Ethnography in designing for older people

Abstract

As the global population rapidly gets older, designers are continually seeking means to gaining understanding and eliciting true user insights into older people’s design, health and wellbeing needs. Comprehensive field studies that are both empathic and sensitive are cited as essential in this regard, with ethnographies predominantly heralded for achieving this (Seidel, 2009; Newell et al, 2010). However, it has been identified that Ethnography, because of its roots in Anthropology, has not been fully elucidated for the purposes of designing, particularly for older people (White, 2013). This paper will outline the stages and methods of design ethnography required when designing for older people.