Conference Agenda

The ‘Menopause - a Pathway to successful ageing - or not?’ research explores the life stage experience leading up to and following menopause. Menopause is defined as a moment in time 12 months after someone’s final period, Peri menopause is a time in someone’s life leading up to menopause but when symptoms or changes can be experienced. This research focusses on a time in a typical female’s lifespan whereby they are managing life and career of family responsibilities bringing up children while experiencing symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause. It is well documented how exercise and health awareness can optimise and affect our health and wellbeing - our Physical, Emotional and Mental (PhEM) health can be supported through activity, exercise, social engagement, and education. The ‘Design your menopause life’ (DYML) solution is envisioned as a digital and physical solution to empower women as they experience peri and menopause symptoms.

This paper reports on a speculative design project addressing the future workspace. Based on data extrapolation, we assume that by 2048 more people of advanced age will be working in office environments. Consequently, the share of employees suffering from cognitive deficits will significantly increase. Based on this future scenario, a speculative design object has been developed: A cognitive-stimulating desk lamp that could prevent further deterioration of office workers' cognitive abilities through acoustic stimulation. We explore potential technical features of the lamp and address the avoidance of stigmatization and ageism at the workplace. The contribution of the study is twofold: First, the resulting ”behaves-like” prototype represents a possible solution of the problem of cognitive aging at the future workplace. Secondly, the developed artifact “from the future” allows an in-depth discussion of the possible future context and potentially arising problems. In addition, we critically discuss lessons-learned from the applied speculative design method.

The vision regarding ageing is often influenced by negative stereotypes, which lead to considering the over-55 user only in need of targeted assistance and care. Observing the current situation, this view should be no longer exhaustive: they are active users, capable of exercising agency, with needs and desires beyond care and assistance, and bearers of experience and knowledge. It is therefore clear that design strategies to develop services for this user group must necessarily broaden their horizons and begin to consider areas that have been scarcely explored. The contribution focuses on the topic of urban mobility and proposes a preliminary analysis process, based on the scientific literature and on the analysis of case studies to highlight good design practices, and carried out within a joint research platform, whose structure, functions, and role is also highlighted. Lastly, it proposes a mapping of design directions to be applied to implement age-friendly solutions.

The global longevity trend requires a paradigm shift in the design of services related to later life. Traditionally centered on the negative narrative of aging, service interventions have targeted sectoral domains such as assistance and healthcare. Instead, a silver society demands services for the mainstream market, addressing the desires of individuals who lead fulfilling lives at all ages. This paper examines a case study investigating sexual wellness in women's later life. Service design elevates this marginalized topic in active aging discussions to a common concern in a cultural service as output. The methodology combines ethnographic research and participatory design: it involves interviews and co-design sessions with experts and women in later life. Emphasizing the significance of a participatory process, the study underscores the virtuous circle of learning from participants and providing them with tools for reflecting on their life experiences, positioning design as a political and empowering practice.

As populations live longer, the traditional sequential phases of life—learning, earning, and retiring—don’t account for the complexity of demographic shifts. To age gracefully across a multiplicity of life phases, people must develop financial literacy at younger ages. This paper proposes a redesign of financial educational services between financial advisors and first-time clients using a Service-Behavior-Engagement (SBE) framework. We propose an immersive, multisensory service design kit, Design for Longevity (D4L), which includes tangible artifacts to facilitate experimentation, vulnerable conversations, and purposeful play: Longevity Planning Blocks, cards, and an interactive canvas. To test the kit, we conducted a 30-minute demonstration, followed by the think-aloud research method for participant feedback. Key contributions include: (1) enhancing financial literacy through purposeful play, (2) integrating the game element into financial planning education and services, and (3) recognizing that designing for engagement is as critical as designing for solutions.