Empathy is a pretty good starting place for design. To find a good solution, you need to completely understand the problem. Most people designing products and services for the elderly are young and fit and have no concept of what it feels like to be old. The same goes for those who care for them. This is where GERT comes in.
They say you shouldn’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. Designed by Wolfgang Moll of German company Produkt + Projekt, GERT allows you to walk in a man’s whole body, by simulating the ailments elderly people might suffer from – from cataracts to partial lower body paralysis. The separate elements of the full-body suit work together to recreate the overall difficulty in moving common in old age – it causes the wearer to walk differently and lose the ability to grip.
Crucially, the wearer soon starts to lose confidence in their movements and so the suit also starts to mimic some of the psychological effects of the physical impairments elderly people have to cope with – it gives the wearer some insight into how strongly physical health affects mental wellbeing and behaviour. All of which can only result in better products, services and care for the older generation.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- design for good :: supertalks at LDF13
- maggie’s :: the best bits
- maggie’s :: dundee
- maggie’s :: london
