Nestl is adapting the packaging of some of its products to ensure consumers of

all ages can use them without difficulty.

One approach, established by the University of Cambridge in the United
Kingdom, is called'Inclusive Design'.
Nestl is the first food and beverage company to adopt this method following its
partnership with the university in 2009.
Inclusive Design is a process which seeks to develop product design to meet the
needs of more people.
Companies can use a number of specialist Inclusive Design tools to determine
how they can make products easier to use.
Design philosophy
Nestl is taking a lead role in the development of this design philosophy, said
David Wiggins, Head of Packaging at Nestl UK.
Inclusive Design allows us to move from good design to great design.
It is about pioneering design that benefits all our consumers, he added.
Nestl also aims to make its products safe to use, maintains freshness, provides
easy to understand instructions and minimises waste.
Putting the consumer at the centre of packaging development means creating
products and packaging that are easy to use regardless of age, disability or
physical condition, said Anne Roulin, Global Head of Packaging and Design at
Nestl.
Putting the consumer at the centre of packaging development means creating
products and packaging that are easy to use regardless of age, disability or
physical condition.Anne Roulin, Global Head of Packaging and Design at
Nestl
Special pair of gloves

In Australia, a special pair of gloves designed by researchers at the Georgia

Tech Research Institute in Atlanta in the United States is helping Nestl
understand the impact of arthritis.
Nestl packaging experts used the gloves on five of the companys most popular
products to simulate the way the debilitating disease restricts an arthritis
sufferers movement and strength.
As a result, Nestl launched an Accessibility Benchmarking Scale last year with
Arthritis Australia.
The scale allows packaging designers to predict how many people can use their
packaging.
Consumers want packaging that is easy to open and products that are easy to
use, said Fergal Barry, Arthritis Australias Strategic Partnerships Manager.
But the challenge for manufacturers up to now has been to determine how well
their packaging is performing. The scale challenges their perceptions, he
added.
Liberating
The move by Nestl Australia to redesign some of its packaging has been
welcomed by arthritis sufferer Wendy Favorito, a 41-year-old speech
pathologist from Sydney.
Since she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of six, everyday tasks
such as making her childrens lunches or opening bottles have been extremely
difficult.
Every day of my life Ive struggled with packaging so this move by Arthritis
Australia and Nestl is really liberating it will certainly give me more
independence in my day-to-day life, she said.
If I can open a package easily then its certainly more appealing to buy, not just
to me, but also the ageing population.
Key brand asset

Nestl is already creating easy-to-use packaging as a result of its design process.

The Nescaf Gold packaging was redesigned last year to make the companys
coffee product easier to use with a new easy-to-hold jar, click and lock screw
cap and easy-peelable foil membrane.
We wanted to develop a new Nescaf Gold jar, so gaining consumer insight
was the first step, explained Philippe Domansky, who led the jar redesign at
Nestls Product and Technology Centre in Orbe, Switzerland.
Clearly consumers loved the shape of our existing jar; so it was a key brand
asset we needed to keep.
Our new jar design looks more modern, while maintaining the fundamental
shape that saysNescaf Gold coffee, he added.

BOOST: Before and after. Our new

easy-to-grip bottle and easy-to-open cap, right.
Easy-to-use
Nescaf Gold is not the only Nestl product that has had a design revamp.
In the United States, the company launched new packaging for its ready-todrink brandBoost in February last year.
The complete nutritional drink range is targeted at elderly people who are
malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.
To make it easier for such consumers to use the Boost product range, a global
team of Nestl experts worked together to redesign the packaging.

Improvements include an easy-to-grip bottle, easy-to-open cap without the inner

seal and easy-to-handle multipack holders.