6: Miguel Gómez Hernández on why designers are all wrong about elderly housing

Spanish design anthropologist Miguel Gómez Hernández went to Australia to investigate how industry experts envision the future designs of houses for the elderly. This future vision was all about safety and health, including iPads on the fridge to help people see what to eat, and no carpets or other things that create a risk of falling. But then he started visiting the houses of elderly people and found that they resisted these ideas. For them, there are different things that matter than safety and comfort, namely the joy of a colourful carpet and the need for photos where they can be seen. Miguel is a design-anthropologist teaching and pursuing his PhD at Monash University, Australia. He is researching how older adults and the AgeTech industry envision future older people’s lives with smart-home technologies. He has also taught courses on anthropology, health humanities, usability, and design thinking. Previously, Miguel researched and developed guidelines to design mobile apps and sensors for older people, primarily in the e-health domain. His academic background is an MSc in technology-anthropology in Denmark, and a Dual BA in sociology and political science in Spain and Finland. He also lived in Russia.

Om Podcasten

Join anthropologist Roanne van Voorst and her guests during fieldwork in Inuit villages in Greenland, poor riverbank-settlements in Indonesia, or the buzzling city of Amsterdam. While she shares the wisest lessons that she learned in the field - often from unexpected teachers -, you will hear the sounds that surround her: chirping snow, a street musician playing the guitar, singing birds, or a noisy traffic road. In anthropology, the ‘emic’ perspective means the insider’s perspective. During fieldwork, anthropologists try to understand the perspective of the people who live within a specific group, or subculture in society. Want to learn more about Roannes' fieldwork, see her notes, photos or drawings from the field? Then subscibe to her monthly letters at www.anthropologyofthefuture.com/the-emic The podcast includes guest episodes from fellow anthropologists, or other listeners: if you want to share your 'emic' moment (see this file: https://anthropologyofthefuture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Emic-radioplay-instructions.pdf for an explanation), you may send Roanne a 5 minute audio recording of your story - the most beautiful ones are produced by Roanne and her team into a radioplay, where we will add sounds to your voice!