Design And Research Of Bath Products For The Elderly Based On Universal Design Concepts

In contemporary society,the continuous improvement of material life makes people’s needs develop towards higher levels,such as spirit and emotion.In contrast,the population structure of our society is very complex,and there is a large difference in the needs of various groups of people because of their own characteristics.With the diversification of the demand,higher requirements have been put forward for the design.The concept of universal design has a unique inclusive,it makes a further research on the demand of the disabled as well as the people who are sound in body and mind,making the products can well adapt to the different characteristics of user groups.As the problem of aging population in China is becoming more and more serious,increasingly importance has been attached to the problem of the elderly in our country.The negation of self and the disregard of society seriously affect the quality of old people’s life in their later years.And bathing is an essential part of the elderly,which brings cleanliness and health for the elderly.However,the tedious steps and unreasonable bathing facilities in bathing bring the elderly into a hidden danger.As the vulnerable group in the society,the old people have their own characteristics of their physiological and the psychological needs.This article focus on appling the concept to the product design of elderly people’s bathing,combined with the characteristics of the elderly physiology and psychology from multiple angles,making the products adapting to the general public as well as the elderly.And it can also integrate the elderly into groups,rather than isolated,ignore them.The article begins with the background,development process and research status of the universal design,and summarizes the current research status and existing problems,based on the comprehensive analysis of the general design research.And then the basic principle of the universal design is studied,the connotation and scope of the principle of barrier free design and general design are analyzed.And this paper makes a interpretation on the level of concern for universal design,combined with the subjects relating to universal design,the user model of Pyramid,the three levels of emotional design and Maslow’s needs theory knowledge.And it also explains the seven principles of universal design,proved by examples.Secondly,it makes a research on the characteristics of the elderly on physiology,psychology and behavior,and demonstrates the adaptability of theuniversal design principles to the elderly product design and the different levels of adaptation.What’s more,it analyzes the needs of the elderly,and points out the problems of the elderly.Then,the method of applying the principle of general design to the bath products of the elderly was carried out.On the basis of fully understanding the development,categories and characteristics of the elderly bathing products,this paper puts forward a clear key point to apply this principle to the design of the elderly bathing products,specifically guiding the work of products design.Finally,the principles and methods of universal design principles applied in the elderly bathing products design that were raised in this paper are applied to the design of the elderly bathing products,and the design transformation is completed.The correctness of this principle and method is proved.