Toy development and design based on the needs of older persons

Abstracts： in china, aging and the life-quality of older persons has become today's important issues of social concern, and how to solve this problem thus turns to be an important challenge in the design and development of supplies for the old. Now, the ensuing ways to solve varied. For instance, the design community has put emphasis on the design and development of the supplies for the old, but a large part of these de signs were for medical care and medical products of the senior person. The designs for the vast majority of the healthy people in their senior age are rarely involved. In this, I think, for the function of toys, the emphasis on the development of physical and mental health of older persons is the key, so to rethink the development of toys for the old persons in china is one of the ways.

Key words: toys for the old; needs design; humane care

Mentions of the toys, we always unconsciously think of the innocent children, as if toys are just child's belongings. With the improvement of living standards, emphasis on the toys is constantly improved. To meet the needs of children, various designs are brought out, and then from luxury goods, toys have gradually become the child's necessities. However, the authorities of the China Toy Association state that the toy is no longer the children's only product: toy concept has been extended and functional and practical range of modern toy has been further expanded. Toys not olny inspire children, but also become the recreation products for the seniors. The old also need toys that could meet their spiritual needs and enrich their life in later years.

1.Status of the development and design of toys for the seniors

In China, toy for the old is still an industry to be developed. Senior people, as customers, they have needs and also purchasing power, but no targeted toys for them. There is as much as 130 million seniors in china who would be a huge consumer group, but the research and development of toys for old consumers has lagged behind developed country for more than 30 years.

In America, the toys designed for the seniors amount to 40% of the toy market. The toy market for old persons is more mature. They have many toy stores for the seniors throughout the urban and rural areas. Also our neighbor Japan does well in the development of toys for the old persons, and most toy companies have produced toys for seniors, and continued to introduce new products.

2.the meaning of the development of toys for the seniors

Retiring from work, the senior people get more time than before. Besides watching TV at home, they have no many alternative entertainments. Some old people have been for a long period in the sate of loneliness. Over time, they are prone to depression, anxiety disorder and Alzheimer's, seriously affecting their physical and mental health and become burden to children and society.

Li Guangqing in Department of Rehabilitation of Beijing Xuanwu Hospital once said: "With age increasing, the function of the body of the seniors gradually degraded, and their reaction will be clumsier. At the same time, retirement from work, the opportunity for the old to use their brain reduces, which further brings the decline of attention and cognitive ability. Except to maintain good habits and moderate exercise, to slow down brain aging, putting hands and brain in work at the same time is the most effective way, which is exactly the function of toys. For people with Alzheimer's, playing with toys, to some extent, would alleviate the condition.

Therefore, toys can develop people's thinking ability, and improve our intelligence. If the seniors play with toys constantly, the aging of the brain and the Alzheimer's would be effectively prevented. Medical experts found that to maintain old people's intelligence, we must first fully protect the brain. In addition to proper nutrition and adequate sleep, the seniors should make most of the brain. Just as Chinese saying tells that" Water does not rot, and the door hinge is never worm-eaten ", the more one use his brain, the more sensitive it becomes. Playing with toys is exactly a good way to use the brain. With toys, the old people not

only receive more information, at the same time become more optimistic than before, thereby enhancing their immune system function.

3.The needs-analysis of toys for the old

What is a needs analysis? This approach is to focus on the users' needs. Users' needs are sources of many new products.

What is the demand-design? It is the most front-end process for new product in its life cycle, and decides the success or failure of the new products. Needs-design starts from the businesses and designers' judgment of the market or the needs of users, and ends at planning proposals or technical specifications on description of the product development. Understand the market or user demand is a high-level investment for the success of the product.

The development and design of toys for old persons should start from the needs of the seniors. Only a real understanding of the old consumers and their psychological and physiological needs can bring toys that give practical cares for the seniors physically and spiritually.

Toys for the old should bring human care. Toy design process should be integrated into this concept. The aim of the toy design for the old is enhanced, With seniors-centered design principles, and with the help of analysis on the seniors' physiological psychological characteristics, cultural level and lifestyle. The toy design principle that shows humane care for the seniors is reflected at the same time.

(1)Safety first

To varying degrees, the judgment, cognitive ability and ability to respond of the old people weaken, thus in the process of using the product, they inevitably make mistakes. In case a threat to physical and mental health occurs, they usually are unable to escape the danger. Therefore, toys for the seniors should be fault-tolerant. So that, the old people even make a mistake, there will be no danger. Here the reduction of operation process and the set of message for safe operation is an effective way to ensure the safety of the seniors with toys.

(2)Moderate difficult

The design of toys for the old should be of moderate difficulty, and the purpose is to arouse their interest in playing. If too simple, it would not enhance the interest of the seniors and thus would not achieve the aim of exercising the brain; if too difficult, it would be strenuous for them to learn, and consequently cause a sense of failure which is not conducive to their mental health.

(3)easy to identify

The toy should have a familiar form and an understandable functional theory for the old. It should also be equipped with an interface in keeping with the experience and habits of the seniors. Besides, The toys that need interface design, should take into account the graphic symbols, size, color, clarity of sound, light intensity.

(4)Facilitate communication

People's feelings need to vent and exchange, especially for the seniors. For them, emotional communication is indispensable to maintain their vitality, and improve the quality of life. Playing with toys, there are many ways for the old to choose, such as: taking turns to participate, working together and racing in the game. the development of multiple-persons playing toys is to create a harmonious environment in which they can talk when play. So the core of toy-development is to involve the participants as much as possible. For the participating ways, common collaborative participatory approach is the best, which is more conducive to conversation, and get to know some new friends. In this way the seniors can expand their social circle with emotional exchange.

(5)The effect for keeping fitness and developing intelligence

Increasing with age, people's organ recession becomes an objective physiological phenomenon. In order to maintain good physical function and mental state, and improve the quality of life, fitness puzzle is a very important content in the lives of older persons. Body-building that can achieve with playing toys is the most basic needs of older persons. Old people by playing intellectual toys can effectively prevent Alzheimer's disease, so to maintain the flexibility of the seniors' mind is the main direction of the toy development.

(6)Cultural connotations

Life experiences bring the old people with more comprehensive concept of life, thus toys with a certain ideological and cultural depth usually put them in recollecting and thinking of issues. Toys for the seniors are different from those for children: a child plays a toy intuitively, while the old emphasize the toy's inherent fun, and show great interest in the toys with cultural connotations. Of course, this culture must be familiar with the elderly, has gone deep into the ideological deep.

Summing up, toys for the seniors have a promising market, for each one of us would inevitably become old. The design industry should make more efforts to improve the living standard of the seniors. One way is to develop toys for the old and help them improve their life quality with theses design. We all know, care for the old is to care for all mankind, and designing from the needs of the old has become an urgent task of today's society.

References：

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[4] Zhang Jian, Xue Feng, Sun Xin toy design [M], Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 2006.8.