An ergonomics approach to refrigerator design for the elderly person

The objective was to determine a set of refrigerator design guidelines for independent living elderly women. The study was conducted with a refrigerator mockup with interchangeable internal features. Twelve elderly women participated, both in a standing and seated (wheelchair) position. The participants were videotaped as they simulated use of shelves and drawer, and they rated these components and their positions for acceptability of reach, visibility of contents, and personal preference. Participants then used a variety of mockup items to configure the refrigerator to their own preferred design. These were then analysed and synthesised into three 'consensus' designs combining the features of most of the others.