The Centers for Disease Control projects that the number of U.S. consumers age 65 or older with doctor-diagnosed arthritis will more than double, from 15.7 million in 2002 to 33.3 million in 2030.

Designing packaging to accommodate this market is a good idea. The first step toward designing for users with arthritis is understanding the problems they face. In research at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, we found that users with arthritis struggle with many actions associated with transporting or opening packaging. These include pinching, twisting off tops or caps, and lifting heavy objects.

In order to accommodate people with arthritis, packaging solutions that require one or more physical activities that challenge them should be avoided. However, it is often impractical to avoid all these activities. In such cases, task requirements can be analyzed and the packaging solution modified to better meet the abilities of the intended market.

For example, the twisting motion of removing a cap is often necessary. Modifications might be to increase the size or shape of the cap, add an easy-to-grip coating to the cap surface, and/or reduce the torque required to break the cap seal.

Brad Fain is Director of the Accessibility Evaluation Facility at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Read more perspectives from Brad.

By Brad Fain