Impact of Image: Designers and Ageism Ageism, discrimination
based on age, is widespread but one of the least addressed and
challenged prejudices in our community. The problem is that this
prejudice and stereotyping shows up in the products and
environments that are designed for our older population. So how
do designers respond to this growing demographic when they may
themselves harbor ageist attitudes? How do designers start to
design products and environments that don’t perpetuate ageism or
reinforce an unhealthy model of our aging population? For
designers, understanding their own ageist attitudes is essential
before responding to the needs of an aging population. The paper
will discuss strategies and design activities that involve
methods to get designers to understand the aging process, ageism
and how ageism can influence the design of products.