I believe it is incredibly important for all of us to take responsibility for designing a future where everyone counts and every individual matters. Together, let’s design a better narrative. Voice AI is the right technology, at the right time, to meet the upcoming massive demographic shift as we live longer, healthier, and more active lives.

I recently presented “No Older Adult Left Behind” at Voice Global 2020. See the presentation in its entirety here. The following is a recap of that presentation and an invitation for the voice community to better understand the potential for voice and the need for contextual design in an inclusive and diverse world.

Social good and smart business powered by voice AI

Emerging tech offers user insights not readily available with mature technologies. Since the early adopters of voice technology and smart speakers have been children and older adults, it’s logical to design voice experiences that first consider the needs of those already using the products and devices. Developers and designers have already directed a lot of attention to creating voice experiences for kids, but voice experiences for older adults remain largely untapped.

Let’s look at a few statistics from the U.S. and consider how voice AI offers an opportunity to impact daily life and build business value at the same time. Opportunity is knocking!

Approximately 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the US. The over-50 cohort is 113 million strong, controls over 70% of the wealth, and currently accounts for $7.6 trillion in direct consumer spending. Importantly, this is not just healthcare spend. Did I mention opportunity?

When we build for voice, we create interactions that combine knowledge of who our users are with relevant, high-quality content, delivering an experience that satisfies the user and meets business goals. Every design process begins with understanding the user audience.

Who are these older adults?

The over-50 cohort comprises four generations, all influenced by the generations and cultural influences that came before them. Understanding their context helps identify the right use cases, the right user stories, and importantly, the right context to begin designing voice experiences with familiarity, contextual user flows, and successful voice interactions.

These four diverse generations each have their music, their favorite celebrities, their innovations, and their world moments. They are defined by distinct experiences and unique user context. Understanding generational context offers insight into how they approach life, how they listen and speak with the world around them and offers an important perspective for how they may want to communicate via voice technology.

1. The Greatest Generation: 1901-1927

Today’s “oldest old” lived through WWII, the Spanish Flu, and the Great Depression. They listened to the radio, big band music, and enjoyed radio dramas.

2. The Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945

The silent generation are post-depression children who became family-focused, value-driven, and thrifty adults. They experienced the space program, Woodstock, and JFK’s assassination as defining moments.

3. The Boomer Generation: 1946-1964

The boomer generation has a wide range of experiences and behaviors. Boomers were the radicals of the seventies, the yuppies of the eighties, and a generation of innovators who today control the majority of wealth and consumer spending.

4. Generation X: 1965-1980

The oldest generation Xers are now over age 50. They were often known as latchkey kids due to both parents working outside the home and single parenting becoming a norm.

A persistent myth about aging

The reality is we all age from birth. As we get older, some will experience hearing loss or diminishing vision, and most will likely lose a step or two. Common joint injuries include hips and knees, and physical changes often impact socialization, inviting isolation to rear its ugly head. There are many opportunities for voice experiences to assist with health concerns and the loneliness that many encounter with age. However, let’s bust the myth!

There is a huge myth that everyone over a “certain age” has white hair, uses a walker, and is in dire need of healthcare.  This is a myth. I say again, this is a myth!

In reality, it is more common to see active, healthy 90 year-olds these days. More and more, we hear about events like the Centennial Olympics where Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, 104, holds the world record for her age group in sprinting.

Regardless of age, activity level, or stage of life, all older adults do have similar top priorities: physical health, cognitive health, and staying socially engaged. If voice can keep people moving, thinking and connected, it’s a wonderful thing! We’ll see improved quality of life and increased engagement—and resulting upticks in the business around us.

An important part of successful voice design involves understanding where potential users currently like to play and what they like to do. Research shows older adults like to travel and explore, enjoy learning new things, and focus on people and things that give them a sense of purpose.

Design by stage of life

Everyone falls across a spectrum from athletic, to active, to independent, to assisted. Many live with a variety of chronic conditions, some temporary, some situational and some permanent. However, most of the 50+ cohort falls within the athletic to independent range and a majority thrive while aging as healthy adults.

My hope is that we begin to design voice experiences for older adults using a different lens. If we toss away the assumptions and misconception, and instead consider a users’ stage of life, activity level, and condition variants, will we design better experiences for older adults? My answer is “Yes, most certainly!”