Call for papers: Design and longevity, new perspectives, and challenges

Posted on 2023-12-14

Special Issue BDI Vol. 9, No. 11, 2024

 

Guest Editors

  • Mariluz Soto, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile 
  • Sheng-Hung Lee, MIT AgeLab, United States 
  • Melanie Sarantou, Kyushu University, Japan 
  • Paula Melo, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands 

 

The world's population is ageing, and the birth rate has decreased. However, challenges in various areas of society have increased. According to the World Health Organization (2019), the global life expectancy has increased in six years; however, the healthy life expectancy has not increased at the same rate. Our lifespan has increased due to human-centred designs contributing to technological advances, healthcare, social infrastructures, education systems, policies, and other factors. 

It has even been shown that, in the elderly, the perception of satisfaction with one's life has decreased (Cheng, 2001), negatively impacting their subjective perception of well-being and emotional demonstrations towards others. The senses of sight and hearing, together with cognitive capacity, are the aspects of old age that are most compromised, requiring the establishment of design criteria and actions to reduce errors in the interaction (Haigh, 1993), with some devices created to contribute to their autonomy. 

Descriptive demographic change has generated transformational paradigm shifts at the individual, community, and societal levels. Previously, especially in the West, the connotation of life aged 60 and older was dependent and vulnerable old age (Blaikie, 1999). The concept of "elderly", a close concept that seems synonymous with "old", connotes a stage of life that declines. Therefore, the self-perception of older people aligns with that vision. That mindset has changed towards prolonged well-being and maturity (Luna, 2014). A new mindset has emerged with longevity, which is more connected to the extension of life or, rather, the extension of a healthy, autonomous, and independent life. 

Another view of longevity relates to emotional states during life that influence longevity. Studies show that subjective well-being and positive emotions, especially when experienced throughout one's younger years, contribute to health and longevity (Danner & Snowdon, 2001; Diener & Chan, 2011). In contrast, negative emotions, such as anger, can reduce longevity (Chapman et al., 2011; Walker et al., 2012).  

Longevity can be seen from different lenses; there is a significant challenge in the advancement of technology, which evolves faster than the ageing of the population, generating gaps for each segment. For example, wearable technologies contribute to the autonomy and independence of the mature population to enjoy a safe and healthy perception of their daily lives (McCann, 2008). Indeed, there are more products (such as ear devices, portable toilets, canes, beds, and specialized applications) designed for older people, many of them focused on function, trying to extend a good quality of life (QoL) for people and, consequently, their independence. Besides, longevity economics has penetrated our daily lives, works and societies (Lai & Huang, 2022; Coughlin, 2009), nudging the development of new products and services. 

Design for Longevity (D4L) and gerontodesign as an emerging domain of knowledge studied the elderly people's needs from design lenses. Specifically, Design for Longevity is at the intersection of longevity science (Carstensen, 2011), service design, technologies (Lee, Yang et al., 2023), fashion, lifestyle, or medical devices (McCann, 2008). Gerontodesign creates, develops, and adapts products and services with the elderly to enhance the physical capacity, material, environmental and lifestyle needs of ageing people (Marcelino et al., 2015; Rivero, 2018). Studies on the design and use of digital technology products and services to improve the QoL of older people are mainly at the centre of interest (Marcelino et al., 2015; Peine & Leven, 2019; Manchester & Jarke, 2022). 

Studies in interior and urban design have reported positive outcomes for the role of design in enhancing longevity (Ball, 2012; Engineer et al., 2018). Engelen et al. (2022) connect feelings of togetherness with the definition of spaces that promote mobility and proximity to others, which are significant aspects of the well-being of elderly people. Connecting with other living beings allows us to demilitarise a space larger than our body or, as Reynolds (2018) explains, the extended body, which is defined by personal, social, and environmental flexibility to adapt to each situation's needs. In other words, it integrates the concepts of empathy and compassion as ways of generating a bond that allows the modification of what is established by listening, observing, and contributing, in this case from design, new processes that incorporate the various stages of old age and their characteristics. The need for connection with other living beings is a natural human response (Wilson, 1984), and this connection–interaction is an extension of our human bodies.  

In this call, we nudge the concept of longevity, and we take this concept as an opportunity to design for a well-lived, extended life, considering the variations in the life expectancy of the world's population (Liou et al., 2020). We believe that the present and future challenges regarding longevity will guide discussions and reflections towards an understanding that longevity means more than ageing. Some opportunities exist to look beyond age and integrate the characteristics of each life stage to explore emerging challenges from a design perspective. For this reason, we seek to promote discussion, reflection, and the exchange of knowledge around questions such as: What are the new roles and responsibilities of designers? How do we learn to adapt to change with curiosity, passion, and care? What is the relationship between design and longevity? How do we celebrate peoples' QoL by applying service design, longevity science and technologies? 

We encourage designers and the design academic community to share articles on three topics that are broad enough to cover diverse types of research and include different perspectives on facing the challenges of longevity from a design perspective. 

 

Well-Being for longevity 

Physical, psychological, and cognitive well-being are critical to and are the foundation of longevity. How do we integrate our health, wealth and home into longevity planning to celebrate our quality of life? How can we improve or nudge the connection between humans and the environment to contribute to our quality of life and healthy life expectancy? How can we boost a healthy and conscious relationship between humans and other living beings? 

Services for longevity 

We are in an era of longevity and experience economics. Services have played an integral role in industrial and company transformations. How do we apply the lens of service innovation to redesign and curate a service offering? How can services face the challenges of ageing? Should service design change its process to understand longevity better? How must service design change to adapt its outcomes to different needs according to age? How can technology be part of better experiences? How can technology shorten digital gaps and adapt to various audiences? 

Sustainability for longevity 

This perspective helps to understand challenges as connected areas that transform complexity into approachable opportunities. How can economic decisions be made from a design perspective? How do the environment and nature influence longevity, and what is the role of design? How can social interactions be improved to connect people and enhance their social experiences? How can we create better services for a better society for the elderly? 

Articles can be theoretical, empirical, and/or speculative/futures oriented, and interdisciplinary approaches will be especially valued. We look forward to receiving high-quality articles that advance knowledge in this field and inspire designers, researchers and practitioners to contribute to a long, healthy, autonomous and independent life. 

 

Type of contributions

  • Empirical research   
  • Systematic literature reviews   
  • Theoretical articles  
  • Educational research 

Languages of submision

  • English or Spanish.   

Abstract submission

Key dates 

  • Call for proposals: December 4th, 2023  
  • Submission of extended abstracts (800 to 1000 words): January 22nd, 2024  
  • Selection abstract notification: February 26th, 2024  
  • Full-paper submission (up to 5000 words): April 15th, 2024  
  • Peer review evaluation period: April 29th to May 27th, 2024  
  • Notification of peer review evaluation: June 3rd, 2024 
  • Submission of revised articles: July 1st, 2024 
  • Publication on the journal's OJS platform: December 2024 

 

About the journal 

Base Diseño e Innovación is a bilingual semestral publication created in 2014 by the Faculty of Design of the Universidad del Desarrollo. Its academic section is refereed and oriented to disseminating new knowledge with scientific standards in the design field and related areas. It seeks to encourage critical reflection and the methodological and disciplinary strengthening of design by disseminating articles from formal research and transfer projects. It publishes articles that address a wide range of design-related topics and are based on various theoretical perspectives and methodological strategies. Its open-access policy seeks to contribute to greater democratization and knowledge exchange. Its electronic platform facilitates access, storage, and consultation of the contents at any time and place. 

Director: Alejandra Amenábar 
Editor-in-Chief: Úrsula Bravo 
Publisher: Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile 

 

DOWNLOAD FULL CALL FOR PAPERS  

 

References 

  • Ball, M. S. (2012). Livable communities for aging populations: Urban design for longevity. John  Wiley & Sons. 
  • Blaikie, A. (1999). Ageing and popular culture. Cambridge University Press.  
  • Carstensen, L. L. (2011). A long bright future: Happiness, health and financial security in an age of  increased longevity (Rev. and updated). Public Affairs. 
  • Chapman, B. P., Roberts, B., & Duberstein, P. (2011). Personality and longevity: Knowns, unknowns  and implications for public health and personalized medicine. Journal of Aging Research. 2011(1):759170 
  • Cheng, C. (2001). Aging and life satisfaction. Social Indicators Research, 54(1), 57–79, Springer. 
  • Coughlin, J. F. (2009). Longevity, lifestyle and anticipating the new demands of aging on the  transportation system. Public Works Management & Policy, 13(4), 301–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X09335609 
  • Danner, D. D., Snowdon, D. A., & Friesen, W. V. (2001). Positive emotions in early life and  longevity: Findings from the nun study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(5), 804. 
  • Diener, E., & Chan, M. Y. (2011). Happy people live longer: Subjective well‐being contributes to  health and longevity. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 3(1), 1–43. 
  • Engelen, L., Rahmann, M., & de Jong, E. (2022). Design for healthy ageing – the relationship  between design, well-being. Building Research and Information 50(21):1-17 https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2021.1984867 
  • Engineer, A., Sternberg, E. M., & Najafi, B. (2018). Designing interiors to mitigate physical and cognitive deficits related to aging and to promote longevity in older adults: A review. Gerontology, 64(6), 612–622. 
  • Haigh, R. (1993). The ageing process: A challenge for design. Applied Ergonomics, 24(1), 9–14. 
  • Lai, M., & Huang, J. (2022). X thinking: Building better brands in the age of experience. X Thinking Institute. 
  • Lee, S.-H., Yang, M. C., de Weck, O. L., Lee, C., Coughlin, J. F., & Klopfer, E. (2023). Macro-trend study under service system: Preliminary research in service innovation and emerging technology. In U. Z. A. Hamid & M. Suoheimo (Eds.), Service Design for Emerging Technologies Product Development (Vol. 29, pp. 45–72). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29306-1_4 
  • Liou, L., Joe, W., Kumar, A., & Subramanian, S. V. (2020). Inequalities in life expectancy: An analysis of 201 countries, 1950–2015. Social Science & Medicine, 253, 112964. 
  • Luna, F. (2014). ‘Vulnerability’, an interesting concept for public health: The case of older persons. Public Health Ethics, 7(2), 180–194.  
  • Manchester, H., & Jarke, J. (2022). Considering the role of material gerontology in reimagining technology design for ageing populations. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 15(2), 181–213. 
  • Marcelino, I., Laza, R., Domingues, P., Gómez-Meire, S., & Pereira, A. (2015). eServices–service platform for pervasive elderly care. In Ambient Intelligence – Software and Applications: 6th International Symposium on Ambient Intelligence (ISAmI 2015) (pp. 203–211). Springer International Publishing. 
  • McCann, J. (2008). Design for ageing well: Improving the quality of life for the ageing population using a technology-enabled garment system. Advances in Science and Technology, 60, 154–163. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AST.60.154 
  • Peine, A., & Neven, L. (2019). From intervention to co-constitution: New directions in theorizing about aging and technology, the Gerontologist, 59(1), 15–21. 
  • Reynolds, J. M. (2018). The extended body: On aging, disability, and well-being, the Hastings Center Report, 48(5), S31–S36. 
  • Rivero, A. M. (2018). Aging suit: An accessible and low-cost design tool for the gerontodesign. In Handbook of Research on Ergonomics and Product Design (pp. 56–69). IGI Global. 
  • Walker, M. D., Duggan, G., Roulston, N., Van Slack, A., & Mason, G. (2012). Negative affective states and their effects on morbidity, mortality and longevity. Animal Welfare, 21(4), 497–509. 
  • Wilson, E. O. (1984). Biophilia. Harvard University Press. 
  • World Health Organization. (2019). GHE: Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.  https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-life-expectancy-and-healthy-life-expectancy