Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while a group of older adults discussed a product or problem you care about? Now you can.
Since 2014, various Longevity Explorers circles of older adults have been meeting regularly to:
- discuss unmet needs associated with growing older;
- critique specific products; brainstorm solutions to some of the challenges of aging; and
- compare notes about gadgets they like to use.
We audio-recorded most of these discussions, and they form a rich archive of “what older adults think about various topics”, and what actually matters to them — which is often very different to portrayals in the media.
Interested in What We Learned?
For older adults, & their families
Our discussions vary broadly. Often we tackle questions to which the older adult discussion participants want answers, and talk about ways individuals have solved challenges or needs they have experienced. If you are an older adult, or friend of an older adult, you may find these topics interesting too.
We have synthesized what we have learned into a series of “Exploration Syntheses”, where we summarize the results from multiple discussions on a topic, and share actionable insights that have emerged from the discussions.
For Product Developers
Often we talk about unmet needs, flaws in existing products, and important products we wish someone would develop for older adults like us. These discussions are expecially relevant to people engaged in developing new products for older adults.
We often meet young product developers who want to develop products for older adults, and wish they had a good way to immerse themselves in the world as older adults see it. Being able to listen in while older adults talk about topics they care deeply about, and products they wish existed, is a great way to do that.
With typical ages of our explorers ranging from 70 – 95 years old, these discussions represent the opinions of a demographic that is hard to reach. And the volume and breadth of discussions we have curated since 2014 is quite unparelleled.
In the past we maintained a publicly available archive of our explorer discussions. In early 2023 we made the decision to no longer support the archive as a public “resource” for researchers — due to lack of organizational time and financial resources.
NOTE: The archive still exists and could be made available for “interested researchers” doing some type of ethnographical research if so desired. However this would need to be supported by some type of grant funding, as there is work involved with making it accessible.
Custom Workshops for Companies and Innovators
We are happy to organize a custom “workshop” at which a group of the Longevity Explorers will discuss the topics you care about, to which you can listen. There is a fee for this service.
If you are interested, reach out to us with questions etc using the link below.