Joseph F. Coughlin
Director of the MIT AgeLab
Joseph F. Coughlin is director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab (http://agelab.mit.edu). His research explores how demographic change, technology and consumer behavior drive innovations in business and society. Coughlin teaches in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Sloan School's Advanced Management Program. He is author of the new book The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market (Public Affairs, 2017).
The past four decades have seen major transformation in the roles and evolving responsibilities of employerswith regard to the lives of their employees. While business has changed with the ‘times,’ […]
Innovative product design is increasingly crucial as the generally educated and wealthier boomer consumer rises to the fore of the marketplace with a lifetime of technology experience and rising expectations […]
Ironically, the growth of new disruptive technologies is only rivaled by the growth of disruptive demographics in an aging marketplace. These two forces collide and are reconciled by designers on […]
The iPad. It’s new. It’s cool. And, it’s a terrific designexperience that is likely to excite and delight your grandmother…and you. It isa stellar example of what designers should consider […]
This is the second of afive-part interview of Joseph Coughlin on disruptive demographics and businessinnovation conducted by Rohit Sakhuja on WMBR MIT Radio’s Paradigm Shifts program. Inthis segment Coughlin envisions […]
Who is online? As thefigure shows, the majority of adults from 18 to 50 are living some form of digitallife. Even older adults 65 and older are growing in numbers […]
Product development and launch was easier when the consumer was young enough to see everything as new and novel. While admittedly fast moving and hard to keep, the ‘tween through […]
Family caregiving is a privatejob of love and work. Recently it has been getting public agenda status from anunexpected industry – financial services. While caregiving is a well studiedtopic among […]
The future of financial services will be more than managing money. The longevity gains of the last century present a financial risk that previous generations rarely encountered — a lifespan […]
It’s that time of year again. It’s summer time and olderdrivers are in the news. Perennially trapped between humor and horror thedebate on older drivers continues in every state house, […]
Too many designers, marketers and concerned observers have declared universal design to be the universal answer to meet the new needs of the growing numbers of older baby boomer consumers. […]
A baby boomer turns 64 nearly one every seven seconds. Perennially youthful, butno longer young the nation’s largest generation is now well into middle age andbeyond. Born between 1946 and […]
“…Should I stay or should I go now?If I go there will be troubleAn if I stay there will be double…” The Clash (1982) […]
According to the American Association of Retirement Communities, nearly 15,000 baby boomers retire every day – and visit and selecta community to live – an extraordinary number by any estimate. […]
Earlier this month Bank of America Merrill Lynch produced a webcast on “Health Care in Retirement”. Thewebcast was part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Help2Retire webcast series.I was pleased […]
My commentary onthe transportation needs of an aging America (How to Avoid a Surge of Shut-Ins)appeared October 20, 2010 in the New York Times Opinion section Room for Debate. I […]
The convergence of technology and aging continues toreceive prominent attention from researchers in medicine, engineering andgerontology. The UCLA Center on Aging held its third annual Technology & Aging Conference“Science Changing Lives” […]
MIT News Office‘s Peter Dizikes came by the AgeLab to discuss our research on older drivers and mobility. He posed three questions to me addressing: Source: Peter Dizikes, MIT News […]
I had the pleasure to participate in the AARP-sponsoredAtlantic Magazine Forum “What’s Next? How Technology will Revolutionizethe Boomer Generation” in Washington, DC at the infamous yet iconicWatergate office building. Alexis […]
Data dense and seemingly dry, demographic change and transportation are two topics that by themselves do not readily grab the attention of the public. Yet, these are two inter-related factors […]
MIT AgeLab AGNESAge Gain Now Empathy System Old age is not new, but integrating the demands of older consumers into the design process for products that are fun and fashionable […]
Sun, sea and sand – for many these are the ingredients ofthe ideal retirement destination. But does a leisurely walk on the beach or fairwaycontribute to healthy aging? While these […]
The auto industry is slowly coming back. Not just in termsof revenues but back to boomers. For nearly all products, the baby boomers of Australia,Europe, North America, as well as […]
TheMIT Enterprise Forum Northwest held Boomers, Technology & Health: Consumers Taking Charge in Seattle, Washington on January 19, 2011. The event examinedthe role of baby boomers in future technology innovation […]
Much to the dismay of theirchildren, baby boomers are online and doing more than checking out pictures offamily members and exchanging recipes. Boomers are moving to online communitiesto help them […]
Older drivers. Safe? Not safe? A perennial question andstory for families, legislatures and ultimately the media. Each accidenttriggers passion, a call for policy, but mostly a call for help. Unfortunately,the […]
PC World cried out two years ago – Are Baby Boomers Killing Facebook and Twitter? Younger users were described as losing their digitalplayground to commercialization and (evenworse) to their parents. […]
By now everyone has heard (and heard again…and again) thatthe American baby boomers are aging. Even their Canadian cousins are aging – infact marginally grayer then their neighbor to the […]
Happy Valentine’s Day!Cards, candy and…connecting online? Older adults are among the fastest growing age group meeting and matching digitally.Worldwide more older adults are finding love online. Match.com reports that 22%of its […]
Old age is hard work. Managing the inherent complexities of aging or caring for those who areolder is both a personal challenge and opportunity for innovation. In a study conducted by […]