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OMTÄNKSAM Collection
Overview
IKEA's global newsroom states the first OMTANKSAM products launched in 2017 and include chairs easy to get in and out of, jar grippers, and other safety-oriented features. IKEA also says the collection is developed in collaboration with ergonomics experts and tested by people with different needs and challenges, with products easy to grip and unlikely to slip. Benefit: more independent daily living with fewer strain points. Lesson: inclusive home design is small, consistent affordance changes across many objects.
Why it matters
Homes are full of high-frequency micro-actions. When objects are slippery, heavy, or hard to grip, people with limited strength or balance face higher injury risk and reliance on others. IKEA frames OMTANKSAM as making everyday life easier for every body, linking ergonomics to inclusion intent. Call to action: design household interactions around real forces, then test with people who experience those constraints daily.
Learn more
- Disability - https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health
- About Universal Design - Centre for Excellence in Universal Design - https://universaldesign.ie/what-is-universal-design/
- About Older Adult Fall Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/falls/
- Ergonomics - Overview | Occupational Safety and Health Administration - https://www.osha.gov/ergonomics
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