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December 07, 2004

A Bit ‘O Design

Many things in Japan revolve around efficiency, and the packaging in the supermarket is no exception. I know that refills are becoming available in the states, but not in mass. I was pleasantly surprised to see the prevalence of household cleaners and bathroom products with refills. Many of them are Procter and Gamble products. The Febreze might look familiar (the Katakana says FU A BU RI ZU). I wonder why this is available here but is not so prevalent in the states? If anyone knows more then divulge your secrets!

Of course any positive impact that refill packaging might have is negated by the packaging at the checkout counter! (If you’re not being weary they will group types of products in their own bags and then put those into another larger bag. The thinking is along the lines of not letting food come into contact with cleaning products, you know…just in case, I’ll bag the bag, and then add another bag…just in case…you know…).



“Fuaburizu” with refill packets. The spray bottle is 498 yen and the packet is 418 yen. (That’s about $4.98 and $4.18.)



Dove with refill packets. The bottle runs at 733 yen and the refill is 481 yen. The refill packs tend to carry just a little less than the dispensers can hold, which makes sense for a refill bag that can’t easily be resealed to keep leftovers.

For those of you from my product design circle…remember those fond days of sleepless insomnia murmuring to ourselves, ”universal baskets, universal detergent, universal…universal…UD…where am I?” as our lack of sleep turned us into stumbling model subjects for universal design? Adoption of UD has been a major initiative in Japan. (If I remember correctly, Pattie Moore is even quite the celebrity here.) With an aging baby boomer population the states could look to Japan as an example. The Japanese have given the mass of folks who are coming into different abilities some interesting tools for independence. So here are some awesome examples of how they have introduced UD into everyday living…





UD food!
“Food, for ages 0-100” is the slogan, and that includes me! Kewpie introduced mayonnaise and dressing to Japan and have ruled the market since. They have also taken it upon themselves “to provide delicious, healthy, and safe food for people of all ages in our areas of core competence and to our long-term corporate philosophy of aiming to offer long-selling, people-pleasing products.“ My favorite is the curry-spread. The bottles are all soft plastic with large easy to remove caps. You can just grab a piece of bread, squeeze some on, toss it in the toaster oven…and viola, Curry Toast (and my whole apartment smells wonderful for hours after)!

Tactile guides to aid navigation.
On every single major sidewalk that I have set foot on, and in most of the public offices the ground is patterned with large yellow tiles. The tiles have a texture-made pattern of knobs that can be felt through your shoes. They serve as a textile guide for people with various sight abilities. Sometimes they divide sides of traffic, sometimes they show the paths to the desk counters and sometimes they explain where to stop. Even I use them…there’s nothing like stopping BEFORE the oncoming traffic zooms past while you’ve got your nose buried in a book.

I wonder if these things would be taken so well in the states?

Posted by theinfonaut at December 7, 2004 11:42 PM

Comments

Posted by: Simon at December 8, 2004 12:21 AM

Posted by: Fred at December 9, 2004 10:42 PM

Posted by: Beth at December 14, 2004 09:09 AM