ABSTRACT
Why design for older adults? There are many reasons. Clearly more and more consumers and users of technology are joining the ranks of “older adult.” Indeed, to emphasize the fact that life expectancy is dramatically increasing, Rowe and Kahn estimated in their 1998 book that of all the people who have ever lived to be 65 years of age or older, more than half are alive today. Such a change in demographics brings with it important changes in the demands for products and services. Addressing those demands is not just the role of technology but, more important, we would argue, is the role of those who determine how that technology should function. That is, designers hold the key, in many instances, not only to increasing market share for a given product but to increasing the quality of older adults’ lives.
