據世界衛生組織的定義，65歲以上老年人口占總人口比例達到7％時，稱為「高齡化社會」；達到14％是「高齡社會」，一旦超過20％，就是「超高齡社會」。內政部指出，我國老年人口比例在民國82年時超過7％，邁入高齡化社會，而在2018，我國老年人口比達到14％，台灣已邁入世界衛生組織定義的高齡化社會。因醫療技術的進步使人類壽命增長，加上「少子化」現象，高齡者愈來愈需要具備操作生活產品的基本能力才可以照顧自己的基本起居，因此為高齡者研究適合的產品介面正顯示重要。在全球高齡化的背景之下，高齡者因為身體的老化，在家中的時間變長，對家電產品的需求因此提高。市面上的家電產品卻很少為高齡者而設計，各方面的問題導致使用性不高。針對家中洗衣機構造，使用者習慣將雙腿伸直，頭部與上半身幾乎栽進洗衣槽裡，彎腰的幅度也較大，這樣的姿勢就會給腰椎帶來很大的負荷，加速腰椎的退變，引起腰肌勞損，誘發腰椎間盤突出，進而形成骨刺。為改變高齡者使用洗衣機過度使用脊椎彎腰收取乾淨衣物的不便，對其洗衣機構造研究探討。
本研究訂定一套完整的設計流程，首先市場資訊搜尋了解現有市場資訊，問卷調查了解使用者使用洗衣機相關資訊，再加上同步工程(CE)方法之設計規範、目標樹(Objectives Tree)，型態圖學表法(Morphological Analysis)，及運用AHP層級分析法(Analytic Hierarchy Process)分析評價，並運用3D軟體建模、及色彩計畫，得到最佳化造型設計，發行產品問卷與現有產品比較優劣。
利用網路進行問卷調查，發放前測問卷成功回收133份，刪除無效問卷後，有效問卷為117份，有效回收率為88%。第二次問卷成功回收114份，刪除無效問卷後，有效問卷為88份，有效回收率為77.2%。
研究結果發現，在根據第二次問卷與第一次問卷的數據比較分析，本論文的概念洗衣機收納乾淨衣服的方式，比現有的直立式洗衣機及滾筒式洗衣機更加的便利，造型顏色上也較為簡潔柔和。
整合同步工程策略可找出與現有洗衣機不同的設計型態，透過一連串的設計方法展開活動，找出可能改變的型態，而新的概念設計可有效降地過度使用脊椎，上層洗衣機適合每周使用次數多但少量衣物的使用者，下層洗衣機適合洗淨大量衣物或大型床被單，可有效達成省水省電的功能。

The World Health Organization defined that a society becomes aging, aged, and hyper-aged when its population of people aged 65 years or above reaches 7%, 14%, and 20%, respectively. Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior indicated that the percentage of peopled aged 65 years or above in Taiwan exceeded 7% of the total population in 1993, indicating the coming of aging society. In 2018, this percentage increased to 14%, making Taiwan an aged society. Extended life expectancy thanks to medical advancements coupled with declining birth rates have rendered it necessary for older adults to acquire basic skills of operating home appliances to care for themselves. Designing a product interface suitable for older adults to use has therefore become essential. Under the context of population aging worldwide, older adults tend to become more dependent on home appliances because they spend increasingly long periods of time indoors due to physical degeneration. However, few appliances are tailored for older adults, resulting in inadequate use of home appliances among older adults. Specifically, the current designs of washing machines require users to stand up straight and dive the head and upper body into the inner tub to put laundry and collect washed clothes, forcing users to bend over in large angles. Excessive bending brings heavy burden on the lumbar spine, accelerates spinal degeneration, causes lumbar muscle strain, and induces lumbar herniated disc and eventually osteophytes. To solve problems caused by excessive bending among older adults when putting laundry and collecting washed clothes, this study explored the structure of washing machine.
This study created a comprehensive set of design procedures. Marketplace information was collected and pretest questionnaire was distributed to users to understand their habits of using washing machines. During the design process, design specifications developed using concurrent engineering, objectives tree, morphological analysis, and analytic hierarchy process were also adopted. Subsequently, the optimal product design was obtained using three-dimensional modeling software and a color scheme. Finally, a questionnaire survey was administered to compare the designed product and existing products.
An online pretest survey was conducted with 133 questionnaires collected. After excluding invalid responses, a total of 117 responses was confirmed (valid response rate = 88%). This study received 114 questionnaires in the post-test survey with 88 valid responses (valid response rate = 77.2%).
This study compared the results of the two surveys and discovered that the washing machine designed in this study offers a more convenient way to collect washed clothes compared with existing top loading and front loading washing machines. Moreover, the color and appearance of the designed model was softer and simpler.
This study determined that integrating concurrent engineering strategies helps researchers discover a design model different from those of existing washing machines. By adopting a series of designing methods, a potential new model can be identified. The designed model of this study can effectively prevent users from excessively bending over. The upper chamber of the designed model allows users to do laundry for multiple times per week with small loads, whereas the lower chamber enables users to wash clothes with large loads or large-sized fabrics such as beddings. The two-chamber design was proved effective in saving water and energy.

中文部分
中文百科在線。洗衣機。網址：http：//www.zwbk.org/MyLemmaShow.aspx?zh=zh-tw&lid=95361#18
內政部。上網日期：2018年9月24日，網址：https：//www.moi.gov.tw/
方進隆(1991。老年人的運動處方。健康教育，(67)pp.17-20。
方進隆(2015)。高齡者的運動與全人健康。台北市：華都。
行政院主計處。上網日期：2018年9月24日，網址：https：//www.dgbas.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=1
吳老德(2003)。高齡社會理論與策略，台北：新文京開發出版。
李傳房(2006)。高齡使用者產品設計之探討，設計學報，(11)pp.65-80。
紀曉菁(2013)。運用失效模式分析與同步工程策略於輔具研發設計，國立成功大學工業設計學系碩士論文。
國家發展委員會(2016)。中華民國人口推計(105至150年)。
張一岑(1997)人因工程學，揚智文化，臺北，pp.102-106.。
張誌元(2012)。高齡者輔助起身與坐下座椅之設計與評估，國立台北科技大學碩士論文。
郭貞瑜(2016)。同步設計策略於鉛酸電池設計之研究，國立成功大學工業設計學系碩士論文。
陳俊伊(2002)。同步工程應用於新產品開發專案工作協調之研究，國立台北科技大學生產系統工程與管理研究所。
陸聯婕(2009)。可傾式座椅對高齡者起立坐下影響之研究，大同大學工業設計學系論文。
彭駕騂(1999)。老人學。台北：揚智文化。
廖一青(2002)。產品協同設計模式之研究，國立台北科技大學商業自動化與管理研究所。
劉春堂(1998)。高齡化社會之消費問題與對策。台北：行政院消費者保護委員會。
劉國雄(2004)。“運用層級分析法探討旅館業房務人員績效評估之研究”。國立中山大學人力資源管理研究所，高雄市。
蔡志成(2001)。國內現有高齡化家電產品及發展趨勢，工業技術研究院。
衛生署(2000)。老人狀況調查報告。
賴怡姿(2011)，運動對老年人認知功能之效益。學校體育，(126)pp.67-74。
賴聰慧、蕭坤安（2010）。高齡者對於愉悅產品外觀造形認知。工業設計，(122)pp. 56-62。

英文部分
Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990).Psychological Perspectives on Successful Aging： The Model of Selective Optimization with Compensation. Successful aging： Perspectives from the behavioral sciences,pp.1-34.。
Belaziz, M.etc.,(2000),Morphological Analysis for Product Design , Computer -Aided Design 32,pp.377-378。
Cohen, S .,(1994),Most comfortable listening level as a function of age, Ergonomics,37(7),pp.1269-1274.。
Echt, K.V., 2002, “Designing web-based health information for older adults： Visual considerations and design directives”, In R. W. Morrell (Ed.), Older Adults, Health Information, and the World Wide Web. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.。
Fisk, A. D., & Rogers, W. A. (Eds.). (1997). Handbook of human factors and the older adult. San Diego, CA, US： Academic Press.。
Hawthorn, D., 2000a, Designing for older users： Display quality versus task complexity. In Paris, C., Ozkan, N., Howard, S. & Lu, S. (Eds.) Ozchi2000： Interfacing Reality in the New Millennium. Sydney, Australia. December 2000. CSIRO Mathematical & Information Sciences, pp.340-347.。
Hawthorn, D., 2000b, “Possible implications of aging for interface designers.” Interacting with Computers 12(5) pp.507-528.。
Holt, B., 2000, Creating Senior-Friendly Web Sites (Online), Available World Wide Web： URL： http：//www.medicareed.org/content/CMEPubDocs/V1N4.pdf。
Huang, S.Y.(2005),Conducting new mineral water design and development through the Lock on of target market. Chung Yuan Journal of Design,8(2),pp.1-23.。
LCC, Age Light., 2001, Interface Design Guidelines for Users of All Ages (Online), Age Light, Clyde Hill,pp.7-12.。
Nielsen, J., 2002, Usability for Senior Citizens (Online), Available World Wide Web： URL：http：//www.useit.com/alertbox/20020428.html。
Nigel Cross(1994),Engineering Design Methods。
Reitan, R., M., & Wolfson, D. (1995). Category Test and Trail Making Test as Measures of Frontal Lobe Functions. The Clinical Neuropsychologist,9(1),pp.55-56.。
Sharit, J., Czaja, S.J., 1994, “Ageing, Computer-based Task Performance, and Stress： Issues and Challenges, ”Ergonomics, 37(4), pp.559-577.。
Welford, A. T., 1985, Changes of Performance with Age： An Overview. In N. Charness (Ed) Aging and Human Performance, pp.333-365, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, New York.。
William, J. E. (1999). Exercise Training Guideline for the Elderly. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,31(1),pp.12-17.。
Zwicky,F.,(1967),“The morphological approach to discovery, invention, research and construction. New Method of Thought and Procedure.” Symposium on Methodologies, Pasadena,pp.316-317.。