graphic - SMARTech
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1. Tek partner remote INVESTIGATE EXAMPLE ANALYSIS Medminder is a good example of providing multiple types of reminder to help older adults remember to take medication By using this method the device reduces the chance of human error which in turn increases its usefulness Grandcare is a good example of converting complex modern technology to simple and intuitive interface and interaction All options are presented on one screen with simple navigation to the previous next page It works similar to a personal computer with less capabilities but it provides enhanced controllability for older adults to maintain the status of themselves and the environment around them as well as to communicate with other people Tek Partner is a good example of enhanced perceptibility It is easy to read and grab Functions are differentiated by button shapes To conclude the major takeaways from these examples are Provide visual clues to guide users in order to enhance the usefulness of the product Convert and simplify complex technology provide functionality based on needs Implement features that help older adults better manipulate the product 83 Phase 3 84 DESIGN CRITERIA Based on previous research and analysis design criteria can be defined as following FORM Small volume appropriate shape Limited counter top space in the kitchen of retirement community makes volume extremely important to its usage2. Good quality sustainable EVALUATE 129 Phase 4 EASE OF USE EVALUATION Tasks 1 Open the door 2 Set cooking time to 2 minutes 3 Set power level to 70 4 Stop heating gt 5 4 5 425 M A 3 23 E Qeesscoscccccesosceccccooceceecccccccceccocco gt TI T2 T3 T4 Scores of ease of use evaluation 130 EVALUATE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Automatic door a button for opening the door It might be hard to clean the track of the door No need for clock showing on the microwave oven Don t know too much about power settings Too many power levels preferably 3 levels After opening the door remaining cooking time should be cleared out for next heating Would be too many presses if cooking for long time would be nice have a 4 minute increment button 131 Phase 4 132 LIMITATIONS There are five essential components inside a microwave oven magnetron antenna cooling fan capacitor and transformer Currently in a counter top microwave oven these components are arranged behind the control panel When microwave oven is working a transformer converts the standard electricity of 120 volts to about 4000 or higher to power the magnetron which generates microwaves bouncing around inside the cooking compartment penetrating the food In addition the microwave oven door contains a metal mesh to prevent microwave leakage The holes on the metal mesh need to be small enough so that microwaves can
3. Ease of Use It should be easy to learn and remember and have a low risk for making errors In addition it should provide multiple ways for accomplishing a certain task to increase its usability Simplicity of Product Keep the product simple in appearance but functional to meet the needs This also applies to the steps that are needed to complete a certain task Satisfaction of Product Although older adults may have special needs they are pretty standard when it comes to aesthetics Enjoyment and creativity can affects the satisfaction of a product to some extent Besides quality and cost should also be taken into consideration 79 Phase 2 80 EXAMPLES OF DESIGN There are examples of product designs for older adults Medminder Medminder is an automatic pill dispenser It has many types of reminders such as blinking beeping and phone calls In addition it has a safety lock which locks all compartments and only leaves the specified compartment unlocked to prevent taking the wrong medication at the wrong time In addition it has a built in cellular connection therefore it can make phone calls sent text messages or emails to the caregiver if the patient missed the medicine after a certain amount of time MedMinder 2014 Medminder pill dispenser MedMinder INVESTIGATE Grandcare Grandcare is a touch platform to help older adults live in their own homes safely It has four main functions Activity
4. On the other hand the abilities of users are declining as they get older Additionally more and more older adults are choosing retirement community as their home All these factors combined new needs have emerged for a rethinking of the design of the microwave oven The purpose of this project is to design an innovative microwave oven for older adults as well as have it fit in small living space such as retirement community An additional purpose is to design more usable appliances for a wider range of the population who live in small apartments Phase O ROLES There are three roles in this project designer community and user The designer researches related areas and gets information from the user through a series of surveys and data analysis to generate design solutions The community provides insights regarding senior living and coordinates research activities with residents The user participates in interviews observations and usability tests to communicate with the designer about their concerns and thoughts when using products OVERVIEW Roles in this project Phase O SIDE FRAMEWORK The process consisted of four phases see investigate design and evaluate SIDE The See phase provides a comprehensive background for this project by uncovering data about the history of microwave ovens population trends and the state of older adults independent living and retirement communities The Investigate phase develo
5. six participants were interviewed including three males two females and a couple The gender ethnicity marital status and health state were well distributed They all live independent of nursing or caring One of them didn t have a microwave oven one was a wheelchair user one had low vision All interviews were semi structured Interviews started with simple introductory questions such as how often do you cook and how do you like cooking The interview then went deeper with questions specifically related to microwave ovens such as how often do you use microwave ovens and what do you use them for During this process after a certain question was asked participants would sometime talk more about their experience If this happened follow up questions would be asked to prompt them to go deeper on that topic ti d quickly hamburger hit diabetes daily be every exercises used lo often m also e impaired ove first breakfast back thing plate variou eyes right add simple differ enjoys Towel yesterday coa paintings ch INVESTIGATE WORD CLOUD The word cloud method was used to catch important words that participants mentioned during interviews The size of words was correlated to the frequency of the word appearing in the conversation degree bring healthier Plates ii ot g apartment artist Dachelors idnt ess half def ii button T Parti
6. Appropriate shape Make microwave oven fit in the environment such as corners APPEARANCE Simplicity The look and feel of the product should be concise and clean to reduce unnecessary confusion Enjoyment Make microwave oven fun to use in turn to increase the interest in cooking Perceptibility Easy to read easy to understand Less hiding functions or information INTERACTION Ease of use Modifying interface layout and changing the way of interaction may improve the ease of use Learnability and memorability The product should be intuitive and self explanatory without effort for learning or remembering DESIGN DESIGN GOAL OF PHASE 3 The goal of this phase is to generate design concepts to address user needs and expectations Through iteration a final design concept will be selected to proceed to appearance modeling and testing 89 Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design Charles Eames Phase 3 92 SPACE USAGE ANALYSIS During the interviews observations were also conducted Microwave ovens were placed in different spots for two reasons low accessibility and space limitation In order to address these issues in the following phase a space usage analysis was conducted Starting from the current situation users tried to solve these issues by 1 tilting the microwave oven to a certain angle so user could press buttons vertically 2 mo
7. at less energy and much smaller plumbing 1295 and safer only cost 495 2208 1946 1947 1955 1967 SEE The timeline of microwave oven history In the 70s microwave ovens became more and more inexpensive and plumbing was no longer needed thanks Standards set by FDA put in to air cooled system By 1975 Today more than 95 place fixed previous problems microwave ovens were sold of households have a with microwaves leaking more than gas ranges microwave oven OVAL gt A A AA O 1971 1975 2011 35 Phase 1 DIVERSITY There are three major types of microwave ovens in the market Most still sit on the countertop OTC but more people are mounting microwave ovens over the range OTR which saves counter space to some extent Another type is built in BI This type of microwave oven is mounted within customized cabinets either in island or wall units or over counters Some OTCs can be installed under a cabinet or used as a Bl and installed with custom cabinets While OTRs can be vented to the outside they are less powerful than a range hood Finally the Bls usually do not have finished sides not do they have vents COUNTERTOP OVER THE RANGE Types of microwave ovens 36 TOP MICROWAVE OVEN IN A KITCHEN Phase 1 38 Complicated Interface Apart from different body types microwave ovens have become faster and smarter Many have sensors that automate
8. can cook a lot of things in it 65 Phase 2 PARTICIPANT 5 Participant 5 lives in a one bedroom apartment He was artist he used to do sculptures and paintings He moved here since two years ago He has been trying to live healthier after he got diabetes OO OO Mi microwave oven e BW refrigerator cooktop Kitchen layout 66 HIGHLIGHTS Question How many meals do you have everyday So you cook all the meals Do you enjoy cooking When would you use the microwave oven Could you describe how do you defrost the burger So you don t use the actual function button like there s is defrost button do you use that Other improvements can you think of to improve the microwave oven INVESTICATE Answer lam a diabetes so have to eat breakfast lunch and dinner Every other day will check my blood sugar and blood pressure cook all my meals When was a artist was also a cook know how to cook Oh yeah and sometimes would invite people to come eat with me would use it to defrost burger for 45 seconds Or warm up a cup of coffee hit the number pad for 45 seconds It would be nice to have increments on the microwave like 15s 30s and 45s think it would be a kind of cool if you could design one that go on acorner hardly use that seemed like to hit that button and it messed up with other buttons seemed hi tech but I m really no
9. preference 119 Phase 3 ENVIRONMENTAL VIEW Final concept environmental view 120 DESIGN 121 EVALUATE EVALUATE GOAL OF PHASE 4 The goal of this phase is to validate design decisions and evaluate the final design through a series of usability tests to make possible changes and improvements afterwards 125 Phase 4 126 METHODS AND PROCESS The usability testing consisted of four parts 1 impression of the product 2 four basic tasks to perform 3 rate afterwards and 4 overall rating of the product and other comments about the product Materials used during the tests covers three media a white model with a scaled size a printed interface in normal size and an interface animation prototype in Flash to simulate real feedback from the interface when using the product All these three materials served different purposes in this study form evaluation size evaluation and behavior evaluation The test started with a short introduction to participants about the purpose of the study then showed a white model to the participants After a moment the participants were asked about their first impression of the product then they were guided to perform four basic tasks using the white model as well as use the Flash animation or printed interface based on their preference After the completion of each task participants were asked to rate the difficulty of the task and if they would like to d
10. was to add a light strap on the microwave oven as reminder to user when the food is ready Further consideration was for a timer to show how much cook time remains However this is not relevant to the design criteria and poses potential confusion for older adults thus was eliminated But the light strap concept can be used for providing clues which can be useful for the user of the microwave oven DESIGN Sketch of initial concepts 105 Phase 3 106 FORM ASSESSMENT Space utilization was analyzed for different possible body shapes SQUARE The square shape reduces a lot of internal space waste horizontally but potentially adds to the overall height because of relocation of the interface Alternative orientations for door opening could be considered However no matter what orientation is chosen it is inevitable to have extra space consumption when operating SQUARE CIRCLE The square circle shape reduces more internal space waste than the pure square shape on the back And it fits into a corner better because of the rounded back However the interface needs to be relocated from the side to top or bottom of microwave oven Again this adds overall height due to interface relocation CIRCLE The circle shape saves the most space since it basically is a concentric circle to the turntable The door can operate as a sliding door to slide in and out along the side instead of the traditional hinge door The downside
11. CEPT Circle was chosen for its overall form This initial concept has a protruded corner for a flat surface for the control panel This design decision not only solves the problem of adding extra height on top because of interface relocation but also keeps all the buttons in the same surface for higher perceptibility Color exploration TIO DESIGN 1 Min 15 sec Interface iterations The button count is reduced to six in order to perform two basic functions time adjustment and power adjustment One of the iterations was to add and reduce cook time by pressing one button but a different side Then a further iteration simplified this process by pressing the button once to add time By doing this there is less complexity with the buttons In the meantime color and combinations were explored for the purpose of future acceptance study 111 Phase 3 112 FINAL CONCEPT The final concept is a further development of the initial concept but with well finished details in terms of the control panel door opening and interior Furthermore the design language and pattern were integrated into the detailed design The circle shape best follows the round turntable and optimizes the internal space utilization Furthermore because itisa circle the door is designed as a sliding door which eliminates the temporary occupied space which in turn addresses the space issue Moreover the circle shape makes it easy to fit i
12. MICROWAVE OVEN CONCEPT DESIGN FOR OLDER ADULTS Master of Industrial Design Project by Xuejiao Lin Dr Claudia B Rebola 2014 Microwave Oven Concept Design for OLDER ADULTS Xuejiao LIN Advised by Dr Claudia B Rebola ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS would like express appreciation to my advisor Dr Claudia B R bola who guided and supported me throughout the project Without her help this project would not have gone this far would also like to thank Kevin Elrod who works with Lutheran Towers Midtown Atlanta His knowledge in terms of senior living gave me a comprehensive background of current retirement community His persistent and heartwarming help made possible for most of my field study Last but not the least would like to thank my friend Jige Quan whose encourage and help made the whole process less painstaking ABSTRACT Microwave ovens can be used to perform varied cooking and food preparation related tasks with greater efficiency and convenience than traditional cooktops and ovens Microwave ovens have been highly adopted by older adults in the past 40 years especially those living in small spaces such as retirement communities As industry develops microwave ovens with more and advanced functions it poses a challenging usability factor for older adults in regards to complexity of use Furthermore older adult s abilities may decline with age adding an additional factor for operating microwaves The purpose
13. XTLNG IG LI ONIOG i3d3ld NOA OG MOH ASV3 AH3A ASV3 TVHLO3N 8 naa IINDIAJIO AH3A M ASVL AHL WUOJUFd OL 1 21331 HO 3SV3 JO 3H1 31V NOA GINOM MOH NIINZ ONDIOOO 13S ONIMOT104 Od 3SV31d NOA NVI AMUN3Y33dra LI ONIOG 43438d MOH Asva AH3A asya TvaLnan 8 naa IINDIAAIO AH3A MSVl3Hl Wuodi aid OL ALINIA YO 3SV3 40 TAT 3H1 1 NOA GINOM MOH N3dO ONIMOTIO3 AHL Od 3SV31d NOA NVI LONGOUd JO SNOISSFUAWI TVILINI 413HL 3AIO OL LINVdISILUVd JSW YO SI LINAOUd N9IS30 3HL ANIHL A3HL LVHM SAYOM HLIM 39189530 OL WAHL ASW SINVdIDILAVdA OL LONGOUd MOHS 3AIO Layouts of kitchens and major appliances arrangement 127 Phase 4 128 OVERALL ACCEPTANCE EVALUATION Questions 1 How would you rate the look of the product 2 How satisfied are you with this product 3 How likely are you willing to buy this product 4 How would you recommend this product to friends gt 4 5 275 375 AAA c Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Scores of overall acceptance evaluation ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Nice to have more color options such as black and white Comes with different sizes and functions for differentiating price range for targeted user group Different colors for different buttons Color combination would be nice Use other material for body such as stainless steel Affordable price for purchase consideration
14. ceptance 4 max 5 Participants showed surprise when they first saw the product because none of them had seen a cylinder shaped microwave oven before But soon after they learned how the shape would help address the space issue in the kitchen they expressed high interest in getting one However they expressed concern on the price of the product One participant brought up concern about the quality of the product such as the smoothness of the sliding door Score of Ease of Use 4 06 max 5 Participants rated tasks as 1 2 and 4 as easy to perform but not so much for Task 3 since most of them were not familiar with power settings Furthermore they also suggested alternative methods to perform those tasks For opening the door they would want an automated door so they can open and close the door by pressing a button However this setting may increase the cost for production as well as the risk of door malfunction For setting cook time participants were satisfied with the method of repeatedly pressing the same button to set the desired cook time But one participant did want a quicker way to set a long cook time such as 10 minutes For setting powers they suggested to reduce level options to three which were low mid and high For stopping the microwave oven they would prefer to open the door directly to stop it EVALUATE POSSIBLE FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS Based on the feedback from usability testing future improvement
15. cipant ce sometimes functi n today day dum cos i e thin better livi Ing vita oe appliances unless 954 drive hada dn places kids fo quick st ia oor i f r O watts spend OO alan mount tay number Autes em ICIOWaVe me ee Insulin supper whole pan Lutheran ti me t RY Utta ke know dining hospital F dogs powers 10 od fast oki an om 125 170 COO 2 Ing mea S Yeah tea nc ch on 19 n got bons reheat 45s oven sculpture 6 get ab 67 went soup quite able curry e Des 5 om e t hin ng YOOM activities see couldnt 8nymore cant u St tO n e vegeta bles ildren e potato eve ryd Painting OS y E oe IJ ex alam Chicken enjoy buttons live groceries Actually pretty moved mo ree popcr pro smaller S id cont months gotten Prince medicine paper trying ze everything Wordcloud summarized from interview transcript 57 Phase 2 PARTICIPANT 1 Participant 1 lives in a studio apartment with his cat He has been living in this retirement community for almost 6 months He has minor hearing issue B refrigerator cooktop toaster Kitchen layout 58 HIGHLIGHTS Question How often do you eat at home Do you enjoy cooking How many meals do you cook everyday INVESTIGATE Answer Well since moved in here eat just about all my meals here Be honest don t like to cook And when moved in h
16. cooking for different kinds of food Some even include convection and slow cooking functions to increase cooking capability However along with these awesome functions the interface of microwave ovens has become more and more complicated From a single dial knob to multiple buttons some functions are hard to perform even with a user manual in hand There might be more trouble for older adults learning and cognitive abilities are decreasing as people age the complexity of microwave ovens works as a counter factor to its ease of use 58m Inst Noodle A Milk Coffee ZH A Steamed Chop ET Bread KAR Grilled Meat joja KE 38 Grilled Chicken KS Grilled Cake dE 2 Health Care Soup Healthy Baby Nutrient Soup 4 BY sh TI HR DT Micro Disinfect BH PauseiGancel Searching is half the fun life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party Jimmy Buffett Phase 1 VOLUME vs PRICE vs BODY TYPE As a big factor to kitchen space arrangement the volume of a microwave oven is important to users Below is the price vs volume distribution of current microwave ovens sold in the market volume ee e 090909 o price e 00 volume Chart of price and volume distribution 42 Counter top is usually cheaper than the other two types but also smaller The lowest price for count
17. educe the space usage by microwave oven reduce the size of microwave oven eliminate permanent and temporary occupied space by microwave oven in turn to save room for other uses Permanent occupied space Temporary occupied space 94 DESIGN INTERNAL SPACE ANALYSIS Below is a horizontal intersection of a microwave oven It is clear to see that space is wasted on the corners of a microwave oven a rectangle shape with a round turntable inside So if the corners were not there for example if the microwave oven were in a rounded shape the volume could be smaller to some extent Secondly space is also wasted on the location of the interface and it components As for the countertop the width is much more important than the height Therefore sided location for interface is not the best choice for space saving Cross section view of a microwave oven 95 Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication Leonardo da Vinci Phase 3 MOOD BOARD Based on design criteria concluded in the previous chapter elements were selected to define the overall design style and design language as well as the look and feel of the body material 98 Mood board Phase 3 100 FORM EXPLORATION Starting from the current form of microwave oven some basic forms were drawn out to explore what would fit for the design criteria Furthermore the possible locations for interface were also explored In this initial b
18. er adults living at their homes However this could be expensive and inefficient since most older adults still retain the ability to live independently Another solution which is more suitable for the situation is independent living As you get older you ve probably noticed that you tend to forget things You ll be talking with somebody at a party and you ll know that you know this person but no matter how hard you try you can t remember his or her name This can be very embarrassing especially if he or she turns out to be your spouse Dave Barry Phase 1 26 Arthritis AGING IN PLACE Aging in place is the ability to live in one s own home and community safely independently and comfortably regardless of age income or ability level The focus of aging in place is to help older adults ensure they can live where they choose and get any help they need for as long as they can Cresci 2005 As people age bodies and capabilities change This could include Reduced vision e Decreased muscle strength or endurance Reduced mental processing capabilities Increased risk of falls due to balance Increased risk of illness Reduced hearing Decreased mobility SEE These changes happen to most older adults which can affect many activities of daily living such as getting around their home as easily driving safely transportation socializing home upkeep and health mainte
19. er top is around 60 at 0 7 cu ft While the lowest price for over the range is around 150 at 1 6 cu ft volume volume SEE COUNTER TOP OVER THE RANGE BUILT IN price 43 Phase 1 COUNTER TOP OVER THE RANGE BUILT IN 44 EXISTING FEATURES There are many models in the market They are differentiated in installation type size power and preprogrammed functions The three main types countertop over the range and built in all have pros and cons ConsumerReports 2014 PROS Cost less No installation needed No electrician needed No occupation of counter space No occupation of counter space Allow to have a hood Table of type comparison CONS Midsized and large models need about 3 quare feet counter space Cost more Need installation Not vent too well Usually cost most Need installation Need custom cabinet _ VER RATING Most microwave ovens rated between 600 ik 1 200 watts Typically this is correlated to the size Compact ones are about 600 800 watts while midsize and large ones could be at 850 1 200 watts More watts usually means more cooking power JU RIC KEYPAD VS DIAL Today more and more microwave ovens a numeric for setting cooking times and power levels But there are still ones using a dial knob JRNTABLE VS Most microwave ovens have a turntable that rotates the food to keep food heating uniformly There are microwave o
20. ere realized how much dont like it I am lucky if cook two but do have leftovers also have a lot of frozen food Most of them done in the oven 59 Phase 2 PARTICIPANT 2 Participant 2 lives in a one bedroom apartment She has minor hearing issue She is the only one who has a dial knob microwave oven De EI microwave oven e refrigerator cooktop toaster Kitchen layout 60 HIGHLIGHTS Question How many meals do you have everyday Do you eat at home Do you often cook with fresh ingredient or frozen pre packaged food Do you have a microwave oven How often do you use microwave oven to cook How many minutes do you usually set for time cooking Have you tried to cook meal with it INVESTIGATE Answer Twice breakfast and lunch Just a little bit The other one helps me here Sometimes she cooks for me like frozen food also eat some vegetables and fruits have trouble with digesting meat Yes right there I don t like cooking with it put soup in it heat like hot food And frozen food put them in the microwave too 2 3 minutes sometimes 5 minutes No have never tried to cook don t know what that could use it or not 61 Phase 2 microwave oven refrigerator cooktop toaster Kitchen layout 62 PARTICIPANT 3 Participant 3 lives in a one bedroom apartment He has mild arthritis cann
21. ever in developed countries the d annual number of births barely exceeds deaths i r P Reports predict that in 2050 the population increase of those 65 and over will be 2 5 times that of the population under 4 due to a low birth rate in developed countries coupled with birth i rate declines in most developing counties which is an exact reversal of the situation in 1950 By 2050 the number of people i aged 65 and over will total 1 5 billion or about 16 of the global d a total But in 1950 it was only 5 Population Reference Bureau 2012 Ld centage of Peo 65 over o TTTT iie prd Phase 1 ELDERLY SUPPORT RATIO The coming surge in the number of people over 65 raises a big concern whether those older people will get enough support and care for their life One way to measure this is using the Elderly Support Ratio ESR ESR is the number of working age adults 18 64 compared to that of elderly persons aged 65 and over In 1900 the ratio was 14 1 while by 1960 this ratio declined to 6 1 Today the ESR in the US is about 5 But this ratio will continuously decline to less than 3 by 2050 5 5 or more persons 4 5 to 5 4 persons 3 5 persons to 4 4 persons E Fewer than 3 5 persons O a Eld tly Support Ratio by County 2009 20 e SEE Many older adults rely on family caregivers for support and assistance However changes in family patte
22. ful to people There are five attributes when it comes to measuring the usability of a product learnability efficiency memorability errors and satisfaction Therefore a more useful product needs to be more easily learnable and memorable and not conducive to errors Fisk Rogers Charness Czaja amp Sharit 2004 77 Phase 2 SYMPATHETIC DESIGN Sympathetic design is a framework that helps designers to design technology for older adults It combines and develops the approaches from evidence based design and user centered design Claudia 8 Brian 2013 The framework provides guidance in five areas product functionality product interface design research methods universal design product experience and technology use SYMPATHETIC DEVICES PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITY PRODUCT INTERFACE DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS PRODUCT EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY USE 78 DESIGNING TECHNOLOGIES FOR OLDER ADULTS Simplicity Tangible Participatory Design Enjoyment Current Table of sympathetic devices Basic Needs Contextual Contextual Design Creativity Off shelf INVESTIGATE SUMMARY To conclude designing for older adults needs special attention to their levels of abilities as well as discovering their expectations and needs by involving them in the design process Combined with the analysis from previous research the following attributes are summarized to help gauge the future design phase
23. gerator range and garbage disposal The bathrooms usually have safety features such as grab bars and emergency call systems In addition all apartment maintenance is taken care of by the management crew These apartments are relatively smaller than normal residential apartments One advantage of a smaller floor plan is to reduce effort for older adults in getting around the apartment which reduces the risk of falling However this also results in a smaller kitchen area COOKING WITH MICROWAVE OVENS Meal preparation is crucial to independent living White amp Devitt 2011 Comparing to traditional cooking tools such as cooktop microwave ovens provide convenience and efficiency of cooking As people age they may have difficulty with mobility as well as declining body capabilities which increases the effort to perform regular cooking related tasks Slegers van Boxtel amp Jolles 2009 Therefore the microwave oven has an increasing popularity among older adults Nagarajan Lovingood Beamish amp Parrott 1999 Microwave ovens can perform many tasks of cooktop and traditional ovens with the right power level and time In addition a microwave oven needs less space which could be a better solution for cooking in retirement community There is no important reason why the housewife of the future should not purchase completely frozen meals at the grocery store just as she buys quick frozen vegetable
24. help me everyday 63 Phase 2 microwave oven refrigerator cooktop Kitchen layout 64 PARTICIPANT 4 Participant 4 is a couple living in a one bedroom apartment They moved to the apartment six months ago They have a microwave oven but it was sitting in a shelf in the living room The wife has minor hearing issue and the husband has mobility issue HIGHLIGHTS Question How do you enjoy cooking What appliances do you use for cooking When you use the microwave oven what function do you mostly use Have you encountered any issue with using the microwave oven INVESTIGATE Answer used to really enjoy cooking But after my kids left home and we ve gotten older would really like to fix something quick and easy We eat a lot of frozen things But as far as microwave cooking would like to know how to do simple things quickly It just two of us so don t want to spend a lot of time cooking We use the oven the eyes on the stove and the microwave We don t cook whole meals in the microwave We warm pre package or leftovers Once again would like to be able to fix something nutritious quick and easy like a casserole There is a problem we don t use various powers You can use multiple powers like 50 but don t know how to do that Before we came here we had a microwave that built in over the stove It was more powerful than this one We
25. ities of older people Ageing Society 30 07 1239 1255 137 Phase 4 138 REFERENCES Slegers K van Boxtel M P J amp Jolles J 2009 The efficiency of using everyday technological devices by older adults The role of cognitive functions Ageing and Society 29 2 309 325 Tek Partner Remote 2013 from http www bigbuttonremotes com remotes tek partner htm U BEUoBdVYU White P J amp Devitt F 2011 The design and development of novel cooking and heating products for Irish older adults A real health need Design Principles and Practices 5 3 235 247 EVALUATE 139
26. le North Carolina USA Courtney K L D G M M 2008 Needing smart home technologies the perspectives of older adults in continuing care retirement communities Informatics in Primary Care 16 3 195 Cresci M K 2005 Older adults living in the community Issues in home safety Geriatric Nursing 26 5 282 286 doi 10 1016 j gerinurse 2005 08 003 Cress M E Orini S amp Kinsler L 2011 Living environment and mobility of older adults Gerontology 57 3 287 294 doi 10 1159 000322195 Daniel K M Cason C L amp Ferrell S 2009 Emerging Technologies to Enhance the Safety of Older People in Their Homes Geriatric Nursing 30 6 384 389 doi 10 1016 j gerinurse 2009 08 010 Fisk A D Rogers W A Charness N Czaja S J 8 Sharit J 2004 Designing for older adults principles and creative human factors approaches Arthur D Fisk W A Rogers N Charness S J Czaja and J Sharit Boca Raton FL CRC c2004 GrandCare Systems 2014 from https www grandcare com Heinz M Martin P Margrett J A Yearns M Franke W Yang H l Chang C K 2013 Perceptions of Technology among Older Adults JOURNAL OF GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING 39 1 42 51 Kondo T Mann W C Tomita M amp Ottenbacher K J 1997 The Use of Microwave Ovens by Elderly Persons with Disabilities American Journal of Occupational Therapy 51 9 739 747 EVALUATE Lewis T Langdo
27. monitoring using sensors to report daily activities to Grandcare caregivers and family member can access the record by logging into the online portal or even receive phone calls text emails under certain circumstances Digital home health Grandcare can record and store data from other wireless health devices such as a weight and blood pressure Medication management Reminds user to take medications by showing the picture of medicine with instructions on the screen Multi media socialization user can use Grandcare to view photos watch videos listen to music and chat with family Grandcare Systems 2014 101 BE Main Menu EENI o ry tur IX 1 PS IB Messages p Games siae show Calendar I pzz Music Programs Bio Medication e Websites EAS 9 Grandcare system 81 Phase 2 82 Tek Partner This remote is designed for older adults It has extra large buttons with big text on them It has a backlit feature which enables older adults to see the text when it is dark It can control TV cable satellite DVD and VCR Users can easily change between different mode with the large buttons It has a curved design on the back so it can sit on the arm of a chair or sofa safely Besides the narrowed center is designed ergonomically for holding and handling The size is big enough so it hardly can be lost among furniture Bay Products 2014
28. n P M amp Clarkson P J 2009 Prior experience of domestic microwave cooker interfaces A user study Fr here Erfahrung mit Mikrowellenherd Bedienelementen Eine Benutzerstudie pp 95 Springer Lyon P Mattsson Sydner Y Fjellstr m C Janhonen Abruquah H Schr der M 8 Colquhoun A 2011 Continuity in the kitchen how younger and older women compare in their food practices and use of cooking skills International Journal of Consumer Studies 35 5 529 537 Malinowsky C Almkvist O Nygard L amp Kottorp A 2012 Individual variability and environmental characteristics influence older adults abilities to manage everyday technology INTERNATIONAL PSYCHOGERIATRICS 24 3 484 495 MedMinder 2014 from http www medminder com Microwave oven 2014 from http en wikipedia org wiki Microwave_oven Microwave oven buying guide 2014 http www consumerreports org cro microwave ovens buying guide htm Nagarajan A Lovingood M S R P Beamish J O amp Parrott K R 1999 Adoption of Microwave Ovens Among a Sample of Older Adults in Blacksburg Virginia Remich Jr N C 2000 Microwave Oven Smarts Appliance Manufacturer 48 3 65 Retirement community 2014 from http en wikipedia org wiki Retirement_ community Seidel D Richardson K Crilly N Matthews F E Clarkson P J amp Brayne C 2010 Design for independent living activity demands and capabil
29. nance Seidel et al 2010 Research shows that a loss of function in activities of daily living is less likely to be recovered by older adults So the longer they can keep up with the activities of daily living the less support they would need for living independently There are ways to help them live independently INCREASING MOBILITY Assistive technology and devices such as walkers scooters and household modifications such as grab bars bath seats or ramps give older adults necessary support for get around their home SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS Trained caregivers can help improve the quality of life for older adults For example a caregiver can be trained for managing illness related skills cognitive strategies etc IMPROVING MENTAL FUNCTION Research shows that mental exercises can improve cognitive abilities These training could be memory concentration and problem solving skills to improve speed of processing and reasoning CONNECTING WITH OTHERS Socializing and communicating with others helps older adults reduce depression and realize self value as well as keep the mind in a healthy and active state First appearing in the 1950s retirement communities embrace most of the features that enable older adults to live independently and have increasingly become a choice for older adults aging in place Wikipedia 2014 27 RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES Retirement communities sometimes also called independent living comm
30. not escape from the compartment A consideration of component arrangement for the final concept of this project is to place the components on top or below the cooking compartment This way there won t be any increase in the diameter of the microwave oven However depending on how the circuitry is designed the overall height of the final concept could be different Design a microwave oven as a whole is very complex in regards to the arrangement and connection of internal components However the intention of the project is to generate a concept for future microwave oven design especially for older adults and small living space This is not focused on technical aspects or actual manufacturing of the design outcome nor could the design be solely accomplished by knowledge of industrial design Therefore further discussions are needed with other disciplines for actual production EVALUATE A Diagram of Internal Components of a Microwave Oven Diagram by businessinsider co id 133 Phase 4 134 CONCLUSION The overall reaction to the product was good Participants liked the look of the product and expressed desire to buy one as well as recommend it to friends Furthermore they liked the way it operated sliding door opening unique way for cook time setting and removable tray serving as a coaster There are two scores calculated to measure the overall acceptance and difficulty of performing basic tasks Score of Overall Ac
31. nto corners which reduces the permanent occupied space With a flat surface for interface placement it is more accessible from a wider angle The interface is simplified Without an overwhelming number pad and shortcut functions the interface consists of five buttons Repeatedly pressing one button to add 1 min or 15 seconds makes the whole interaction process intuitive and memorable An LED light strap around the start button works as a visual clue to guide the user DESIGN Final concept rendering 13 Phase 3 14 DESIGN 4 Sliding Door ur There is no more hinge door swinging out in front of the microwave oven A nicely designed sliding door follows the curve of the body and frees the space for other use purposes It closes and prevents microwave leakage as a normal door but when it s open it hides itself in the body of the microwave oven without getting in the way Final concept feature 1 115 Phase 3 Final concept feature 2 116 DESIGN IO Fitting into corners The circle fits better in corners In addition the cylinder shape of body follows better the shape of turntable and saves a lot space internally 17 Phase 3 Eum a erm 88 Final concept feature 5 118 DESIGN O Removable Tray As an add on feature the tray serves as a coaster for hot plates Also different colors are provided just to change the taste of color combination based on personal
32. o the task in another way Then the participants were asked for their opinions about the appearance satisfaction willingness of purchase and recommendation for the product Then participants were asked if they had other comments related to the product and their experience during the testing EVALUATE 12naoud LNOGV LSV31 LSOW JAHL A3HL LVHM LNVdIDLLAVd ASV amp AILN3WU34HIA LI ONIOG Y343Ud NOA Od MOH Asva M sva Tvalnan M anaa M auan ASVL AHL Wiuodiaid OL ALIN9I4410 YO ASW JO 1 1 31Vti NOA AINOM MOH JAVMOYOINN JHL dOLS ONIMOTIO3 Od 35V31d NOA NVI FONILVY YNOA NIVIdX3 A13Y11 AU3A SE M AUN M ATAANINN AHSA M sanalda OL LONGOUd SIHL Wo238 NOA AINOM MOH ONILLVA YNOA NIVIdX3 aaan AMSA ATA vanan aaan 8 ABBA LINAOYd SIHL ANA OL ONITIIM NOA MOH ONILVA YNOA NIVIdX3 313511 5 AMSA M 314511 5 M TWULNAN M 14511 551 M 914511 51 AH3A amp Lonaoud SIHL 38V Qaldsl1VS MOH TIVAZJAO ONILV8 800A NIVIdX3 aaa aooo TvaLnan M ava avg AHL AO 4001 ILV NOA AINOM MOH CXMUN3 IG LI ONIOG Y4343Yd MOH Asva AMSA ASV3 Tvalnan M roni M IIMDIAJIO auan M ASYL IHL WHOdH3d OL ALnOl33IG HO ISV AO 1A1 AHL 31V NOA GINOM MOH OZ OL Y3IMOd 13S DNIMOTIOS 3SV31d NOA NVI C
33. of the project is to not only understand older adult s current usability factors of microwave ovens but also develop an improved microwave oven design for older adults This project will discuss research results including surveys space assessment market reviews and usability testing of microwave ovens as well as the process for designing microwave ovens for older adults living in retirement communities The significance of this project is to design products that are better suited for older adults needs in relationship of adoption and usability of everyday technologies TABLE CONTENTS Project Background Phase1 See Demographic trends Independent living Story of microwave ovens Current product research Phase 2 Investigate Interview with residents Design for older adults Phase 3 Design Concept exploration Concept development Phase 4 Evaluate References 16 24 32 40 46 54 74 86 90 196 122 136 OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION The microwave oven one of the major modern kitchen appliances can be used to perform many cooking and food preparation related tasks with greater efficiency and convenience than a traditional cooktop and oven Today microwave ovens have been highly adopted by older adults Some of them have been using microwave ovens for over 40 years However the situation is changing Microwave ovens have been developed with more advanced functions which adds to their complexity in use
34. of the shape is that it is hard to keep the interface on a flat surface which would affect the overall perceptibility of the interface CIRCLE ELLIPSE The circle ellipse shape has the same features as the circle shape but better addresses the interface issue However it increases overall volume more than the pure circle shape DESIGN I turntable microwave oven body Current form Square Square Circle Circle Circle Ellipse Cross section views of microwave oven concepts 107 Phase 3 FORM COMPARISON A table was established for the purpose of attribute comparison in order to generate more intuitive information for form selection Each attribute was converted to scores to better reflect the advantages and disadvantages between each form for easy calculating overall fitting for this particular project CURRENT SQUARE P T SPACE 1 2 ANALYSIS SPACE UTILIZATION 1 2 INTERNAL INTERFACE 2 3 PERCEPTIBILITY HEIGHT 2 1 108 DESIGN For interface perceptibility comparison only the location and its surface were taken into consideration ruling out other factors such as interface design Height as a simple affecting factor was not analyzed in the previous research but definitely is a factor for space analysis should be taken into consideration at this time for overall fitting calculation Table of attributes comparison SQUARE CIRCLE CIRCLE CIRCLE ELLIPSE 9 1 10 109 Phase 3 INITIAL CON
35. ot hold things for long time He likes to stay at his apartment spending time on books TV and computer He has a lot of friends around the world sometimes he writes email to them OO OO HIGHLIGHTS Question How many meals do you have everyday What do you use microwave oven for What are the things do you usually warm in the microwave oven Have you encounter any problem with using microwave oven Do you think microwave improves anything INVESTIGATE Answer Two breakfast perhaps For lunch have meals delivered either from hospital next door or order things in from restaurants microwave in the morning or afternoon more to heat things than to cook do steam vegetables but don t cook much of anything in it But wouldn t want to do without one microwave They are excellent for warming things warm up soups canned soups pour it over the mug and put in the microwave then boom in 60 seconds it s hot and ready Years ago probably two or three microwaves ago decided that I was going to scramble an egg in the microwave That was a mistake It s a matter of time It takes 60 seconds to heat up a can of soup in the microwave If put it in the sauce pan have then to wash the sauce pan and it doesn t heat any more quicker takes about 3 or 4 minutes on top of the stove and I get another vessel or utensil to keep clean don t have somebody to
36. ps inspiration using qualitative research and market research methods to generate innovative design solutions for the current problem The Design phase generates design concepts to address user needs and expectations After several iterations a final design concept will be selected to proceed to appearance modeling and testing Lastly the Evaluate phase validates design decisions and evaluates the final design through a series of usability tests to make possible changes and improvements afterwards OVERVIEW Investigate SIDE framework SEE Y J pir pr KITCHEN IN RETIREMENT COMMUNITY jan COMPUTER ROOM IN RETIREMENT COMMUNITY Phase 1 14 SEE GOAL OF PHASE 1 The goal of this phase is to provide a comprehensive background for this project by uncovering data on the history of microwave ovens population trends the state of older adults independent living and retirement communities In 2011 the oldest baby boomers Americans born between 1946 and 1964 will start to turn 65 Today 40 million people in the United States are ages 65 and older but this number is projected to more than double to 89 million by 2050 America s Aging Population 2011 ELDERLY POPULATION GROWTH i id i The world population passed the 7 billion mark in 2011 In mid 2012 it grew to 7 06 billion Developing countries accounted for 97 of this growth How
37. rainstorming the following forms were explored circle half circle fan shape and hexagon After comparison the fan shape was eliminated since it was too specific for fitting into a corner and was less useful in a situation when no corners involved The hexagon also was eliminated since it was similar to the half circle but with more constraints on arrangement DESIGN Sketch of initial concepts 101 Phase 3 102 FORM EXPLORATION The circle shape was further explored There were two different considerations for the location of the interface on top and on the side surface Furthermore a new organic form was considered It accommodates a turntable to some extent but the overall form does not match the design criteria established in the previous phase Thus this concept was eliminated In addition the way in which the door operates was considered It is possible for a circle shape to have a sliding door which could be very beneficial for space saving Another thought was to change the direction the door opens from left to right hinge door to bottom to top By doing this the door has less interference with other objects on the countertop However it may block the sight of the user Therefore this consideration was eliminated DESIGN Sketch of initial concepts L T ntturle 7 m 103 Phase 3 104 FORM EXPLORATION Further exploration was made on the half circle shape One concept
38. rns may reduce the availability of family caregivers In the US nearly half of women born during the baby boom will divorce by age 65 The situation for men is similar This means that more people will reach 65 without having a spouse to rely on for care as they age In addition to high levels of divorce later marriage and non marital births in young adults make this situation worse There has been an increase in both single parent families and blended families in the US It is hard to say whether children will be willing to care for their multiple parents when they are elderly Diagrams from America s Aging Population by Population Reference Bureau Less than 13 13 to 15 16 to 19 U 20 te Percent of Population Ages 65 and Over by County 2009 gt Phase 1 22 A higher number of people aged 65 and over lower birth rate in developed and developing countries high divorce rate and growing complexity in family structure all reveal a pressing problem in the near future caring for elderly people Although most older adults would prefer to age at home as long as possible care given as a family unit will be harder in the next couple of years Without effective mental and physical care it could be dangerous and unhealthy for older adults to live by themselves Therefore alternative solutions need to be considered to address the problem One solution is to have an outside caregiver to support old
39. s With a quick heating high frequency unit in her kitchen food preparation from a pre cooked frozen meal becomes a simple matter C Guy Suits 1947 Phase 1 34 Dr Percy Spencer finds the chocolate bar in his pocket and realizes that microwaves cook food fast HISTORY Microwave ovens have appeared in many people s kitchens since the 1990s But the very first one was invented in 1947 In 1946 an incident made the discovery of the power of microwave when Percy Spencer the American engineer was working on a live radar set and found a melted chocolate bar in his pocket However domestic counter top microwave ovens were not made available for consumers until 1967 They were sold by a company called Amana and priced at 495 Finally Litton made the short wide shape of microwave ovens that we see today Ever since then with the evolution of technology microwave ovens have made their way to many people s kitchens By 1997 9 out of 10 American households had a microwave oven as reported by U S Bureau of Labor Statistics Today most microwave ovens are the same type of shape wide and short but differentiate in many sizes colors capacities power outputs installation types etc Wikipedia 2014 The first commercial microwave oven were 5 1 2 tall and The first microwave oven for 700 pounds had home use were in a cabinet the Sold by Amana this model used to be connected to size of a refrigerator priced
40. s can be described as following INTERACTION INTERFACE Remove power setting button since they rarely use that function some of them were not even familiar with it Instead add a 4 minute incremental button By doing this the microwave oven provides a more flexible and effortless way for time adjustment especially for setting a longer cooking time Furthermore most of the participants use cooking time under 15 minutes With a 4 minute button the maximum time that user needs to press on a single button is limited equal to 3 times which reduces the effort on counting press times In addition a pause option could be removed since most of them would open the microwave oven to stop the microwave oven working which makes pause a useless function APPEARANCE Provide normal color choices such as black and white and possibly explore material combinations for the body In addition use a different color to differentiate buttons based on their functions Thus the user would not need to read the label but can use colors to know the function of the button 135 Phase 4 136 REFERENCES Christensen K Doblhammer G Rau R 8 Vaupel J W 2009 Ageing populations the challenges ahead Lancet 374 9696 1196 1208 Claudia B R amp Brian J 2013 Sympathetic devices designing technologies for older adults Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 31st ACM international conference on Design of communication Greenvil
41. t Size and space for approach and use These principles can be helpful to some extent when it comes to the idea of design for all yet older adults often are not people with disabilities they are only people with declined abilities INVESTIGATE DESIGNING FOR OLDER ADULTS Keeping universal design principles in mind when design for older adults we have to understand their special characteristics Older adults are different than younger generations in many aspects In the book of Designing for Older Adults the characteristics are divided into three categories sensation and perception cognition and movement control Sensation and Perception Taste smell touch vision and auditory all show declines when people age Changes in haptics increase the chances of falling While changes in vision also cause slower adaptation to dark visual processing speed decreasing breadth of visual field and perceptual flexibility Cognition Memory and attention decline in some aspects Memory shows declines in holding manipulating information slower access to information less chance in remembering what to do in the future and how to do something Declines in attention cause slower speed in searching things and lower performance in coordinating multiple tasks Movement Control Older adults need more time to respond than younger adults and are usually less accurate and precise The essential goal of designing a product is to make it use
42. t laugh It would be helpful if it had a red dot on start button or it s color coding somehow so if you visually impaired you can actually see what to do 67 Phase 2 microwave oven BW refrigerator cooktop Kitchen layout 68 PARTICIPANT 6 Participant 6 lives in a one bedroom apartment She is a wheelchair user She has 13 children She is attending a online course Her kids visit her sometimes and bought her a lot of things Her microwave is located in the living room rather in the kitchen because there s not enough room in the kitchen and it s easier for her to access on a wheelchair in the living room HIGHLIGHTS Question How often do you eat at home How do you enjoy cooking Do you often cook with fresh ingredient or frozen pre packaged food What are the reasons for you to use the microwave oven How many minutes do you usually set INVESTIGATE Answer eat at home all the time love to cook I have 13 children still want to cook And I hate to waste food So freeze the leftovers and when go back can put it in the microwave and warm it up I went to hospital in July so had to have fresh vegetables and stuff can t have much sodium in my food because my blood pressure went up high Sometimes I buy packaged food like frozen dinners ones said low sodium also get meals on wheels And warm that up in there in the microwave sa
43. th the efficiency of the microwave oven which can heat up their leftovers or pre packaged food in seconds or minutes However they are not familiar with most of the pre set functions and only use very limited functions such as time cooking The purposes of using a microwave oven are mainly for warming heating and defrosting Some might use it to bake potatoes or steam vegetables Presets are typically made for certain kinds of food which are usually limited to about 6 8 kinds However the participants expressed that they rarely use those presets Furthermore these presets may also be potential safety issues Participant 5 brought up that he once hit a button he had no idea what it was then the microwave oven was broken Furthermore more buttons means a higher chance of malfunction such as one of the number buttons doesn t work 73 Novelty has charms that our minds can hardly withstand William Makepeace Thackeray Phase 2 76 UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES The aim of the universal design principles is to produce products and environments that are inherently accessible to older adults and people with or without disabilities Curb cuts sidewalk ramps and door handles instead of door knobs are examples of universal design A universal design should follow the following principles e Equitable use e Flexible in use e Simple and intuitive e Perceptible information e Tolerance for error Low physical effor
44. unities are housing specifically marketed to people ages 55 and over There are approximately 640 000 residents living in over 2 000 retirement communities around the US Retirement communities are becoming more and more popular as the number of older adults in such retirement communities has more than doubled in the past 10 years These retirement communities enable older adults to live independently in a safer and more active environment With 24 hour staff responding to emergencies and housekeeping services older adults can live in their own apartments but still receive help when needed Residents can maintain an individual independent lifestyle but if they want to look for more there are always amenities and activities offered by the community Retirement communities are usually managed by a private firm which provides hospitality services such as dining housekeeping wellness programs and cultural activities Some even have other facilities such as restaurants and salons DD a 4 um M Arria yon nh 53 ays in TUN Pbi tps Er at 4 a is Md gt i o Pe s v a 4 am gt gt v c 13 N Phase 1 30 A retirement community home is much like an apartment or condo They come in a variety of floor plans studio one bedroom or two bedroom or larger Most retirement community homes provide major appliances in the kitchen such as a refri
45. vens using a rectangular tray that slides from side to side to perform the same functionality COC A sensor measures emitted steam to determine en food t is Gene This helps prevent under or over cooking SHORTCUT There are auto settings for certain kinds of food such as popcorn baked potato and pizza as well as for certain functions such as reheating and defrosting By pressing the appropriate button there is no need to worry about cooking time and power level ECONDS KEY This extends the preset cooking time by pressing once or multiple times Some have an add 1 minute key INVESTIGATE AS SERTO XTRAILIGHT OLVEOR SHARP Phase 2 52 INVESTIGATE GOAL OF PHASE 2 The goal of this phase is to get inspiration using qualitative research methods and to generate innovative design solutions to the current problem Qualitative research helps develop deep empathy for people that are being designed for understanding their issues needs and expectations through questions and observation 53 don t build a house without predicting the end of the present social order Every building is a missionary It s their duty to understand to appreciate and conform insofar as possible to the idea of the house Frank Lloyd Wright 1938 Phase 2 56 INTERVIEWS Recruited from a local retirement community a total of
46. ving the microwave oven out of kitchen and placing it on a shelf for more space in the kitchen However these are alternative ways to solve the problem and are not effective sometimes they may cause more problems for space usage To find an effective way changing the microwave oven itself could be a better solution to the problem Two factors effecting space usage for microwave ovens are 1 the space taken by the body of microwave oven 2 the space not taken by microwave oven but is not available for other use because of the microwave oven The first factor means the solid space that is taken by the microwave oven This space is inevitable To reduce such space usage shrinking the size of microwave oven is needed The second factor can be divided into two circumstances permanent and temporary occupied space Permanent occupied space means the fixed area is occupied by microwave oven that cannot be used for other purposes such as the corner of counter top behind the microwave oven Temporary occupied space means the area that is available for other purposes but unavailable when the microwave oven is in use such as opening microwave oven s door resulting in a fan shape area in front of it that needs be empty as shown in the graphic on next page DESIGN BE microwave oven E refrigerator cooktop Layouts of kitchens and major appliances arrangement 93 Phase 3 Therefore three methods could be considered to r
47. y for the speed the time You can do so many things instantly If want something really fast will go to microwave 2 3 minutes But if make baked potatoes I ll use 100 minutes bigger one for 15 mins and it s well done 69 Phase 2 FEATURE COMPARISON During the interviews the details of the microwave ovens that the participants currently used were compared The following is a table of comparison among some key features including price POWER RATE KEYPAD vs DIAL PARTICIPANT 2 600W Dial Only for time setting PARTICIPANT 3 1200W Keypad PARTICIPANT 4 900W Keypad PARTICIPANT 5 800W Keypad PARTICIPANT 6 1200W Keypad 70 INVESTIGATE Table of feature comparision PRICE SENSOR COOKING SHORTCUT KEYS 71 Phase 2 72 CONCLUSION 1 Users need a more space saving microwave oven Participants 2 5 use counter top microwave ovens Clearly this body type fits such apartments and is more economic Many current models don t fit in such a small kitchen space in retirement communities The counter space is so limited and filled with all kinds of tools utensils and supplies Participant 5 expressed the desire to have a microwave oven to fit in the corner so he could save more room on the counter for other use and storage Participants 4 and 6 had to move their microwave ovens to the living room INVESTIGATE CONCLUSION 2 Users get confused when using microwave ovens They are very happy wi
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