Aruna Shekar

Ethnographic Research with the Elderly to Identify Packaging Concerns Aruna Shekar

It is thought that one of the best ways to gain information for the development of new products, and potentially the adaptation of older ones, is through the use of ethnographic research during the development and research phase. The world?s population is ageing and it has therefore become necessary to consider elderly people more in the development of new products, particularly where research suggests they are encountering difficulties with grocery packaging, for example. Product developers need to find solutions to these problems. The ethnographic research used in this study has been valuable in finding out what the problems are that elderly people are experiencing, how they are overcoming or getting around these problems, as well as what could potentially be done to develop appropriate solutions. It was found that elderly people are having difficulties with more traditional styles of packaging, such as glass bottles, jars and aluminium cans, as well as some newer packaging types including ring-pull tin cans and freshness seals on milk bottles.