B&Q has an established reputation for inclusion among its workforce, and has policies actively supporting diversity, particularly among ethnic groups and the over 50s.
Keen to extend this approach to customers as well as staff, in 2000 B&Q began to explore ways to incorporate inclusive design into its products.
B&Q identified that older people were enthusiastic about DIY but felt excluded by its practical realities. Data collected from the Henley Centre for Social Forecasting revealed that spending on DIY equipment rose sharply among the recently retired, but fell away sharply soon afterwards because many people found the necessary tools too difficult or cumbersome to use.
Having identified that this age group was not being adequately served, B&Q joined the Hamlyn Research Associates Programme to research and develop products to address the needs of this important customer base.
The Helen Hamlyn Centre, part of the RCA, works to advance a socially inclusive approach to design through practical research and projects with industry. The centre partners with companies like B&Q to help them bring more inclusive products to market – and also to develop long-term strategies for inclusive product development combined with ongoing commercial success.
B&Q hoped that its work with the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre would help it gain a better understanding of the DIY experience from the customers’ perspective.
Initial research by the centre about the DIY industry identified a need among older people for easy-to-use power tools. To address this issue, B&Q joined the Helen Hamlyn Research Associate Programme, which teams industry partners with talented young RCA design graduates on one-year design research projects.
B&Q chose to work with Matthew White, a graduate of the MA in Industrial Design Engineering. It was a fairly daunting task for a recent graduate. ‘Working with B&Q really was like being thrown in at the deep end,’ says White. ‘It felt like a massive responsibility as this was a new experience for them and me, and I was their only product designer.’
