THE NEW MILK CARTON

For many years, hand impaired consumers (particularly hand arthritis sufferers) have faced almost daily challenges with difficult product packaging. Food packaging is amongst the most common occurrences. A few food and packaging manufacturers have in recent years started to look into this area and developed user-friendly food packaging. However, this trend is happening relatively slowly.

This project presents the design process for a new type of milk container developed especially, but not exclusively, for hand impaired consumers. The project is based on a “designing-for-the-extremes”, or “designing-for-inclusion”, approach with the objective of making milk containers easier to use for hand impaired consumers and therefore also hand-abled consumers.
The milk container has a sliding lid as its main feature and is intended to replace the conventional gable-top or screw cap milk cartons that often provoke challenges for hand impaired consumers who have difficulties bending finger joints. An assumed business case is built around the new milk container design using Danish dairy company Thise Mejeri and Japanese plant engineering company Shikoku Kakoki as potential collaboration companies. The goal of the business case is a mass market entry with the milk container design to reach all consumers and therefore hand impaired ones.