The Plan

In September 2017 we made the decision to embark on a six-month plan to initiate the project without external funding (Phase One). From January to May 2018 we worked with our co-design group on a process of discovery (research) to generate insights on the lived experience of older people. In May 2018, we shared a set of insights into the challenge of building social connectedness and opportunities for change. These insights and opportunities served as a guide for the design of solutions in the next phase of Generations, which kicked off in 2019. 

Phase Two began with a process of creative thinking with a codesign group, some of whom participated in the first phase, some of whom were new to Generations. This led to the generation of ideas for solving the challenge. The most promising solutions were identified, tested with older people, and further iterated based on learning from the testing (prototyping) process. This left us with four early stage solutions which now require testing in the real world - seeing what works and what doesn’t - so we can further develop and strengthen them.

The world has changed significantly since we completed Phase Two back in late 2019, and emerging solutions will need be able to respond to those changes. For Phase Three, we are seeking partners to test these solutions in the real world so we can learn together and develop solutions which will powerfully contribute to building greater social connectedness as we age.