭✭


    Would anybody have any ideas for an artefact or item which would help the life of an elderly person?
    What would like if you were older?


Comments

  • #2
    Axwell
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 10,462 Mod ✭✭✭✭Axwell


    mark11original wrote: »
    Would anybody have any ideas for an artefact or item which would help the life of an elderly person?
    What would like if you were older?

    This is a forum about web design/development..probably the wrong place to be asking in fairness.


  • #3
    Blowfish
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭Blowfish


    I did one ages ago for my granny. Basically she loved reading but her eyesight was going, so couldn't read books despite having glasses/magnifying glass. She had never used a pc in her life, so that had to be taken into account.

    I created a little Java app that would read in an ebook from text, display it in full screen with large text (about 8-10 lines per screen) and had very basic click navigation (left click go forward, right click go backwards) as she had trouble with the mouse wheel. Did the job.


  • #4
    mark11original
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 52 ✭✭mark11original


    Thanks for idea thats something which maybe i could do.


  • #5
    p
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,120 ✭✭✭p


    I suggest you try meet some elderly people and learn from them. Impossbible to design in a bubble.

    On my course last year we did a very intensive user research in elderly homes. Luckily for you, it's all been published online. There's some great insights there which could inspire you to create something. I suggest reading everything on this link thoroughly.
    http://dkds.ciid.dk/py/user-research/overview/


  • #6
    ocallagh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,141 ✭✭✭ocallagh


    The last 6 weeks I've spent trying to get my grandmother's house accessible (wheelchair accessible, railings, nurse alarms, bathroom was a complete death trap).

    It took a while to get the right builder, meetings with a few different companies and also the HSE to find out what we needed to do. HSE scribbled a few small notes onto a bit of paper and directed us towards the most expensive company...

    So, we had to do some research ourselves. In the end a lot of the things were really simple like repositioning furniture, anti slip tape for rugs, tidying up wires from the back of the TV, moving phone sockets, installing a bed alarm made out of a bathroom pull cord and a door buzzer! etc.. this can all be done for little cost. We got lucky and found a builder who had done accessible bathrooms before (there are exact specs you must follow if you are to claim for a grant)

    I bet you there are hundreds of elderly people whose living standards could be improved at little to no cost.

    Perhaps a website with information on cheaply improving homes for the elderly (also detailing info on grants) would be a good idea?


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