B&Q’s partnership with White resulted in the development of a new range of power tools specifically designed to meet the needs of older users.
Four products emerged from the in-depth user research project as being possible candidates for re-design. Although popular with many customers, the cordless drill, cordless screwdriver, palm-sized sander and reciprocating jigsaw were found to be either to heavy, too uncomfortable or simply too difficult to be used by older people or those with limited dexterity.
Matthew White used his research results to develop four new concepts:
- a cordless screwdriver that fits easily in the hand and is automatically activated as soon as the screw bit is pushed into the screw
- a lightweight cordless drill where the heavy battery pack is carried round the waist
- a reciprocating jigsaw with completely redesigned handle and battery case
- and a palm-sized sander which fits the palm of the hand, and features a secure hand strap to eliminate the need for a firm grip.
‘Lots of power tools have the problem that their design filters down from professional, manual tools, rather than being specifically designed from scratch,’ says White. ‘There’s no reason for an electric screwdriver to be long and thin – it’s harder to use and requires an uncomfortable grip. So we changed it. I got the inspiration for the sander from a horse brush. The hand strap is a glaringly obvious addition to make something easier to use for people with reduced grip.’
The cordless screwdriver and the palm-sized sander were chosen to become part of B&Q’s new inclusive product range, at the end of his Helen Hamlyn research year in 2001, Matthew White was employed directly by B&Q as a design consultant.
He then used the next twelve months to refine the design concepts developed during the research programme and by the end of 2002 the first in a range of user-friendly power tools reached the market in time for Christmas.
The ‘Gofer’ cordless screwdriver and the ‘Sandbug’ sander were an immediate hit with customers. The products are not specifically labelled as having been designed for older people, since B&Q believes that easier to use products will benefit all its customers, regardless of age or dexterity.
Today, White and B&Q are still working together, bringing inclusive design to every area of B&Q’s product development programme.
It’s also helped White in his own development as a designer. ‘I have learnt a huge amount from working with B&Q about not being precious about design,’ he explains, ‘as well as about working with buyers, being robust enough to accept when they turn a product down, and about accepting that design is just business like everything else. This all helps to keep me focused on designing products that have mass-appeal, that manufacturers are prepared to make, and that companies like B&Q will want to sell.’
