pros’ views

Today’s aging baby boomers and mature consumers are shattering the stereotypes of old age – and when selling products to meet their changing needs, designers need to shape their marketing efforts accordingly.

This year’s KBIS was rife with aging-in-place products, and the growth of the aging baby boomer and mature demographics certainly warrant these products. But how do you sell products for “aging” to people who are convinced that “old” is always ten years older than they are?

As the most private room of the home, and the room with the greatest potential for accidents, the bath must balance the functional, comfort and safety needs of multiple family members of different ages, sizes and abilities.

In an exhaustive review of academic studies on gender preferences going back decades and reaching across multiple cultures, researcher Gloria Moss concludes that there are significant differences between male and female esthetics that marketers need to consider to be successful.

Readers respond to recent columns about industry professionalism and women in the workplace and recent reports about the safety of granite.

Overall, Boomer women are looking for the emotion, not the product.

When it comes to great design, it’s about getting inside a client’s heart, as well as their head.