Gallery: 6 Design Concepts From IDEO That Rethink Aging
Photo: IDEO01Designs-On-OWL1
__Owl__ IDEO Palo Alto designed a kit that helps you capture thoughts and bits of wisdom throughout the years. The Owl comes with 80 glass tubes, each representing a year of your life.
Photo: IDEO02Designs-On-OWL2
You scribble a thought or memory down on paper, roll it up and stick it in a tube. Think of it as a high-design time capsule. In a time where most of our memories are digital, the goal of the Owl is to slow down time, to tangibly represent the aging process.
Image: IDEO03Designs-On-Pill-Necklace
__Pill Necklace__ This necklace, designed by IDEO London, is meant to spur conversation about meds. The jewelry, which resembles a candy necklace, is meant to remind the wearer's loved ones how often they’ve taken their pills. Dividers split the pills into day parts. Usability-wise, this necklace would be way too fiddly, but it's really meant to spur discussion around the issue. “It’s a bit of a provocation,” says Addi.
Image: IDEO04designs-on-goofy-foot
__Goofy Foot Walker__ A walker makes people feel old. “No one wants to be seen with one,” says Addi. But being able to modify your stuff—even a walker—brings a bit of humor into what could otherwise be a humorless situation. As Addi sees it, “At this stage in your life you can either be in denial, or you can be self deprecating.”
Image: IDEO05Designs-On-The-Grey-Mirror-6X
__Grey Mirror__ The Grey Mirror, designed by IDEO Boston, is a reminder that the choices we make now actually do impact on our future lives. The mirror shows you how you’ll look in a few decades via artificially aged photographs. IDEO hopes will spur better choices in the present, but not surprisingly, beauty companies have been very interested in the idea. “They’ve been asking, how conceptual is this?” says Addi.
Photo: IDEO06Designs-On-Overdelivery
__Overdelivery__ Not every concept is an object. Overdelivery is a service that add a little extra care to the delivery of stuff. Background-checked workers will help the elderly with simple tasks like moving heavy boxes or setting up appliances. Over time, they can keep an eye on the recipient's health—like a grandchild in a UPS uniform.
IDEO07Condom
__Up In Years__A campaign designed by IDEO Boston brings awareness to a hidden truth: Your grandma still likes to do it. STDs are a serious problem among the elderly, a fact that IDEO calls out in a blunt, if a little uncomfortable, way. “We’re acknowledging that these things do exist, and looking for solutions,” says Addi.
