Patricia Moore

One of the key figures in the evolution of Empathic Design and a pioneer of action research in design is Patricia Moore. As a 26 year old designer, she traveled throughout the United States and Canada for a span of three years from 1979 to 1982 disguised as a woman in her eighties in order to gain a first hand experience into the world of people three times her own age. Altering her body in both appearance and physical ability, wearing makeup, eyeglasses and bandaging her legs, Moore simulated the sensory changes associated with aging in order to be able to respond to people, objects, commercial products and environments, as an elder. She called this project her “Elder Empathic Experience”. As an industrial designer, Moore “realized that observation and surveying, while important tools, would not be adequate”. “By becoming woman in her eighties”, Moore says about her project, “I was able to immerse myself into the daily reality of life as elders living in a youth-oriented society”. This pioneering experiment led Moore to become one of the foremost authorities on gerontology and universal design as applied to the design practice. Subsequently she has consulted clients in such varied disciplines as pharmacies, hotels, consumer packaged goods and furniture. Her clients include: AT&T, Boeing, Citibank, Corning Glass, General Electric, Herman Miller, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Kraft Foods, NASA, Marriott, Maytag, Monsanto, OXO, Pfizer, Playtex, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Walgreen’s and Whirlpool. She has received numerous international awards for her work with OXO Good Grips. Moore has published an account of her work in a book titled Disguised: A True Story, The Business of Aging. Moore is also an author of numerous articles on the subject of usability.
Here is a link to an interview with Patricia Moore in the Metropolis magazine: http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/December-2012/Q-A-Patricia-Moore/