The best products start not with technology, but with stories—especially in the aging and care space.
In this episode of Designing for Dignity, host Erin Young speaks with Nicole Will, founder of Will Gather, a platform and podcast at the intersection of aging, caregiving, and AgeTech. Nicole also works with Rendever and Lorenzo's House.
Nicole shares her journey, from family caregiver at age 15 to becoming a gerontologist and AgeTech advisor. The conversation explores the power of storytelling in building empathy before building products, what successful AgeTech teams get right, and why understanding the full caregiver experience is essential to designing technology people actually use.
Nicole emphasizes the importance of proximity to real user stories, the complexity of serving multiple user types in caregiving technology, and the need for equity and access to be built into care solutions from the start. She also explores how VR is addressing social isolation in older adults and offers advice for innovators in the AgeTech space.
What you’ll learn
How storytelling builds understanding, both for innovators and prospective customers
How understanding individual caregiving experiences can shape the way innovators design and communicate
What successful AgeTech teams consistently get right from the start
How to identify and serve multiple user types in the care ecosystem
Why equity and access must be designed in from the beginning
What Nicole tells innovators who are eager to build before they have truly listened
Key themes
Caregiving • Aging • Storytelling • User Research • AgeTech • Elder Care • Dementia • Social Isolation • VR in Care • Designing for Dignity
About the Designing for Dignity podcast
Designing for Dignity is a podcast from Slide UX that explores how thoughtful design can enhance autonomy, connection, and quality of life for people navigating aging or brain change. Each conversation spotlights innovators, caregivers, researchers, and individuals with lived experience, offering insights that bridge technology, empathy, and impact.