Designing for differences

We all come in slightly different packages. And our world needs to be designed to support the inevitability of those differences.

Some differences between people are more obvious and others subtler.  It’s clear when some of us are taller or weigh more, but there are all sorts of additional “invisible” differences to consider when you’re designing a space where you want all the people in a space to feel welcome and like they’re living the lives they have planned. In our first article we will look at something which, surprisingly, some people totally forget about, especially if you are all very similar in your home in terms of just that, shapes and sizes, of if you normally live on your own. It’s also quite a difficult one to talk about, but as we also have been different shapes and sizes, here are a few thoughts that we’ve taken from various research findings too, and we hope you find them useful to think about.

It seems easy to brush off how differences in height influence experiences.  Sure, some people are taller and some people are shorter—but can’t they all sit on the same sofa or at the same desk with adjustable chair.

Sadly, no.

When people are much shorter than average, furniture can make them seem even smaller, like children.  When people fit onto the furniture like children they get treated like kids and that makes even the most even-tempered of us grumpy.  Unfortunately, grumpiness is one of the most contagious conditions in our society.

When you buy seats of any sort that will be used by people who live in your home or will visit it, make sure that furniture will not leave adult feet dangling off the floor.  If seat pans are too deep, some people’s knees won’t bend at the front edge of the chair.  That leaves their legs sticking out straight in a way that’s reminiscent of a 3 year old spending time with the grown ups during a visit to Great Aunt Beatrice’s home.  These misalignments don’t just afflict the shortest adults, people just over 5 feet tall regularly find that they have dangling feet.

Taller people can feel uncomfortable when seat pans are unusually narrow, an effect like perching on the edge of a surface can ensue.  Also, tall knees regularly “find” things such as supports under dining tables that others are unaware of.

Carefully consider “knee situations” whenever you’re designing.

And on a related/unrelated point:  People of different heights have good views of different surfaces.  Taller guests may be able to tell you things about the top of your refrigerator, and its cleanliness, for example, that you are unaware of.

Just as some people are taller than others, some of us weigh more or less than others.  An adult at the low end of the weight scale has few concerns with designed experiences—and may reap some special bonuses.  For example, with all that thinness may come extra flexibility that gives them the power to get out of those hard-to-get out of chairs or to rise gracefully from cushions on the floor, for instance.

People who weigh more than spec weight know this and they feel nervous whenever they survey the seating options in their living room.  They would like to feel comfortable when they spend time with you but they even more desperately want to make sure that they’re not embarrassed while they do so.  Just as the very thin often have near miraculous bendability and ability to get our of any seat, heavier people often have less flexibility than average and can find themselves floundering as they attempt to get up.  Seats may also, literally, not be as wide as their ample bottoms.

Even worse, heavier sorts worry that the seat they need to select will not hold their weight.  Breaking furniture can put an end to even the most stalwart of friendships and definitely is fertile fodder for gossip.  Your on-the-heavier-side guests will feel much, much more comfortable during a visit if they can immediately spot a sturdy seat or two.  A couple of weight-tolerant seats are best, that way if a “light weight” has found their way onto one another remains for the not-so-light.

Anyone visiting your home might be mobility-impaired, temporarily or permanently, and their visit to your home will be significantly compromised by rugs that slip out from under their feet or tippy tables that they lean on while they chart their course through your house.  You get the idea, unexpected in-home trips always end badly for someone.