Charles Sternberg, Assistant Editor04.26.21
Degree Deodorant, a Unilever brand, has introduced its first inclusive deodorant for people with visual impairment and upper limb motor disabilities: Degree Inclusive.
According to Degree, one in four Americans has a disability, yet many products and experiences are not designed with this community in mind. Twisting a deodorant cap, turning a stick, or pushing down on a spray can with limited arm mobility is a real challenge.
Degree partnered with an inclusive team of design experts from Wunderman Thompson, occupational therapists, engineers, consultants, and people living with disabilities across the globe to create a prototype for Degree Inclusive. Driven by a mission to make the deodorant application process more accessible, Degree Inclusive has been designed with the following features:
Input from Real People Living with Disabilities
To ensure this original prototype is effective and accessible, Degree is currently in a beta program to engage and get input from people living with disabilities. In partnership with The Chicago Lighthouse, Open Style Lab, and Muscular Dystrophy Association, Degree has invited 200 people with disabilities in the US to trial the prototype design and share their feedback with Degree on its concept, product features, and messaging, to help improve the innovation for its future commercial launch.
“As a brand that’s committed to inspiring confidence in everyone to move more, Degree believes no one should be held back from experiencing the transformative benefits of movement,” said Kathryn Swallow, global degree brand vice president. “More than 60 million people in the US live with a disability, yet products and experiences are still not designed with this community in mind. With Degree Inclusive, we hope to inspire bold action across the industry to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal playing field.”
“Degree Inclusive challenges what a deodorant product should be. It’s a breakthrough accessible design that genuinely serves the needs of people with visual impairment and upper limb motor disabilities,” added Aline Santos Farhat, EVP of Global marketing and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Unilever.
According to Degree, one in four Americans has a disability, yet many products and experiences are not designed with this community in mind. Twisting a deodorant cap, turning a stick, or pushing down on a spray can with limited arm mobility is a real challenge.
Degree partnered with an inclusive team of design experts from Wunderman Thompson, occupational therapists, engineers, consultants, and people living with disabilities across the globe to create a prototype for Degree Inclusive. Driven by a mission to make the deodorant application process more accessible, Degree Inclusive has been designed with the following features:
- A hooked design for one-handed usage
- Magnetic closures that make it easier to take the cap off and put it back on for users with limited grip and/or vision impairment
- Enhanced grip placement for easier application for users with limited grip or no arms
- A braille label with instructions for users with vision impairment
- A larger roll-on applicator to reach more surface area per swipe
Input from Real People Living with Disabilities
To ensure this original prototype is effective and accessible, Degree is currently in a beta program to engage and get input from people living with disabilities. In partnership with The Chicago Lighthouse, Open Style Lab, and Muscular Dystrophy Association, Degree has invited 200 people with disabilities in the US to trial the prototype design and share their feedback with Degree on its concept, product features, and messaging, to help improve the innovation for its future commercial launch.
“As a brand that’s committed to inspiring confidence in everyone to move more, Degree believes no one should be held back from experiencing the transformative benefits of movement,” said Kathryn Swallow, global degree brand vice president. “More than 60 million people in the US live with a disability, yet products and experiences are still not designed with this community in mind. With Degree Inclusive, we hope to inspire bold action across the industry to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal playing field.”
“Degree Inclusive challenges what a deodorant product should be. It’s a breakthrough accessible design that genuinely serves the needs of people with visual impairment and upper limb motor disabilities,” added Aline Santos Farhat, EVP of Global marketing and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Unilever.
