She aged 50 years overnight to prove a point. 👵🔨 We investigate the radical experiment of Patricia Moore, the industrial designer who spent three years (1979-1982) disguised as an 80-year-old woman to expose how the world is designed to exclude the elderly. We break down how her "empathy machine" changed everything from potato peelers to city buses.
1. The Transformation: We analyze the method. Moore didn't just wear a wig; she wore uneven shoes to simulate a bad hip, bandaged her fingers to mimic arthritis, and put baby oil in her eyes to simulate cataracts. We discuss the physical and psychological toll of being "invisible" and abused in public, proving that bad design isn't just annoying—it's a form of social exclusion .
2. The Design Revolution: What did she fix? We explore the direct impact of her experiment. Her work led to the creation of OXO Good Grips kitchen tools (designed for arthritic hands) and influenced the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We explain how "Universal Design" proved that designing for the "edges" (the disabled/elderly) actually makes products better for everyone .
3. The "Empathy Deficit": We ask the hard question for today. In an era of AI and algorithms, have we lost touch with physical human needs? Moore argues that true innovation requires "Radical Empathy"—literally feeling the pain of the user—something a data set can never do. We discuss whether Silicon Valley's "move fast" culture is repeating the exclusionary mistakes of the past .
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