An Innovative Guidance for Outdoor Fitness Equipment Design

Improving the well-being of older people has become a prior policy of many countries and international communities. A community with outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) near a residence is an ideal place to work out, especially for seniors with limited mobility. However, there are few studies concerning the connection between the elderly and OFE, and lack of guidance information on the improvement and development of OFE. This study took the connection between the elderly and OFE as an entry point to conduct the research. First, we built a preliminary understanding of the psychological and physical characteristics of the elderly through relevant articles and then collected relevant data on the current status of OFE. The main research method was methodological triangulation model consisting of user observation, intercept survey, and focus groups. In the process, we preliminarily analyzed the situation of the elderly using OFE, and adopted an innovative design method, the deconstruction stage of the Vision in Product (ViP) design method, to extract a series of context factors about the future development and construction of OFE. Finally, based on the analysis result of the methodological triangulation model, the study built the guideline for the future construction of OFE, which can be a reference for subsequent research and design.