AARP, Google Brainstorm Age-Friendly Smartphone Designs

Most people 50 and older now own a smartphone, but once they get it home, setting up the device and figuring out all the features can be tricky.

Instead of asking your kids for help or muddling through on your own, what if you could have a conversation with an AI-enabled voice assistant to help you personalize your device so it works well for you?

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That was one of the ideas explored in a co-design session last week between AARP volunteers and user experience (UX) designers from Google. Google sponsored the two-day workshop in Washington, D.C., to emphasize the importance of age-friendly designs for its next generation of smartphones and devices. 

Split into teams, the volunteers and UX designers focused on coming up with ideas for how to make the technology safer and easier to use, along with ways the devices can improve social connections and enhance health and homelife — all AARP priorities. 

“The really fascinating thing was seeing the Google executives come in to evaluate the teams’ pitches, and having their eyes opened to how older adults think about these device features and functionalities, and understanding what’s a priority,” said Michael Phillips, AARP’s director of strategic partnerships. 

One volunteer described using a phone while wearing reading glasses versus not wearing readers, and needing the phone to act differently in each situation. “And the [younger] designers had never thought about that because they don’t use readers,” Phillips noted.

Growing need for technology that supports aging

More than 6 in 10 adults 50-plus do not feel today’s technology is designed with their needs in mind, according to a recent AARP survey, but AARP has been working to change that.