At 90, Barbara Beskind is by far the oldest designer at innovation company IDEO in Silicon Valley. She applied to join just two years ago, on hearing founder David Kelley emphasise the importance of diverse perspectives to design on the television show 60 Minutes.
At the time, IDEO was designing for ageing ‘baby boomers’, and Beskind’s first-hand experience of ageing was recognised as an asset. “Everybody who ages is going to be their own problem-solver,” she says.
Beskind works one day a week, advising other designers focused on products for elderly users and working on her own designs.
