Empathy by Design: Tailoring Life-Centered Solutions for Seniors and Individuals with Dementia

As part of the 2024-2025 Seminar Series, Dahdaleh Institute faculty fellow Shital Desai explored creating Life-Centered Solutions for Seniors and Individuals with Dementia.
As our global population ages, the need for innovative, thoughtful, and human-centered design solutions becomes increasingly urgent. This presentation, titled "Empathy by Design: Tailoring Life-Centered Solutions for Seniors and Individuals with Dementia," focuses on the growing field of life-centered design and its transformative potential in creating products, services, and environments that enhance the quality of life for seniors and individuals living with dementia. The talk will explore how design, when grounded in empathy and a deep understanding of humans and the environments around them, can foster independence, dignity, and well-being for these vulnerable populations.
Speaker Profile:
Dr. Desai is an Associate Professor in Interaction Design at the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, a Research Chair in Accessible Interaction Design at York University, and the co-lead of the Connected Minds Training Committee. With nearly 30 years of experience in Robotics and Participatory Design, she leads the innovative Social and Technological Systems (SaTS) lab, supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.