Not Just a Number: Design Against Ageism

How do we build a world for all age groups, with all age groups?

By 2050, 22% of the global population will be over the age of 60. Ageism has been on the rise for decades, but it’s never been more urgent to start addressing ageism in our work, our workplaces, and our communities. In this joint meetup between Write the Docs and Stockholm UXW&CD, we’ll talk about issues around age and ageism in design.

Globally, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in our political, social, and health systems. It’s disproportionately killed older people, and migrants and people of color are also vastly overrepresented in those numbers (at least in large parts of Europe and the US). The crisis has surfaced cavalier attitudes toward older people, and those with complex health needs.

This means that as designers, it’s nowhere near good enough to treat age inclusion as a matter of convincing people over 65 to use and value youth-focused innovations. Even our inclusive designs are still largely built by and for well-off, healthy, abled people under 40. We can’t solve ageism with apps, but we can reframe who matters when we make products and services.

Join us for talks from a range of disciplines about designing by, for, and with older people, why we should stop valorizing the innovations that strip away our social safety nets, and how to have conversations that go far beyond the (often bogus) age-related digital skill gaps.

Write the Docs Stockholm: https://www.meetup.com/Write-the-Docs-Stockholm/

Talks + Speakers:

• Golden microcopy: How to write microcopy that helps older adults use your product
  Kinneret Yifrah (Microcopy pioneer, and author of Microcopy: The Complete Guide)

• Do you have me on your mind? Older adults, ageism and digital design
  Dr. Michal Halperin Ben Zvi, (expert on Psychology of Ageing)

• The innovation delusion and the maintenance mindset: ageing, solutionism, and the life we want to live
  Lee Vinsel (assistant professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Virginia Tech)

• Flipping the switch on ageism in tech
  Elinor Mills, (Senior Vice President, Content & Media Strategy, Mission North, and ex-journalist)

• The intersection of age and disability, with a focus on cognitive impairment
  Jenny Ström, (expert in cognitive assistive technology and a lecturer in neuropsychiatry)

And since people always ask: no, we won't be recording the event.

Image credit: Ivan Haidutski https://icons8.com/illustrations/illustration/crayon-coming-soon-1