“Consider scenarios such as accessing phone keys in a darkened theater, waiting for a call in a noisy environment, or trying to operate your phone during an emergency. In these cases, tactile markings on the phone, vibrate mode, and voice dialing benefit anyone who might find themselves in situations of impairment (vision, hearing, speech, cognitive or dexterity) temporarily or for longer terms.”

Link: Universal Design (att.com, via)

Related:

• Example design process for elderly
• Emporia simple phone
• Phones for idiots

Share on Facebook | Save to del.icio.us | Small Surfaces is published by Gabriel White.

“”Most Westerners hold a spatula like a tennis racket when they stir, flip, or cook,” says Lee. “But the Japanese women we observed cooking all held it like a pen. Clearly the design of the tool had to be entirely rethought.” A set of six adjusted nylon server designs was released for the Japanese market only, along with precision tongs and angled measuring cups. Lee declines to share sales figures but says that the redesigns have “paid off nicely.”

Link: OXO, Remade in Japan (businessweek.com)

”...The glitzy façade did attract locals. But they were not comfortable in the bank’s space. The sari-clad women and their turbaned husbands who were at the bank were completely out of sync with the modern setting. While the women, with their heads covered, sat on the floor as a traditional mark of respect for their menfolk, the men—accustomed to squatting on the floor—curled up their feet on the sofa.”

Link: Designing for India’s Consumers (businessweek.com)

Related:

• Phones in Japanese life
• Japanese TXT emoticons
• Designing space for creativity

Share on Facebook | Save to del.icio.us | Small Surfaces is published by Gabriel White.