Abstract
With the aging of society and the spread of a universal design philosophy, knowledge of the mental and physiological characteristics of the elderly is indispensable in designing environments and consumer products that will increase their QOL. The knowledge of human characteristics alone, however, will not enable us successfully to realize such human-centered design. The most fundamental steps in the application of this design are not only to acquire the human characteristics data that are needed for the design, but also to translate these data into design values and to evaluate such values based on their usability. Viewing the matter from a physiological anthropological standpoint, this paper cites some design methods and usability assessment methods for upgrading the QOL of the aged.
