Transform Ageing: Exploring the challenge in North Devon

Transform Ageing is a design-led programme to improve people’s experience of ageing.

It brings together people in later life, social entrepreneurs and public sector leaders, to design and deliver solutions to the needs and aspirations of our ageing communities.

In Phase 1, design workshops were held in Cornwall, North Devon, Somerset and Torbay over the Summer 2017. Participants worked together to explore a specific challenge and conduct research in their communities. Their findings informed a set of ‘innovation briefs’ for social entrepreneurs to respond to in Phase 2.

We commissioned an ethnographic team (Postcode Films and Fan Sissoko) to follow the experience of one group in North Devon, working on the challenge ‘opportunities for informal care’.

What did we learn?

• The workshop’s popularity presented some facilitation challenges; a big group and a big room sometimes made it difficult for everyone to hear and understand the instructions
• The group experienced some mismatch between what was said and what was understood, suggesting ‘design language’ may be alienating to some. For example, one participant felt the programme formalised the community research, yet the way he approached interviewing instead was exactly aligned with the intentions of the programme
• Participants valued the mix of people around the table to challenge their own assumptions and force them to find a way of expressing themselves without using jargon
• For participants, one of the successes of the programme was in building a community of people willing to work together to solve problems linked to ageing. There was a strong desire to build on their work in the future.

How can I find out more?

For an in-depth look at the stories from each location, see our other ethnographic videos and report.

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