Scooter for Life is a project commissioned by the Design Museum as part of the New Old exhibition, initially unveiled in London in 2017. The exhibition has been touring around the world since. The Scooter for Life is a range of products to accompany you through your life and develop as your mobility needs evolve.

A selection of three wheeled personal scooters in different colours, set against a pink backdrop
Front view of a personal scooter, showing a large padded grey storage bag in the front
Side view of a personal scooter, with a large storage bag in front, set against a light turquoise backdrop
Overhead view of a personal scooter, showing a large storage grey storage bag in the front
Overhead view of a wide section of a personal scooter, showing that you can stand comfortably with two feet side by side for balance

Challenge

Demographics around the world are changing, people are getting older, and many people in later life face mobility challenges. Meanwhile, there continues to be a stigma with mobility aids, and these objects are often bulky, inconvenient and degrading. The Design Museum tasked us with addressing the issue of mobility in older age. We challenged ourselves to design a product that would encourage people to stay active and mobile for longer, increase health, safety and independence, and counter the loneliness that many feel with old age.

An older couple sit at an outdoor table in a cafe, with a three-wheeled personal scooter next to the woman
An older woman and a young boy are both riding a personal scooter

Solution

Following extensive research and interviews with target user groups, we came up with a list of requirements that our proposed mobility solution would need to meet: you had to be able to take it on public transport, to take it into shops, it needed to be able to fold down, there needed to be space to store groceries, and it had to be able to be taken into a flat or a house. Based on these considerations, we developed the Scooter for Life, a full scale prototype of which was built for the exhibition.

The scooter is designed to offer a reliable product and brand that can accompany you throughout your life. Recognising that many behaviours are born out of habit, we designed the Scooter as an object that can be adapted as your needs evolve, from a regular micro scooter to one with extra wheels for stability, optional seat and electric power as well as integrated safety brakes for example. Aside from the health benefits, the Scooter also enables users to retain their independence for longer, and aims to counter loneliness by facilitating intergenerational interaction.

A hand holding the tag to open a large storage bag
Detail of small rear wheel on a personal scooter
A hand holding the ergonomic handle of a personal mobility scooter. A storage bag can be seen, with integrated cup holder
A person holding a folded personal scooter, which features a large storage bag in the front and a cup holder by the handles

The Scooter for Life also explores alternative visions of autonomous vehicles. While currently, the majority of autonomous vehicles being developed are four wheeled objects, we believe there is also a role for smaller, individual vehicles, designed for short journeys. We envisage the Scooter could have a function to enable a series of pre-programmed addresses, and could automatically take you home, or to a friend or relative’s address. This could prove particularly useful for users with mild forms of cognitive impairment, like dementia.

New Old Designing for Our Future Selves exhibition view
The Scooter for Life seen on a platform in an exhibition, alongside text and a screen which display further information

Awards

Design Week Awards, Highly Commended, Product Design: Consumer

IDEA Award, Gold, Automotive & Transport