Smart Design for Ageing Workshop

How can smart design contribute to healthier, more inclusive and fulfilling experiences of ageing?
About this Event
Smart Design for Ageing Workshop

18 September 2026 | 13:00–16:30
Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, London

About the event

How can smart design contribute to healthier, more inclusive and fulfilling experiences of ageing?

The Smart Design for Ageing Workshop brings together scholars, researchers and academic practitioners from across the UK to explore emerging challenges and opportunities at the intersection of ageing, design, technology, health and innovation.

Hosted at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, London, this interactive workshop will create an interdisciplinary space for participants to exchange research, share perspectives, identify common interests and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

Rather than focusing on a single disciplinary perspective, the workshop encourages dialogue across design, health, social sciences, engineering, digital technologies, architecture, human-computer interaction and related fields.

What will we explore?

The workshop will consider how smart and inclusive design approaches can respond to the changing needs and aspirations of ageing populations.

Topics may include:

• Inclusive and age-friendly design
• Smart technologies for ageing and everyday living
• Digital health and wellbeing
• AI, XR and emerging technologies
• Age-friendly environments, products and services
• Independent living and social participation
• Co-design and participatory approaches with older people
• Interdisciplinary research methods
• Research impact and real-world implementation
• Opportunities for future research collaboration and funding

What to expect

This will be a highly interactive session combining research exchange, facilitated discussion and collaborative activities.

Participants will have opportunities to:

Share research and expertise
Introduce current research interests, projects, questions and emerging ideas relating to ageing.

Exchange perspectives across disciplines
Learn from researchers working in different academic and professional contexts.

Identify shared challenges
Explore important societal, technological and design challenges associated with ageing.

Develop new connections
Meet scholars with complementary research interests and identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Explore future opportunities
Discuss potential research directions, partnerships, impact activities and funding opportunities.

Who should attend?

We warmly welcome UK-based scholars, researchers and academic practitioners with an interest in ageing and related areas.

The workshop may be particularly relevant to researchers working in:

Design and design research; ageing and gerontology; health and wellbeing; human-computer interaction; digital technologies; artificial intelligence; XR and immersive technologies; engineering; architecture and the built environment; social sciences; psychology; healthcare; assistive technologies; and public services.

Researchers at different career stages are welcome.

You do not need to be a specialist in ageing research. We particularly encourage participation from scholars interested in bringing new disciplinary perspectives to the field.

Why participate?

Ageing is one of the major societal challenges of our time, but it also presents important opportunities for innovation.

Addressing these challenges requires collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. This workshop aims to build connections between researchers who may approach ageing from very different perspectives but share an interest in improving people’s experiences of later life.

We hope the workshop will generate new conversations, research ideas and collaborations that continue beyond the event.

Event details

Date: Friday, 18 September 2026
Time: 13:00–16:30
Venue: Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, London

Format: In-person interactive workshop

Places are limited. Please register your interest through Eventbrite.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Royal College of Art and to an afternoon of interdisciplinary exchange, discussion and collaboration around the future of smart design for ageing.