Emily Underwood

We crave connection at every age – including our golden years. Technology has amplified our ability to connect on a global scale, but older users have been largely left behind.

We’ll share what Journey Digital & Ryman learnt designing an App for a diverse group of uses with an average age of 80.

Ryman Healthcare’s purpose is to enhance freedom, connection and well-being for people as they grow older. Leading innovative co-designed projects alongside residents within their villages and communities.

They recognised that the over-70s group hasn’t been well served in the technology design department - so, together Journey Digital and Ryman linked to create digital tools that enabled residents to gain the most of village life.

We did away with key assumptions such as, everyone in that senior age group is the same, because in truth, there are as many differences, as any other age group.

Our data-centric approach captured the real factors at play, allowing us to guide this age group into a new era of digital connection. We undertook over 250 hours of interviews, user-testing, and co-designing sessions involving over 150 residents and informed by 4258 data points, all wrapped up in a cross-discipline agile design process.

This project wasn’t just about gaining data to drive deliverables, it fuelled something much deeper, inspiring us as designers to go beyond what we think design is capable of.

This talk centres around what we learnt through this process, highlighting: - Key takeaway learnings about designing for 70+ year olds.

- What assumptions need to be challenged when designing for seniors.

- Reflections on ageing and technology.

- Empathy for those who ‘feel left behind’.

- Insights into how to adapt research and design processes to older adults, and people less tech-savvy than us.

Within this talk we have some gems, real user stories that will make you laugh and cry, maybe think a little about your own mortality, and ultimately inspire you.