Affiliations: [a] School of Art and Design, Xihua University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China | [b] School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Xun Zhang, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The aging of the population is a historical stage that many countries must experience, and the current design and development of elderly health care products can no longer meet the increasing demands of the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The impact of ethical design of elderly health care products on socio-economic development is explored to provide a theoretical basis for the development direction of elderly health care products. METHODS: In this study, a questionnaire survey is conducted on 268 middle-aged people to record the subjects’ willingness to purchase elderly health care products and their reasons, concerns, satisfaction, and future demands. RESULTS: Among the subjects, 181 people have purchased elderly health care products, accounting for 67.36%; the subjects are more concerned about the quality and safety of elderly health care products, accounting for 92.56% and 91.85% respectively, followed by operability (68.46%); the problems encountered by the elderly using elderly health care products are mainly operational problems, accounting for 65.37%; and high safety (86.13%) and good quality (79.55%) are the subjects’ main demands for future development of elderly health care products. 73.61% of the 30–40 year old subjects said that the intelligent aged care products were very good; 65.89% of the 41–50 year old subjects said that the intelligent aged care products were very good; 52.67% of the 51–60 subjects thought that intelligent elderly care products were very good; and 47.82% of the subjects whose age were over 60 expressed their willingness to try intelligent elderly care products. CONCLUSIONS: Good quality and high safety are the main demands for the future development of elderly health care products. The elderly health care products manufactured based on the people-oriented design ethics concept can greatly meet the aspirations of the elderly to pursue a happy later life, and promote the vigorous development of the elderly industrial economy.
Keywords: Population aging, elderly health care products, questionnaire survey, design ethics, people-oriented
