NINEIDEA：人口老龄化趋势日益显著，老年群体对生活品质的追求不断提升，这为老年用品设计带来了新的挑战与机遇。从工业设计师的视角出发，我们深知老年用品设计绝非简单的造型与功能堆砌，而是对老年群体生活需求与情感渴望的深度回应，每一个细节都应饱含人文关怀。深圳工业设计通过贴合老年人身体机能变化、简化操作与易读性设计以及融入情感慰藉与个性化元素，将人文关怀渗透到每一个细节。我们希望通过这些设计，让老年群体感受到社会的关爱与尊重，帮助他们在岁月流逝中，依然能享受舒适、便捷且充满温情的生活。
贴合身体机能变化的贴心设计
步入老年，身体机能的衰退是不可避免的现实。作为工业设计师，我们首要关注的便是如何让产品适应老年人身体的这些变化。以老年人家具为例，在设计座椅时，充分考虑老年人起身困难的问题，将座椅高度适当提高，同时加大座面的面积与深度，让老人坐下和站起时更加轻松。并且，在座椅边缘设计圆润的把手，方便老人借力。材质上，选用柔软且有一定支撑力的海绵，搭配亲肤透气的面料，长时间久坐也能保持舒适。
再看老年辅助行走工具，如拐杖的设计。摒弃传统单一笔直的造型，根据人体工程学原理，将手柄设计成贴合手掌的弧度，减轻手部压力。拐杖底部采用防滑性能极佳的橡胶材质，并增加多个支撑点，提高稳定性，确保老人行走安全。而且，部分拐杖还融入智能功能，如内置 GPS 定位系统与紧急呼叫按钮，当老人迷路或遇到突发状况时，能够及时获得帮助。
简化操作与易读性设计
老年人对新技术、新事物的接受速度相对较慢，复杂的操作往往会让他们望而却步。因此，在老年用品设计中，简化操作流程至关重要。以老年手机为例，我们减少不必要的功能与按键，仅保留通话、短信、紧急呼叫等核心功能。按键设计得更大，上面的数字和图案清晰醒目，方便老人识别与操作。屏幕字体与图标也相应增大，亮度和对比度可根据环境自动调节，确保在各种光线条件下都能清晰可见。
同样，对于一些老年健康监测设备，如血压计，操作界面采用大字体显示测量结果，并配备语音播报功能，即使老人视力不佳，也能轻松了解自己的身体状况。在设备操作上，通过一键启动、简单的旋转或按压动作，就能完成测量，避免繁琐的设置与步骤，让老人能够独立、便捷地使用产品。
情感慰藉与个性化设计
老年群体在物质需求得到满足的同时，对情感的渴望更为强烈。工业设计师在产品设计中，注重融入情感元素，给予老年人情感慰藉。比如设计一款带有照片展示功能的电子相框，老人们可以将家人的照片上传至相框，循环播放。相框的外观采用木质纹理设计，给人温馨、亲切的感觉，让老人随时能看到家人的照片，感受到家庭的温暖。
此外，考虑到老年人丰富的生活经历与个性差异，我们在设计老年用品时也注重个性化。在老年服装的设计上，提供多种款式与色彩选择，不再局限于传统的单调色调。针对爱好书法、绘画的老人，设计专用的文具和画具，从材质到造型都满足他们的专业需求，让老年人在追求兴趣爱好的过程中，充分展现自我个性，丰富精神生活。
@NINEIDEA九号创新 www.nineidea.com
Shenzhen Industrial Design: Humanistic Care in the Design of Elderly Products
NINEIDEA: The aging trend of the population is increasingly obvious, and the pursuit of the elderly for the quality of life is constantly improving, which has brought new challenges and opportunities for the design of elderly products. From the perspective of industrial designers, we are well aware that the design of elderly products is not simply a combination of form and function, but a deep response to the living needs and emotional desires of the elderly population. Every detail should be filled with humanistic care.
Shenzhen industrial design integrates humanistic care into every detail by adapting to the changes in physical functions of the elderly, simplifying operations and readability design, and incorporating emotional comfort and personalized elements. We hope that through these designs, the elderly can feel the care and respect of society, and help them enjoy a comfortable, convenient, and warm life even as time passes.
Thoughtful design that adapts to changes in bodily functions
Entering old age, the decline of physical functions is an inevitable reality. As industrial designers, our primary concern is how to adapt our products to the changes in the bodies of the elderly. Taking elderly furniture as an example, when designing seats, full consideration is given to the difficulty of getting up for the elderly. The seat height is appropriately increased, while the area and depth of the seat surface are increased to make it easier for the elderly to sit and stand up.
And, rounded handles are designed at the edge of the seat to facilitate elderly people’s borrowing. In terms of material, soft and supportive sponge is selected, paired with skin friendly and breathable fabric, which can maintain comfort even after prolonged sitting.
Let’s take a look at the design of elderly walking aids, such as crutches. Abandoning the traditional single straight shape, based on ergonomic principles, the handle is designed to fit the curvature of the palm, reducing hand pressure. The bottom of the cane is made of rubber material with excellent anti slip performance, and multiple support points are added to improve stability and ensure the safety of elderly walking. Moreover, some crutches also incorporate intelligent functions, such as built-in GPS positioning system and emergency call button, which can provide timely assistance when the elderly get lost or encounter unexpected situations.
Simplified operation and readability design
Older people have a relatively slow acceptance of new technologies and things, and complex operations often deter them. Therefore, simplifying the operation process is crucial in the design of elderly products. Taking elderly mobile phones as an example, we reduce unnecessary functions and buttons, and only retain core functions such as calls, text messages, and emergency calls. The button design is larger, with clear and eye-catching numbers and patterns on top, making it easier for the elderly to recognize and operate. The screen font and icons also increase accordingly, and the brightness and contrast can be automatically adjusted according to the environment, ensuring clear visibility under various lighting conditions.
Similarly, for some elderly health monitoring devices, such as blood pressure monitors, the operating interface uses large fonts to display measurement results and is equipped with voice broadcast function. Even if the elderly have poor vision, they can easily understand their physical condition. In terms of device operation, measurements can be completed through one click startup, simple rotation or pressing actions, avoiding tedious settings and steps, allowing the elderly to independently and conveniently use the product.
Emotional Comfort and Personalized Design
The elderly population has a stronger desire for emotions while satisfying their material needs. Industrial designers focus on incorporating emotional elements into product design, providing emotional comfort to the elderly. For example, designing an electronic photo frame with photo display function, where elderly people can upload family photos to the frame and play them in a loop. The appearance of the photo frame adopts a wooden texture design, giving people a warm and friendly feeling, allowing the elderly to see family photos at any time and feel the warmth of the family.
In addition, considering the rich life experiences and individual differences of the elderly, we also pay attention to personalization when designing elderly products. In the design of elderly clothing, we offer a variety of styles and color options, no longer limited to traditional monotonous tones. Design specialized stationery and painting tools for elderly people who love calligraphy and painting, meeting their professional needs in terms of materials and shapes, allowing them to fully showcase their individuality and enrich their spiritual life in the pursuit of their interests and hobbies.
@NINEIDEA九号创新 www.nineidea.com
