Database of sensory characteristics of older persons and persons with disabilities

Purpose: It has long been common practice to design consumer products, living spaces, services, etc., with the assumption that the main users are healthy young people. However, when products are designed for older persons or persons with disabilities, the designers need to consider the sensory characteristics and abilities of these groups of users. The authors have constructed the 'Database of sensory characteristics of older persons and persons with disabilities'. Referring to the database will make it easier for designers to design products that accommodate various people who differ in their sensory characteristics and abilities¹. Method: The database displays sensory characteristics of vision, hearing, and touch measured at Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, by the authors from more than 3,000 young and older persons as well as persons with disabilities. These data for sensory characteristics have been adopted for establishing the Japanese Industrial Standards (JISs) 'Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities'. The database graphically presents the JIS contents described by equations and tables. Results & Discussion Japanese and English versions of the database have been released on the web free of charge to the public (Figure 3). Anyone can access and use the data as long as they comply with the terms of use. In addition to contact information, the database has a questionnaire page to gather opinions and requests from users. Data released at this time are limited to 16 items, but the authors plan further expansion, including refinement of unreleased data and addition of new items in response to feedback from users through the questionnaires.