Key Takeaways
Inclusive packaging design that accommodates people with arthritis and accessibility challenges benefits all consumers and drives significant business results. Companies that prioritize ease of use see increased brand loyalty, repeat purchases, and customer willingness to pay premiums, with 86% of people with arthritis and 76% of general consumers willing to pay more for easier-to-use products.
- Consumer demand is strong: 86% of people living with arthritis and 76% of general consumers would pay more for products that are easier to use, and over 50% would switch brands or pay a premium.
- Repurchase impact: More than 65% of both arthritis patients and general consumers would repurchase a product if packaging were easier to use.
- Universal benefit: Designing for accessibility challenges like arthritis makes products easier for everyone, including aging populations with trillions in spending power.
- Early testing saves money: The Arthritis Foundation's 25-year certification program tests products at prototype stages to prevent costly redesigns after market launch.
- Certification drives sales: Products with ease-of-use certification seals outperform projections, with companies like Advil and Tilt Beauty seeing significant sales increases and brand loyalty improvements.
Deb Gokie, VP of consumer health and ease of use at the Arthritis Foundation, discusses the findings of the foundation’s recent report, its Ease of Use Design Guides, and why inclusive packaging design drives loyalty, repeat purchases, and products that are easier for every consumer to use.
Packaging World:
It seems as though it’s only been the last five or six years that we’re hearing more and more about designing for inclusivity. Have you seen that trend as well?
Deb Gokie:
Deb Gokie, VP of consumer health and ease of use, Arthritis FoundationArthritis Foundation
Companies are also recognizing that there’s an aging population to address, and its spending power is in the trillions. That’s an audience companies will want to capture, both for brand loyalty and revenue. For the communities that really struggle, such as those with an autoimmune or joint dexterity issue, it ties directly into not being able to open or use something. That frustration also spills over into a mental health issue, so we’re seeing brands design to go beyond the frustration and support that part of it as well.
So many things went through my mind as you were speaking. Whenever I tell people what I write about, they tell me about a package they can’t open and ask why it’s designed that way. They have to use scissors on a blister pack, or they can’t get a cap or lid open, and they ask, “Why do they do that?”
It’s the same for me. When I tell people I oversee an ease-of-use program, even at a cocktail party it becomes the subject of conversation: “Oh, could you get a company to fix this? I can’t open it.” And to your point, it’s becoming clear that everyone has something they can’t open or struggle to use.
When I speak at conferences, I start by asking people to think about what they personally struggle with, such as a product or package that’s hard to open or use, and then to think about a parent, a partner, or even a child. There are more than 300,000 kids with arthritis, and many children with autoimmune disease who struggle with strength and joint issues. I want people to realize, “Oh, I have a lot of things I struggle with, and I don’t even have any dexterity issues.” Then I tell them to go back to their company and start the conversation—if they haven’t already—about what they’re doing to support inclusive usability and accessible design.
When I attended London Packaging Week last year, Kevin Marshall of Microsoft said something that stuck with me: We all have some form of disability, or are impacted by one, at some point in our lives. It could be an accident or something chronic, but we all experience it, so we should be designing packaging for everyone.
Microsoft has an accessibility summit, and they recently created a design guide for the boxes they use across all their products. They also brought together thought leaders, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Coca-Cola, Tilt Beauty, and the Arthritis Foundation, to create a video about why it’s so important to design for these audiences. Having those heavy hitters come together for a conversation was so exciting, because we’re each looking at this from a different angle. It was a remarkable video to be part of, and you’ll see more from us as we help companies change their thinking about what design should be and help consumers recognize there’s a real need for this, so they can speak up and say, “I can’t use this. What can you do to support my lifestyle?”
Beyond wanting to make products easy for everyone to use, there are a lot of financially driven reasons to do it, some of which you uncovered in your ease-of-use study. What were the takeaways?
In our November 2024 report, we learned that 86% of people living with arthritis and 76% of consumers in general would pay more for products that are easier to use, and over 50% of both audiences would switch brands or pay a premium for them. We also found that more than 65% of both groups would repurchase a package if it were easier to use.
Inclusive design gives engineers and designers the chance to think creatively about human factors, and it gives companies a way to expand into new markets and build brand loyalty among a consumer base they haven’t connected with yet. So it layers in to support business growth while offering immediate impact for someone struggling to use a product. It’s meeting needs on both sides of the economic wheel, if you will.
The Arthritis Foundation’s ease-of-use certification program is not new, correct?
It’s not, it’s been around for 25 years, but in the last four we’ve really become focused. We now have an engineer in-house, Dr. Bobbie Watts, who does all our testing and can run the lab and human factors analysis in-house. That’s given us the chance to work with more companies and offer consultations at the early design and prototype stage, because we don’t want a product to reach market, come to us for testing, and fail. It’s too expensive to fix once it’s out there. We just had four companies in testing, and I got an email this morning that all four passed. That means four products going to market that will make things easier not only for people with arthritis, but for everyone.
What kinds of tests do you do, and what do you look for in certification?
We have a lab analysis where we look at grip span, rotation, and joint flexibility, and we evaluate eight design considerations. Then, in the human factors analysis, we start with a checklist for each product to determine what we want patients to try, and we sit down with individuals as they use the product and give feedback. A product has to pass both. Testing takes about three weeks, after which each company receives an executive summary and a full report. They’re then eligible to license the ease-of-use certification seal, which shows consumers a product is tested and certified. Often the seal is what leads a consumer to choose one product over another.
I have to admit, I’ve never seen the seal, but I’ve never looked for it either.
That’s a really good point, and we’ll be spending more time in 2026 and early 2027 educating consumers about the seal. Advil has a seal on one of its bottles because of an easy-open cap, and they’ve been certified about eight years. I’ll show that bottle to someone and they’ll say, “Oh, that’s something I would buy. I’ve just never noticed the seal.” And I’ll tell them it’s everywhere Advil is sold. Once you start looking for it, you’ll see it.
Companies that market the seal see results. When Pilot’s Dr. Grip pen first ran its TV commercial, it outperformed projections so much that they had to pull it because they sold out and had to restock. Tilt Beauty uses the seal in every marketing piece they do, and they’ve received many beauty awards since launching last February. When brands market the seal, it’s another asset, a way to say, “We’re a brand that cares. This product is easier to use.” And that makes a big difference.
When I think about designing for someone with arthritis, I immediately think about the cap. But that’s not the only thing you’re looking at, is it?
Oh, no. We’ll look at something as basic as font size and color. Is it easy to read? Are the instructions easy to use? We’ll look at the cap diameter, which we recommend be less than three inches, and at the bottle itself. Is it easy to hold? Is there an indentation? We can test over 80 goods and services under our trademark, from makeup to kitchen appliances. With a jar and lid, for example, we’d look at the texture and the rotation force. There are many things we evaluate, especially when a product goes through the lab analysis and has to meet those eight design considerations.
The Arthritis Foundation offers six comprehensive, free-to-download design guides for bottles and bases, boxes and bags, components, sealed trays and cards, films and pouches, and child-resistant packaging.Arthritis Foundation
Can you talk about some of those design principles?
Sure. One example is a trigger spray. We’d look at the pull force on the trigger and whether it’s a one-finger or three-finger placement. We recommend a three-finger placement with a pullback force of less than three pounds, so it doesn’t tire the joints. We also look at where the trigger sits and how that affects the position of your joints, making sure the elbow isn’t higher than the shoulder. So we factor in all of that based on how the product needs to be used. It’s really specific to each product. I’m thinking of one company that submitted a beautifully designed product. Everyone was excited. But it passed everything except for one thing: there was no pull tab on the inner seal, so no one could get it open. It didn’t pass. The product was already at market, so it was too expensive to redesign. That’s why having an engineer in-house is so valuable. Companies can consult with us early to make sure they’ve covered all their bases before development.
Tilt Beauty is the first beauty brand to earn the Arthritis Foundation's Ease of Use certification, with grippable, curved packaging designed to open, hold, and apply with limited hand strength.Tilt Beauty
For the last couple of decades, we’ve been talking about sustainable packaging. Is there a way to design for inclusivity while also designing for sustainability?
Pilot’s Dr. Grip pen is a good example of both. It’s passed certification and has a silicone grip that’s easy to hold, and the ink is refillable, so you can use it over and over without throwing it away. Tilt Beauty does the same. All of their products are refillable, so you keep the case and just refill the lipstick or eyeliner. Sometimes it’s creative, out-of-the-box thinking, and sometimes it’s as simple as a refillable cartridge. You can think so hard about a problem that it becomes difficult, and then you step back and realize there was an easy solution all along. The answers are often simpler than people expect. It’s just a matter of using your resources and not overcomplicating it.
Maybe it’s a stretch, but you could say that designing a product so it will actually be used means it’s inherently more sustainable.
That’s a great way to think about it. Take something as simple as a jar of pickles that’s too tight to open, with no tool on hand. It’s going to sit in the refrigerator until it goes bad, or get dumped out right away, and either way that person won’t buy it again. That’s good for brands to know: If someone can’t use your product, they won’t come back for a repurchase.
Throughout this conversation, I’ve been thinking about my mother. She’s 92 and has arthritis in her hands. She lives alone, so if she felt confident she could open products and do things on her own, that would make quite a difference for her.
That’s what’s so great about ease-of-use certified products. We’ve tested them, so we know they’re easier to use. When you lose that strength, it becomes depressing and frustrating, and that’s a mental health issue. But when you have something you can use—something you can say yes to—that becomes a win for the day. It might be as small as gripping a pen, putting on lipstick, or opening a flip-top cap. So there are opportunities to give just a little moment of yes in the day of someone who struggles, and even someone who doesn’t. PW
