Coffee in hand, I’ve been reflecting on what a super year it’s been for Ageable and achieving our mission of designing radically different futures for us all to age well using design. Our year has mostly been taken up by two exciting projects and a trip to Berlin for Service Design Conference perfectly focused on design as a catalyst for change. More to come on these!
As well as a new life transition for us as a family, we’ve moved to Birmingham so we’ve been getting used to new places, new parks, new routines and canals. But very happy that the The Old Post Office Co-Working Space in Stirchley has become Ageable’s second home thanks to a fab community of humans.
As we go into a busy 2024 — We’re also keen to connect with other associates who’d like to work with us in future, we’re just begun working with Binoli Shah, a designer with a background in UX/UI design who recently her Master’s in Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures taught by the fab Ella Britton who introduced us. She’s skilled in user experience, storytelling, and systems thinking, her previous works have revolved around the idea of care where she aimed to questions what care is.
If you’re a designer, design researcher, consultant, facilitator, service designer, consultant, artist, dreamer, doer OR/AND a fellow care activist who is curious about care and ageing, or an organisation looking to improve outcomes in this space, let’s talk!
Designing online activities for Older Adults
Spring/summer 2023 brought us our dream project — a collaboration with the charity Open Age, which is an incredible London-based charity dedicated to supporting older adults and designer Holly May Mahoney.
“Open Age provides opportunities for its members — To take part in meaningful activities, strengthen their sense of community, rediscover old hobbies, find new ones, make new friends and, most of all, have fun!”
Our role in this Innovate UK funded project was to work with Open Age to create and deliver a human-centred, design-led process in the development of a new set of digital services and online offerings for older adults.
Inspired by the impactful online activity sessions they provided during lockdown, the charity wanted to create a sellable offer that would give them the momentum they need to scale beyond the traditional boundaries charities often face — when they typically only deliver and support people ‘on the ground’ or in geographical proximity to them. Read more here.
Designing to reduce social isolation
Our second big project is working with Care City and will be keeping us busy until March. Our work in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is being delivered in conjunction with the BD_Collective and Care City, funded by LBBD Council, the Better Care Fund and the Ageing Well Programme.
This innovative project is where we’re looking to really re-imagine relationships embedded in communitie as a catalyst to reduce isolation after leaving hospital and returning home. This can be a difficult and risky transition for those without family, friends or support networks nearby. We’re looking to build a circle of care around people through helping them invest in trusted relationships to develop their own friendships and get back into the things they care about and matter to them. Read Emily Brook’s Case Study here as we know that people who have far too little opportunities to do the things that matter to them.
This can be a difficult and risky transition for those without family, friends or support networks nearby.
“Our role has been to support Care City to work with LBBD, the BD Collective and local health and care partners to coordinate an innovative and exciting programme to build a community system resilience model to address social isolation and support recovery following hospital discharge for those who are socially isolated.
We’ve been helping them to think creatively around how programme design, research during the discovery to help understand and shape the problems/opportunities. We’re also supporting to design learning programme and training for the organisations involved, creative facilitation and engagement of workshops, to help with the delivery of the programme.”
Design conference in Berlin
October took us to Berlin for a week to attend the ‘Catalyst for change’ Service Design Conference.
I’m happy to say that I returned home full of inspiration and insights I wanted to share a few super inspiring projects and quotes that spoke to me:
Miranda de Groot, Lead Service Designer for Digital Circular Services, IKEA:
“As designers, we can influence the positive and negative impact that products and services have on the planet. Cultivating a circular, life-centred mindset helps to avoid waste, eliminate pollution and regenerate nature. Let’s all create awareness and inspiration around this new way of thinking, so that we can have a concrete and positive impact with our products and services.
“I’m absolutely passionate that we have enough of all the things that really matter and we really need to fix this. You are already a circularity service designer — we have all the things we need to do this work.”
I also loved hearing — Geke van Dijk from Standby speak the truths around sustainability.
“’We are nature and nature is us, it’s not a theory it’s reality!”
It was a reminder that I needed to hear: we are all interconnected in a myriad of beautiful and complex ways and we must never forget this especially as designers. If we don’t put the planet first — there won’t be one.
What’s in store for 2024 — and how can you help?
Lots more positive good things we hope for this year , for now a big thank you to all our Ageable Members, friends, connections, and collaborators — I don’t know where Ageable would be without you all playing your roles in this!
Remember If you’re a designer, design researcher, consultant, facilitator, service designer, consultant, artist, dreamer, doer or/& a fellow care activist who is curious to work with us to design radically different future for us all as we age, or an organisation looking to improve outcomes in this space, let’s talk! We’re currently exploring collaborations from March/April onwards and we’d love to speak with you.
