Training - Design Days
Aging By Design kicked off in Fall 2016 with two large-scale trainings in human-centered design held in WNY and CNY.
Over 100 agencies and 300 individuals participated in Design Days, which provided a summary introduction and overview into design thinking.
Empathize and Define
Following Design Days, participating agencies were encouraged to learn about their clients in different ways. Staff and clients worked together to complete more than 300 postcards and empathy maps.
By engaging with clients on a more personal level, staff are better-able to understand the details and nuances of problems and needs.
Engagement tools can be a useful way to collect qualitative perspectives for Community Needs Assessments.
Ideate
After the six-month learning phase, interested agencies were invited to apply for a $25,000 planning grant to more deeply integrate human-centered design approaches and techniques into the their work.
Each agency assembled a design team consisting of older adults, staff, leadership, and volunteers to ideate, prototype, and test their ideas. Ten grantees were selected to participate in a 4-day intensive training and had six-months for ideation and prototyping.
Prototype and Test
During the planning phase of ABD, grantees worked with their clients to gradually understand adaptations, program improvements, and service innovations that would help their clients successfully access and utilize services.
Grantees across WNY and CNY tested ideas related to rural transportation services, a shared medical supply closet, language-accessible materials for older refugees, home maintenance for Meals on Wheels clients, inclusive and culturally-competent residential facilities for older LGBTQ+ adults, and reimagined public spaces in an independent living community.
Iterate and Next Steps
Each ABD grantee received a share of over $650,000 in implementation funding to put their new and improved services into action. Stay tuned for more information on the future of Aging By Design and how you can get involved.
Learn more about the ten ABD grantees on the map and get started with your own aging-related human-centered design project by checking out the Aging By Design toolkit.