Modular Table-Chair-Storage Nesting Sets Design for Home-Based Elderly Care in Compact Apartments: An Integrated Evaluation Approach

Abstract

As the average age of people continues to increase in many countries, compact urban apartments present significant challenges to the functional adaptability of living environments. This creates new difficulties with the design of elderly-friendly furniture. This study explores the modularization and configuration of furniture in limited spaces to satisfy the requirements of aging-in-place, particularly regarding comfort, convenience, and safety. First, the Affinity Diagram (AD) method was employed to systematically categorize user needs and construct an evaluation system. Second, an integrated weighting method combining Order Relation Analysis (ORA) and the Coefficient of Variation (CV) was applied to obtain a comprehensive weighted ranking of these needs, guiding the development of three design schemes for Modular Table-Chair-Storage Nesting Sets. Finally, the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method was used to select the optimal scheme, Subsequently, verification was conducted through simulation experiments This study proposes a systematic framework to meet user needs, providing reliable support for modular table-chair-storage nesting sets design in space-constrained elderly care scenarios, thereby improving both space utilization and product safety.