Design students develop home appliances to assist people with disabilities
Global appliance firm Electrolux Group recently challenged design students at the prestigious Umeå Institute of Design (UID) in Sweden to create home appliance concepts for people with disabilities.
This is the seventh year of Electrolux Group’s cooperation with UID, in which teams of advanced product design students develop ideas in just three weeks. Under the design theme ‘Design for All Abilities’ four teams created unique products that are easier to use for people with disabilities from deteriorating eyesight to arthritis.
Timo Mashiyi-Veikkola, Electrolux Group Head of Design Research, commented: “These talented students really stepped into the consumer’s shoes.
“They came up with creative solutions that not only made it easier for people with a range of disabilities to use, but also considered safety and aesthetics. These fresh ideas are inspiring and suit our Human Touch design philosophy. One important element of that is design with empathy and quality.”
The designs include the Elva, a semi-built-in hot beverage maker designed to reduce the risk of burns and to require very little arm strength. Lowering the pouring module minimizes the risk of hot water spilling, and the user selects the desired water temperature with a simple slider. Signals are acoustic and visual, not textual.
Alva is a dehumidifier whose top-positioned water tank enables effortless refilling and an ergonomic handle ensures a secure grip. The tank pops up when full and has a flat side so that it can be set down for emptying. The control interface is simplified, it can be operated by voice commands, and the companion app enables remote operation. It doubles as a drying rack.
With a top-loading mechanism, the Ease oven eliminates the physical strain of bending and lifting required by traditional ovens. Users slide dishes onto a tray at countertop level and the oven lowers it into the heat cavity. It features single-button control, high-contrast lighting and clear visual indicators to enable an easier, safer cooking experience.
Autocare reduces the effort required to do laundry with a large, tactile knob, a font designed for the visually impaired, and an intelligent interface that remembers favorite cycles and responds to voice activation. It features an autodosing system using detergent sheets rather than heavy liquid, and a lint compressor for less frequent emptying.
“It’s always rewarding to work with Electrolux Group on these design sprints,” says Thomas Degn, Associate Professor and Director of the MFA Advanced Product Design Program at UID. “It’s a real-world test of our students’ skills and helps us all imagine a better world through design.”
The Electrolux Group collaboration with UID is led by Martin Alexanderson, Senior Design Lead Air Care, and Timo Mashiyi-Veikkola, Director of Design Research, together with Thomas Degn from UID.
The collaboration’s previous themes have included designs for: an artificial intelligence-assisted home robot as the primary user (2023), single people living in small spaces (2022), and multi-generational homes (2021).
In recent news, law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp announced the return of its Design the Change Competition, with entries now open.
