Determination of the usability of hot beverage preparation devices in the context of elderly users and determination of design improvement recommendations

There is a growing interest onto the studies towards raising the quality of elderly people's life. The main reason for this interest is the prolongation of the human life and accordingly the increasement of the elderly population in Turkey and the world rapidly. It is expected that this increase will continue in the coming years due to improvements in the healthcare facilities and economical situations. The periods of human life are infancy, childhood, youth, maturity and old age. Elderly individuals expose to biological, psychological and social changes. Along with those changes, the needs of elderly people become different. Scientific studies to understand these different needs are necessary for increasing the elderly individuals' life quality. As the age-related biological, psychological and social changes occur, the life quality of the elderly individuals decreases. Focusing on solving health problems that arise due to low quality of life in elderly individuals should not be a top priority. Instead, priority should be given to studies aiming at preventing the formation of health problems, increasing the quality of life of elderly individuals, and maintaining their healthy life. Individuals' living space greatly influences the quality of life. It is necessary to make arrangements to make the living spaces of elderly people safer and more comfortable and to live without dependence on anybody. As a result of research, it is shown that elderly individuals are likely to live in their own homes, where they are familiar. For this reason, making the homes of the elderly suitable for them is the most appropriate choice of housing. Living at their own homes requires that elderly people also be able to do some daily activities on their own. Preparing food and beverage is one of these activities. Providing preparing food and beverage for the elderly on their own will make their life easier without being dependent on anyone in their own homes. However, household appliances used during food and beverage preparation are designed without taking into account the loss of power in old age. This study was carried out on household appliances which elderly people frequently use in kitchens to keep their lives in a comfortable manner despite the constraints of the comprehension and visual perception. During the study, a survey was conducted with 15 people over 65 years of age followed by observations with 65-74 years 15 users. As a result of this study, design recommendations to be used in increasing the usability of household appliances have been revealed. The design recommendations determined at the end of the studies will make it easier and quicker for designers and engineers to increase usability in hot drink preparation devices'design and development phases.