Design Age Institute x Design Museum
Design Age Institute
Get involved in the debate about the future of ageing through our exciting programme of design workshops, talks, projects and exhibits.
Developed in collaboration with researchers, designers, innovators, industry partners and ageing communities, the programme will invite individuals and communities to engage and interact with design products, services and research that has the potential to transform our experiences of ageing and help us all age happier and healthier.
You can find all the latest opportunities to get involved in activities, events, and workshops on our news page.
This Age Thing
This Age Thing was launched in April 2021, with support from Design Age Institute, as a space for everyone to share stories, to be listened to, and to take positive collective action to challenge ageism and celebrate stories of getting older.
Join a diverse community of age activists, storytellers, creatives, designers and change-makers and help design a world to help us all live longer, healthier and happier.
Visit This Age Thing.
Collaborators
Explore some of our recent collaborations
University of the Third Age (u3a)
Design age Institute works closely with the University of the Third Age (u3a), a collection of 1,000 UK charities, through This Age Thing community platform, to collectively challenge agism and ensure that older adult voices are at the heart of the design process.
In 2022 we publish a joint report, ‘Redesigning the Everyday’, based on the results of a survey of over 2000 u3a members, in which we advocated for more inclusive standards for the design of consumer packaging and share insights into what is truly needed to make everyday objects more usable, more useful and more desirable for all ages. The report was backed by a petition that collected over 2250 signatures.
The Design Museum
Design Age Institute and the Design Museum collaborate closely to deliver projects on healthy and happy ageing including:
- Two touring exhibits, The Future of Ageing in 2022 and Designing for our Future Selves in 2023.
- Growing Together, an age-friendly community garden project in the Museum’s dame Sylvia Crowe garden.
- Five themed talks as part of the Designing for Your Future Self talks series, which brought together researchers, innovators and experts to discuss the future of an ageing population.
- Six sessions of ‘The Wisdom Hour’ workshop, which invited participants from age 11 to 90 to explore if and how wisdom relates to growing older.
Royal Designers for Industry (RDI)
Design Age Institute works with the Association of Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) to curate The Wisdom Hour: Ageing in a Changing World, which features a Royal Designer for Industry in conversation with an emerging designer from the Royal college of Art to explore the role of age and wisdom in designing a better world for our future selves.
To date sessions have been held between designers Betty Jackson and Ellen Fowles discussing fashion design, and between Tom Lloyd and Richard Newman discussing design for transport and mobility.
News
WATCH: The Wisdom Hour
Luke Pearson, co-founder of Pearson Lloyd and Intelligent Mobility design student Richard Newman, discuss designing for transport & mobility for every age.
Exhibit: Our Future Selves
Explore how design is transforming the way society can support everyone to age with greater agency and joy in a new display featuring ten projects being supported by the Institute.
On Tour: V&A Dundee
Our recent exhibit 'The Future of Ageing', co-curated with the Design Museum, is touring to the V&A Dundee between 12 October 2022 - 22 January 2023.
Petition for packaging
Join us in petitioning government to introduce mandatory standards for consumer packaging to enhance accessibility, sustainability & choice.
WATCH: The Wisdom Hour
Fashion designers Betty Jackson and Ellen Fowles, sat down for "The Wisdom Hour" to discuss wisdom, designing and ageing in a changing world.
Designing the Everyday
Read our latest report, ‘Designing the everyday for a less frustrating later life’, revealing the most frustrating household objects as we age.
WATCH: Inclusive Technology
Watch our talk and panel discussion at the Design Museum, exploring how technology is shaping how we design for an ageing population.
WATCH: Patricia Moore x DAI
A special session of the Wisdom Hour exploring design, ageing and wisdom with Patricia Moore, one of the giants of design for healthy ageing.
WATCH: Let’s Talk About Sex
Watch our event on designing for your future sex life - sex, intimacy and pleasure as we age.
WATCH: No time to Waste
Watch our event on designing for a future in which the planet is rapidly heating up at the same time as populations are living longer.
WATCH: A World for Everyone
Watch the launch of our 'Designing for Your Future Self' talks series at the Design Museum on 21 September 2021.
WATCH: Age, Agency & Joy
Watch a recording of our virtual April event, 'Age, Agency & Joy’, introducing the Design Age Institute and partners.
Exhibit: The Future of Ageing
A free exhibit exploring how design is helping to reimagine the way society can support a population that is living longer to age with greater agency and joy.
Design Age x Design Museum
Get involved in Design Age Institute talks, workshops and events at Design Museum to explore design for healthy ageing.