Case Study: Good Grips and Inclusive Design

Essential Idea:

Designing for extreme users can result in a more inclusive design for all users.

Introduction

OXO Good Grips are an award-winning line of kitchen tools renowned for their attention to detail and focus on inclusive design. The innovative approach OXO took with its Good Grips line changed the way the product category and consumers thought about the design of kitchenwares. Prior to the OXOs innovation, most kitchenwares (vegetable peelers, graters, etc.,) were cheaply made and did not consider ergonomics to a great degree.

The first product in the line was the OXO Good Grips Vegetable Peeler.

Evolution of the peeler

1) Traditional stainless steel vegetable peeler

Inspiration came from a friend of the designer whose wife was struggling to peel vegetables with a traditional peeler. She suffered from Arthritis in her hands and found holding and using the peeler difficult and painful.

2) Examples of handles developed for user research

Much of the research focused on the shape and material of the handle.

3) The Oxo Good Grips Vegetable Peeler

Several years of research later and Smart Design unveiled the OXO Good Grips Vegetable Peeler. The design was revolutionary in that it had a black rubber handle with "fins" for the thumb - this was at a time when most designs were metal.

Inclusive Design

The concept of Inclusive Design became a driving force in the development of the Good Grips product line. By focusing on people with arthritis, OXO was able to develop innovative products that benefit all users. One of the guiding principles of Inclusive design is that the product or service allows for equitable use by all users, regardless of their ability.

Recognizing that OXO's designs were benefiting sufferers of arthritis, the American Arthritis Foundation gave special recognition to the line of products. At first, OXO used this endorsement in advertising and packaging. However, OXO later removed this endorsement as they realized that it stigmatized the product - instead of highlighting that the OXO Good Grips could be used by anyone, they had inadvertently emphasized that it was for arthritis sufferers. This made the design less inclusive as non-arthritis sufferers believed the product was not for them.

stigmatize, verb: to distinguish one group of people from another group in a negative or disrespectful way

"They want products that look and feel good, and crucially, that don’t make them feel labelled as disabled or different."

Helen Hurman, Arthritis Research UK

Source: Design Council

Inclusive Design Principle #1: Equitable Use

The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

Guidelines:

1a. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.

1b. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.

1c. Provisions for privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to all users.

1d. Make the design appealing to all users.

See all the 7 principles on the Center for Excellence in Universal Design website

Physical Prototyping and User Research

The Smart Design team did extensive user-centered research to learn about the needs. The team worked with people who had the types of disabilities they were interested in addressing. Through using User Research strategies such as interviews and observation, the team learnt about the needs of the users. One important finding was that handles need to accommodate different types of actions such as pulling, pushing, or brushing, This required handles that were typically larger than existing products in the market, but also made of a more suitable material for gripping.

The team made dozens of prototypes and tested them with users and experts to gain feedback about the performance, comfort, and usability of the design.

The unique shape of the final design affords gripping. the fins communicate to the user where the thumb should go. The placement of the fins allows the design to be held in either hand, and in several positions.

source: Fastcompany

Marketing the OXO Vegetable Peeler

By designing for the extreme users with special needs, Smart Design was able to develop a product that worked for all users.

In discussing this impact, Smart Design's founder Davin Stowell recalled:

"People would buy the products, then they would come back and get them for friends. We’d get very heartwarming letters with stories. The satisfaction they had was like a lightbulb went off and they could do something. That’s probably what kept driving Sam: The product itself really is never that important. What someone can accomplish, that’s important. It’s how it makes them feel."

source: Fast Company

By placing inclusive design at the center of it's approach to design and user research, OXO has continued to develop innovative solutions that appeal to a broad market.

Marketing the OXO Good Grips required a rethink of how to present the product to consumers. First, the black rubber handle was unique among kitchen utensils - consumers were unfamiliar with it. The original packaging presented the product hanging off the card, so that consumers could touch and understand it better. If it had been not been possible to touch it, consumers may have been reluctant to take a risk and purchase it. Likewise at tradeshows, the products were putout on tables with vegetables that interested attendees could peel - this was a way to experience the benefits of the design firsthand.

OXO Salad spinner

Inspired by a child's toy, the spinner uses minimal energy to spin salad dry.

OXO Salad Tongs

Incorporates a special lock that allows the tongs to fold flat when stored.

OXO POP containers

using a similar mechanism as the Salad Spinner, the containers are easy to open, yet maintain an airtight seal.

OXO Angled Measuring Container

The angled measurements allow the user to measure ingredients without having to pick up the container to look at the side.

Questions and Reflection

1. Identify the driver for innovation for the OXO Good Grips Vegetable Peeler.

2. Outline the types of ergonomic data that might have been gathered to develop the Good Grips peeler.

3. Describe the method of "designing for extremes," and outline why this might benefit designers and consumers.

4. Outline the role physical prototyping played in the development o the vegetable peeler.

5. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes.

6. Describe three user research strategies that Smart Design might have used to develop the vegetable peeler.

7. Outline the benefits of user research to developing a product.

8. Explain three principles of inclusive design and how they impact the development of a product or service.

9. List the marketing considerations that the designers took into account when introducing the peeler to the market.

10 .Outline why OXO chose to remove the endorsement from the American Arthritis Foundation on its kitchen utensil products.

Analyzing for Innovation

The OXO story highlights how applying principles of inclusive design can result in a product or service that is better for all users, not just those with special needs.

Design challenge:

How might we improve an existing product by applying inclusive design principles?

Resources

The untold story of the vegetable peeler that changed the world, Fast Company
Why designing for arthritis makes commercial sense, Design Council.
Getting a Grip: A longtime partnership that changed kitchens everywhere. Smart Design
7 Principles for Inclusive Design, National Disability Authority Center for Excellence in Universal Design
Profiles in Excellence, SMG Disability Marketing; Profiles of many companies and projects that apply inclusive design principles.