Barrierfree bath design but with a little sex appeal, please! Universal Design expert Michael Schlenke is talking to Villeroy & Boch

Demographic change is a topic that has always been a bit suppressed in Germany. We are aware of the statics and see the changing age pyramid. And yet, as Michael Schlenke sees it, the subject lacks in sex appeal. His goal is to change this. For over 20 years he has worked with product and brand development for the furniture industry and has noticed 'in passing' that he has actually been developing and selling products which had certain seniorfriendly functions without actually focusing on it. Now he considers it the task of industry and product developers, designers, and the important market players to join forces and jointly develop functional, designoriented products and furniture for a new generation of demanding seniors. Michael Schlenke discussing demographic change, the destigmatisation of ageappropriate products, and universal design.

Demographic change is on the tip of everyone's tongue. However, they want to look differently at the 'ageing society'. What would the perspective be? At first glance, the group of older people is very heterogeneous. A single standard cannot be applied to everyone. For instance, you could compare the British rocker Ozzy Osbourne and Prince Charles. Both are British, over 65 years of age, currently in their second marriage, and have multiple children. Despite this, they could hardly be more different with regard to the life outlook, demands on their environment, on products, on architecture, and on services. Many older people feel 10 to 15 years younger than their actual age. They do not want to be confronted with their shortcomings, nor do they want to be taken for a fool. When companies decide to market a product for the '50+ generation', they also literally mean me included. I was born in 1963 and could not say that such a campaign would appeal to me. Other senior marketing terms such as 'silver agers' or 'young at heart' are equally unsuccessful. These things should simply not be named.

Therefore, one of the greatest challenges is to sharpen our focus for the 65+ target group. Older people also want cool, sexy products. We have to work on notions of age and subtly find out what it is that motivates people or what in terms of mobility no longer motivates them. Are there countries that have a 'more casual' approach to the target group? A comparison with the Netherlands is always worthwhile. The country is more densely populated than Germany, has a much more international makeup, has a different history, and definitely has a different approach to the elderly and people in need of care.

In Germany, for instance, nursing homes are usually located at the outer edge of the city, and thus out of sight. By contrast, in the Netherlands they are more often an integral component of the inner city architecture. Much more is also done with respect to the mobility of the elderly. For instance, walking aids and motor scooters are being developed which simply have a better design. They are more fun to use. In many areas they simply have a less rigid approach to care. We Germans can also learn a great deal from Scandinavia August 2015 and Benelux in our approach to the elderly and disabled persons.

The 'healing architecture' concept also has its origins in Scandinavia and the Netherlands. What exactly does that mean? It has been scientifically proven that the immediate surroundings of people, the architecture, and interior design have an influence on their wellbeing. 'Healing architecture' attempts to combine all relevant components and integrates aspects such as orientation, materials, colours, or smells. The private sphere and the destigmatisation of rooms and products are also important. When a person is in a health care facility whether it be an emergency hospital, a rehabilitation clinic, a medical care facility, or a nursing home they are very vulnerable and sensitive. Significantly more care is needed in the planning and understanding of the actual user groups. Could barrierfree and designoriented products from highquality bath collections, such as O.novo Vita, Omnia Vita, or Lifetime contribute to a destigmatisation? Villeroy & Boch has a major advantage here: The brand image as one of the oldest familyowned German companies is a permanent fixture among the masses and especially in the target group. Villeroy & Boch enjoys an enormous amount of trust and stands for design, tradition, and quality. With the barrierfree systems in the bath and wellness area, the company has astonished a number of people. After all, no one expected this from Villeroy & Boch.

A new course has been set. The products are intensively developed together with the target group in a participatory process. The users are included in the product research and development. The result is impressive solutions which surprise many people, because they would not expect it from Villeroy & Boch. I enjoy watching this process unfold. What criteria must a new product meet in order to reach the target group? Personally, I feel a strong connection to universal design principles. A product developer I am friends with once told me that furniture for disabled persons must not look disabled. There are certain handicaps which must be offset with age, whether it be deficient mobility, limited eyesight, or hearing. With product development, it is mainly a matter of subtly and invisibly integrating the supporting functions and not blatantly developing and advertising furniture for people with a disability. We assert that the things which older people use need not harm younger people. Thus there is a need for sex appeal and a little technology but not too much.

It is essential that we make the assistance systems as invisible as possible in order to create a pleasant perception. I always talk about lifelong product development which makes life easier for people of all ages and abilities. About the person: Michael Schlenke is the owner and founder of the consulting company The Caretakers, which specialises in strategy and product development. He is a member of iF Industrieforum Design and was appointed as a universal design expert in 2014. He consults and advises companies entering the growing healthcare market. His clients include renowned international companies in the sanitary and furnishing industries, business development corporations, and architectural and engineering firms. He is also active as a speaker and trade journalist. He completed his degree in business administration at the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences and is a trained cabinetmaker. In 2014 he was distinguished with the Innovation Prize at the Geriatric Care Trade Fair by Denkfabrik PRoFProjects.