Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety & satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities

近年来，人们对家庭浴室的看法发生了变化。在过去，浴室是一个仅用于功能活动的区域，现在它被视为放松和享受的空间。因此很不幸的是，对于老年残疾人来说，卫生间是家中最容易发生福尔斯等意外的房间。老年人的疾病、残疾和虚弱最终导致他们在洗澡和洗澡时需要帮助。对大多数人来说，这是一种令人不快的侵犯隐私和失去尊严的行为。为帮助老年人继续独立应对浴室问题而提供的许多设备设计和质量都很差，这意味着有些人宁愿不使用这些设备，从而导致危险的情况。该项目旨在提高老年人浴室家具的质量和设计。我们面临的挑战是设计出所有浴室用户都能接受的优质产品，同时满足老年人和残疾人的特殊需求。我们寻求解决方案，以不损害人们自尊的方式减轻困难，并使浴室成为一个舒适，愉快和安全的地方。我们的工业合作伙伴是理想标准，一个著名的浴室家具制造商。理想标准的参与表明了问题的重要性和在这方面作出改进的愿望。为了实现该项目的目标，我们将让老年人参与设计过程并与设计师合作。将招募独立生活的老年人以及生活在庇护所和其他形式的援助住房中的老年人。这些将包括患有常见残疾的人，这些残疾随着年龄的增长而变得更加严重，如关节炎，视力和听力损失以及中风后的残疾。一个原型浴室将提供在"用户实验室"在谢菲尔德哈勒姆大学的项目。实验室浴室将包括浴室家具和设备的模型，这些家具和设备可以根据需要在空间中移动。第一步是研究浴室中的一个常见问题：淋浴。我们将回顾现有的文献和良好的实践，并以此为基础来探讨这个问题。我们将开发和完善的方法和技术，以方便老年人在浴室实验室与设计师一起工作。项目的初始阶段也将使我们能够开发出最佳方法，从而在项目的后期及以后阶段与老年人一起探索更广泛的浴室问题。在后期阶段，我们将使用试点研究中确定的方法来调查浴室及其周围环境的整体设置。除了在实验室浴室中使用各种布局外，我们还将访问一些老年人自己的家中，并邀请他们展示他们在自己家中遇到的问题。将收集当前的挑战和可能的解决方案。设计师将与Ideal Standard密切合作，开发将可能的解决方案转化为功能性商业可行产品的方法。老年人将参与整个过程，以便提出的任何解决办法都能反映他们的实际需要和要求。该项目将产生新的设计理念，能够改善老年残疾人的安全和生活质量。此外，我们将使用从这项研究中收集的数据来编写设计原则，考虑如何最有效地吸引老年人。

Perceptions of the domestic bathroom have changed over recent years. Whereas at one time, the bathroom was an area designated for functional activity only, it is now viewed as being a space for relaxation and enjoyment. It is therefore unfortunate that for older disabled people, the bathroom is the room in the house where accidents such as falls are most likely to occur. Illness, disability and frailty in older age ultimately lead to help being needed with toileting and bathing. For most people this is an unpleasant invasion of privacy and loss of dignity. The poor design and quality of many items of equipment provided to help older people to continue to cope independently in the bathroom means that some would rather manage without, leading to risky situations. This project is about improving the quality and design of bathroom furniture for older people. The challenge is to design quality products that all bathroom users would find acceptable as well as meeting the specific needs of older, and disabled people. We seek solutions which will alleviate difficulties in ways that do not undermine people's self-esteem, and make the bathroom a comfortable, enjoyable and safe place. Our industrial partner is Ideal Standard, a well known manufacturer of bathroom furniture. The involvement of Ideal Standard is an indication of the importance of the problem and the desire to make improvements in this area. To achieve the aim of the project we will involve older people participating in the design process and working with designers. Older people living independently will be recruited, as well as those living in sheltered and other forms of assisted housing. These will include people with common disabilities, which become more severe with age such as arthritis, sight and hearing loss and disability after stroke. A prototype bathroom will be provided within the 'user lab' at Sheffield Hallam University for the project. The laboratory bathroom will include mockups of bathroom furniture and devices that are adaptable and can be moved around the space as required.The first step will be to study one common problem within the bathroom; that of the showering. We will review existing literature and good practice, and use this as a basis for exploring the problem. We will develop and refine methods and techniques to facilitate older people working alongside designers in the bathroom laboratory. This initial phase of the project will also allow us to develop the best methods by which a wider range of bathroom problems can be explored with older people in later phases of the project and beyond.In later phases, we will use the methods identified during the pilot study to investigate the whole setting of the bathroom and its surroundings. As well as using various layouts in the laboratory bathroom, we will visit a number of older people in their own homes and invite them to demonstrate the issues that they have to encounter in their own homes. The presenting challenges and possible solutions will be collected. The designers will work closely with Ideal Standard to develop methods of translating possible solutions into functional commercially viable products. Older people will be involved throughout this process so that any solutions produced will reflect their actual needs and requirements. The project will result in new design ideas capable of improving the safety and quality of life of older disabled people. Additionally, we will use the data gathered from this research to write design principles that take into account how to most productively engage older people.