UX Camp Spring 2024
Age & Tech: Experience Need Not Apply
At the heart of the tech design industry is a worm in the bud: old people are not allowed. We see the stories every day, both explicitly and implicitly: “Tech is a young persons game.” It’s not that anyone would say it out-loud; well almost nobody. Mark Zuckerberg has been quoted as saying, ”Young people are just smarter,” but that was in 2007 when he was 23. One wonders how he feels about it now that he is rapidly approaching 40?
In this session I will explore the uncomfortable but vital topic of how ageism is an unspoken factor in hiring and advancement in the design industry, providing research and statistics on where we stand now. I’ll discuss some of the common “reasons” given for not hiring experienced designers, the benefits experience can offer in a constantly evolving and changing profession, and how ageism becomes a negative multiplier when combined with sexism and racism, further preventing diversity in an already homogeneous profession.
More importantly, I want to engage in a discussion with the audience to hear their experiences with ageism, how other forms of discrimination have compounded the problem for them, and consider paths forward.
