『Beyond the Average User - Reshaping Everyday Products +Audio』のカバーアート

Beyond the Average User - Reshaping Everyday Products +Audio

Beyond the Average User - Reshaping Everyday Products +Audio

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I find working on product accessibility and inclusive design energizing — It’s the part of my day job that makes me feel the most hopeful, and that fills me with the most pride. Recently, I had the privilege to sit down with Accessibility for All magazine to discuss this work for their May issue. The published features is titled, “How inclusive design at Procter & Gamble is reshaping everyday products for accessibility and real-life use.” You can read the article by following one of these links:* Web version with an audio option* Curated digital magazine formatObserve, Don’t AskIn the interview, I talk about shifting from a reliance on what consumers say to observing what they do... because watching how someone shops, handles packaging, or completes their routine reveals a lot more than asking them to explain it.The importance of observation is something I learned first in my personal life by watching my own children, and working with them on their daily routines. Every time I witness how much harder my kid who has a physical disability has to work to complete tasks, I’m reminded how critical minor design choices are for a person’s dignity and independence. A small choice like offering Olay body wash in a pump bottle makes showering a little easier for everyone, but it is a game changer for a person that has only one fully functional hand.Inclusively Designed Everyday ProductsWhen we design products beyond a narrow “average user” model, we create smoother, more independent experiences that benefit everyone. Tide Evo is a great example.* The packaging is easy to open (pull the tab to unseal, lift the top).* It’s ultra lightweight and mess-free (thanks to no extra water in the product, and no fillers)* It makes doing a load of laundry incredibly simple -- pick up a sachet and toss it in (no need to lift and tilt a heavy bottle, it dissolves quickly into the water).* Someone who is blind can both identify the product by touch in their home (tactile markings on the package), and find and navigate to the product in the store (NaviLens Smart Code on the package).* It cleans fantastically (even better than regular detergent according to a colleague who recently tried it for the first time)* And... it’s packaging is recyclable!True accessibility isn’t a one-time solution or a specialized add-on; it is an ongoing process of learning, evolving, and designing for real-life use.Another example is Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner. It was the first brand to integrate the universal tactile system, pioneered by P&G. This innovative system offers a straightforward solution for identifying products by touch, without requiring the consumer to know how to read braille (only 10% of blind individuals can read braille), and without having to speak the same language (e.g. works the same for English speakers, Spanish speakers, German speakers, etc.).Tactile at it’s core is a method for a person to identify something by touch. Many blind individuals already add stick-on ‘bump dots’ to appliances and products in their homes so they can identify the item and/or perform a task independently. This system builds upon that foundational habit, in a way that is also easy to adopt for those who acquire vision loss as they age.You have likely already interacted with tactile markings, possibly without even knowing it. Think about the small raised lines on the F and J keys on a keyboard that help you identify, without looking, where to place your hands. Think about ATM machines and phones that have buttons - have you noticed the bump on the number 5? Fascinating, right?I recently switched to Herbal Essences for my own showering routine to see if the tactile system would be helpful for a glasses-wearer, like myself. And holy cow, do I love it!Without needing to bring the bottle super close to my face and squint at the packaging (which was getting harder now that I also need progressive lenses to read small, close-up text) — I can easily verify whether I’m holding the shampoo or conditioner! If you, like me, have gotten into your 40s or 50s and and now need ‘readers’ to clearly see small text, this might be your new favorite innovation. :)For shampoo, there are four raised lines near the top of the bottle (right side of image), and when I run my thumb over it, it feels bumpy, like suds that are created when using shampoo. Conditioner’s symbol is two horizontal rows of raised dots (bottle on left side of the image). When I run my thumb over it, it feels smooth, like conditioner feels when applying it to hair. I don’t have to look at the bottles or read the small text in order to know which I had in my hands.True accessibility isn’t a one-time solution or a specialized add-on; it is an ongoing process of learning, evolving, and designing for real-life use.Thank you to the team at Mélange and Accessibility for All for highlighting this journey. And thank you to P&G for letting me weave the ...
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