(a) Design Beyond Generations

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, designers often prioritize innovation and forward-thinking solutions, inadvertently neglecting the needs for aging populations. This happens because many designers think that older individuals are often perceived as less relevant and capable of engaging with emerging technologies. This turns into a cycle where older users keep getting left out as technology gets more advanced. ​

To break this cycle, we aim to spark discussions about age-inclusive design and question whether there are biases and ageism in current design approaches. Our session is dedicated to fostering conversations around what it truly means for designs to be age inclusive. We will explore the generational differences in the experience of design solutions – identifying not just the challenges but also discovering the opportunities we can make to further emphasize and promote age-inclusivity in our future design approaches. ​

By doing so, we hope to pave the way to more inclusive and fair design practices that considers the need of diverse age groups.
How might we be more age-inclusive in our design approach?
In this workshop, we will be facilitating focused group discussion with designers and users in the older age demographic. Together, we’ll explore their experiences and perspectives on what age inclusivity truly entails. Transforming their pain points into opportunities, participants will work together to co-create a framework guiding all future designs towards enhanced age inclusivity. ​
AT THE END OF THE WORKSHOP, PARTICIPANTS WILL GAIN: ​

• Engage in collaborative dialogue to define and explore the significance of inclusive design within the context of age-inclusive communities.​
• Increase knowledge towards personal bias and ageism​
• Deeper understanding of the generational differences and perspectives​
• Equipped with tools to better recognize biases in design ​
• Guidance on how to critically reflect on the application of age-inclusivity in future design approaches. ​

Host or Publisher ThinkPlace