Ease of Use Certification Program

The Arthritis Foundation's Ease of Use^® program certifies products and packages that have been independently tested and proven easy to use for people living with arthritis and chronic pain, and in general for everyone.

1 Test

A product or package can go through ease of use evaluation in prototype stage or once the design is complete. The Arthritis Foundation will help determine the most efficient path into the process.

2 Results

The Arthritis Foundation will provide a completed evaluation which will include a PASS or FAIL result.

3 Certification

If the result is a PASS, you are eligible to license the Ease of Use seal. If the result is FAIL, the report will include design suggestions, if implemented the product can be retested.

Ease of Use Evaluation Process

Products being considered for the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Certification are first independently tested by the Intuitive Design Applied Research Institute (IDARI).

The methodology for testing is based on the Accessibility Evaluation Methodology first developed by Dr. Brad Fain, Executive Director, Center for Advanced Communications Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology to evaluate product and services under the Federal technical requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508).

Section 508 requires that Federal agencies consider the needs of people with disabilities in the procurement of technologies such as copiers, computers, and web sites.

Dr. Fain has a 20- year history of testing products and advising companies on how to design products to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

The testing process includes both a lab-based evaluation of the functional abilities required to open the packaging and use the product as well as a human performance-based assessment with eight research participants to determine real-world ease of use.

About the Ease of Use Program

Our Certification Process

Each certified product has been thoughtfully designed by a brand that keeps arthritis and chronic pain at the forefront of meeting consumer needs. The Arthritis Foundation is proud to partner with these companies as they lead in innovative, easy to use designs.

Learn More

Ease of Use Design Guides

The Arthritis Foundation Ease of Use program inspires accessible design. The Ease of Use design guides, created in partnership with Target, offer critical resources for engineers and designers in the requirements definition and design development stage.

I trust all products labeled Ease of Use. I have several favorites that I use daily.

Ashley, Rheumatoid Arthritis patient

Categories

Health and Wellness

From joint protection accessories to easy-open bottle caps, these Ease of Use-certified products may offer what you need to reduce arthritis pain.

Learn More

Home and Hobbies

If you are looking for a product that can make it easier to garden, tackle a project or move about your home, check out these Ease of Use certified products.

Learn More

Workplace

Work more comfortably with greater flexibility and less strain and pain. Explore this category of Ease of Use Certified products that can help you power through your workday.

Learn More

Ease of Use Certification Interest Form

Designing products and packaging that makes life easier for people with arthritis, limited mobility and chronic pain is important. To learn more about the process, submit the interest form below and you will be contacted by our Ease of Use Team.