A 2011 report predicted a notable future change in technology called Design for All. Why would that make more sense than the specialty tech of the period for older adults – flip phones, special tablets, and even special TV remotes, some still available today. Those age-specific devices today are marketed online – and for those looking for tech for people with Alzheimer’s or mobility issues they can be found. But the general consumer product market has radically changed by 2026 – today it is feasible to adjust features of a device to accommodate physical, hearing or vision limitations with products that are designed for all. Software has become the enabler as:
Smartphones (iOS, Android, etc.) have design for all built in. Consider screen layout, voice control, accessibility features like screen readout, color contrast, visual displays (like the Echo Show) and translation options for multiple languages. All these in a customizable standard consumer product. With some training, there is no further need for a specialty senior phone or tablet – by 2030 you will not find them in stores – only online. You can see older adults everywhere you look navigating their smartphones, taking pictures, sending email, responding to family group texts, oh, and even talking.
Tablets, with far more viewable screen real estate, make viewing easier for all. These might have been marketed as products for those with visual impairments – the big screen was a big leap forward from the smartphone. But Apple and others said no – this is a general consumer product. They know they can handle any accessibility needs with software – why limit the addressable device market?
And the rest – smart speakers, headphones, all general consumer products. Sold to the twenty-somethings and the 75-somethings. A bit of grandchild-sourced training may be the jumpstart – but if you talk to people in their late 70s and beyond – there is no AgeTech in their home. A physical limitation – like significant hearing loss, a mobility issue requiring a walker or wheelchair, the consumer sources the sizable disability market – impacting corporations, retailers, transportation and more. But that is not the stated mission of of so-called AgeTech – meeting the needs of the world’s population as they age. The consumer does not want a special category - they want products that are designed for use by their whole family, friends and peers. Many older adults do not even think of themselves as aging. In fact, they want tech that is designed for all.
