| Title |
Analysis of Universal Design Bathroom and Its Products Supporting Aging in Place of the Elderly |
| Authors |
Lee Soo-Jin ; Kwon Hyun-Joo ; Lee Yeun-Sook ; Min Byoung-A |
| Keywords |
Universal Design ; Bathroom Products ; Elderly People ; Aging in Place |
| Abstract |
This study aims to analyze universal design bathroom and its products supporting 'aging in place' of elderly people with the consideration of physical and mental characteristics of aging. Five Universal Design principles were employed as an analysis tool. They are 'Supportiveness', 'Adaptability', 'Communicability', 'Pleasantness' and 'Accessibility', which were developed from previous research. The profile and trends of the universal design paradigm applied to the selected bathroom products were identified and the concrete design characteristics were presented as well. 'Supportiveness', 'Adaptability' were dominant principles over all the products and 'Pleasantness' relevant to safety and cleanliness was also a major design principle. Finally, we expected the findings would be helpful not only to understanding universal design paradigm, but also to facilitating bathroom product design guidelines supporting aging in place. |