The Productologist

[Business 2.0 Homage #2]

In previous posts, I have discussed the usage of Personas as a tool for insuring that your product meets the needs of the prototypical user(s) in the context of other challenges. Look for a posting on that specific topic soon, but for now, I’ve got another example of how important it is to truly understand who the primary and secondary users of the product is.

In one of the last issues of Business 2.0, there was an article about technology centered around the needs of older users. In the media, they have all sorts of labels: Boomers, Seniors, Matures, Elderly, Young-old, Silver Economy), but according to U.S. Census projections, are the only age group that is growing relative to the overall growth of the US population. Other major age groups are either flat or declining.

It used to be the technology products aimed at older users were primarily for the technophobe; things like WebTV, AOL, internet appliances and other gadgets meant to shield users from the harsh reality of technology. Recently, however, there seems to be a sea-change in the focus of products for the older generation. The older demographic is definitely being tracked for trends.

More people who are comfortable with technology are moving into older age groups and they want products that allow them to continue using technology, despite the challenges that come with aging, such as decreased vision and dexterity.

The original article discusses how an elderly user of a cell phone never kept it on because both the screen and the keys were too small for her to use. Essentially what she had was a device that had the functions she required, but that was not usable because of her physical limitations. The interesting thing about this is that her limitations are not really that unique, even outside of the matures demographic. For most knowledge workers, a significant portion of our time is spent staring at computer monitors (CRTs, desktop LCDs and laptop LCDs) or at tiny screens on our mobile devices.

I’m squarely situated in the middle of the age range for males in the U.S., but already I find myself squinting at my computer screen or my phone. I do little eye exercises that my Optometrist recommended to help my eyes stay young and fit. I have a colleague who is a little closer to the upper end of the spectrum than I am, (but not by much) and in meetings where text is displayed in a conference room with a projector, he regularly requests that the presenter increase the font size so that he can read what is on the screen.

Product Managers, especially those responsible for consumer products, need to consider how their product functions as the user changes over time. Maybe it’s not a factor for your product, but should it be? Thanks to advances in medical technology, we are all living longer and doing things that only 10-15 years ago would have been folly. Corrective laser eye surgery is giving people better vision, but not necessarily permanently. Joint replacement, which used to be just for mobility, is now keeping the recipients of new hips, knees and shoulders not just able to get around, but the ability to keep playing golf or tennis or running.

Does your product have a persona for the Silver Economy? Think about whether your product needs one or if there is an opportunity to make a new product that could leverage such a persona. Your target buyer may not be in that age group, but will they end up there?

Tags: age group, boomers, Business 2.0, census, consumer, demographic, Personas, seniors, silver economy, technophobe

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 11:31 am PT and is filed under Customers, Design, Personas.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.