Design Futures: November 2020
What day is it? November.
More than ever, the aging population has been at the forefront of conversations since COVID-19. Many of us are wondering how to spend time with our parents, grandparents, or other aging friends and relatives. And as we check in with them — often by phone — we’re curious how they’re actually coping with the rampant isolation beyond the friendly voice they wear for our calls. Here in the US, where we tend not to live in multigenerational households, that’s especially true.
Increasingly, we’re turning to technology and automation as bridges to maintain connections and to help our loved ones get the support they need with video calls, smart watches, supply subscriptions and such — evermore innovating new, well-intentioned support structures for aging. But what happens when those innovations go too far? When the digital life of a grandparent becomes a thin substitute for real human connection and companionship? Or worse, when our focus on tactical solutions — like ensuring Dad or Grandma Bess take their pills on time — registers as a false positive and convinces us we no longer need to stop over the weekend to check-in.
And yes, while medication regularity can be essential to enjoying an active life into the later years, there is a bigger concern at play — the potential loss of generational knowledge, and hands-on skills, as our elders live out the sunset of their lives in isolation. Without wide understanding and acceptance of the types of technology that largely keep the rest of us connected, we’re at risk of missing out on the guidance and prescience of an entire generation of lived history — and the implications, and opportunities, that come with those insights.
People in their later years are the keepers of essential information, which has been synthesized and learned after watching patterns emerge over decades. And when we live in a world in which 1/10 Americans don’t believe the Holocaust actually happened, and fewer than half of Americans (43%) know that Adolf Hitler was elevated to chancellor of Germany through a democratic electoral political process, it’s essential to ensure this type of information is shared with other, younger, generations. Not to mention the more personal details of a long life, since we are, after all, their progeny.
Mother Nature has a talent for adaptation — in ecosystems and in humans. As the facilities of the human body slow and erode over time, the mind is often sprightly — while letting go of parts of the executive function no longer needed (like remembering where keys are, or even what day of the week it is), it instead calls forth a clearer memory of youth. We hear stories about, “That time my little brother caught his first fish,” or “I remember the anxiety of ‘duck-and-cover’ drills in the classroom after WWII,” or the first time they fell in love, left home, learned a trade — and how those experiences shaped their person, their beliefs, and the family they created, well into the future.
As Einstein said: “For us believing physicists, the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
What isn’t an illusion is that people are living longer than ever before. That means we must consider how we design…everything…ensuring the mass population of aged groups have their physical — and emotional — needs met.
This month, we’re focusing on The Future of Aging — exploring how to design for intergenerational connections, speculative innovations that could serve the needs of older communities, how to humanize the design process by incorporating empathy at every stage of a project, and the need for greater mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities to transfer knowledge and skills across generations.
We hope you enjoy this month’s Design Futures exploration: The Future of Aging.
Designing for Intergenerational Connection
We’re both more connected, and more isolated, than ever. Historically, this season marks a time for families to gather for the holidays — but traditions and patterns are being interrupted to keep elderly relatives healthy and safe. Now, more than ever, we need to design for human behavioral patterns and needs, intentionally creating new ways to build connections across miles — and between generations. We sat down with Callie Thompson from Headspace to talk about what that could look like.
Featured Articles & Video
The Role of Design Strategy in Humanizing Technology
In our hyper-paced race toward “the future,” design strategy is critical to help people embrace innovation in the context of THEIR world. Older generations often feel left behind because new tech isn’t available, affordable, or understandable for them. Read more about how we can create products and services people actually want, not just the things we think they need.
Learn more >
Video Series: What is Design Research?
In this introduction to design research, Jon Kolko — expert designer, strategist, educator, author, founder of Austin Center for Design, and COO here at Modernist — discusses predictions versus provocations (and which approach is the most successful), and how to implement user-centered research methods including think-aloud testing, diary studies, postcards, and user timelines.
Watch the Video >
Technology & Craft
For many years a college degree has meant prestige and stability while vocational skills and craftsmanship were taken for granted or abandoned in favor of high-tech and higher salaries. Now, we’re realizing that the skills necessary to be successful in today’s workplace require a combination of traditional learning mixed with hands-on mentorship. In order to evolve — personally, professionally, and culturally — we are looking to the experience-learning approach of the past. And to the elders who remember a different way of teaching and measuring skill.
Read the full article >
Finding Inspiration
Our team’s shortlist of what we’re reading, listening to, and learning from.
TELL
This app allows you to record and share stories with family and friends, encouraging connection through storytelling, voice interaction, and illustrations.
Share your stories >
Embodied Labs
A VR immersive training platform that allows caregivers to embody the perspectives and conditions of other people, gaining empathy in order to provide more effective care.
Find out more >
ElliQ®
A friendly, inquisitive “sidekick” from intuition Robotics that offers tips and advice, answers questions, and helps older adults stay independent and immersed in the world around them.
Meet ElliQ® >
Sound Experience
This nonprofit fosters sustainability, youth development, and maritime careers aboard the historic schooner, Adventuress. Their “PodCast-Off” shares stories from the Salish Sea — and they’ll soon add virtual programs!
Learn more & listen here >
Thank you for joining us on this month’s Design Futures journey. Let’s keep imagining what the future can be.
Take a look around our website to learn more and get in touch.
— Modernist Studio
