Reflective Pedagogical Strategies for Addressing Age-Related Biases in Design Education: Assumption Dumps and Time Capsule Letters

Abstract

This statement of practice explores the use of reflective pedagogical strategies to address age-related biases among design students, focusing on two key exercises: assumption dumps and time capsule letters. Rather than addressing ageism solely through user-centered approaches, the two pedagogical strategies introduced in this paper encourage design students to critically examine their own assumptions and to imagine their future selves. These exercises were applied across a range of design cohorts in higher education and continuing learning contexts, including undergraduate design students, recent design graduates, and professional designers. Participants engaged in structured reflection and introspective writing, designed to make aging a personally relevant concept and to surface unconscious biases. Results indicate that these strategies fostered greater empathy, heightened awareness of age-related bias, and, in some cases, ongoing critical reflection. By positioning introspection as an entry point into age-inclusive design thinking, we suggest a flexible and scalable strategy for embedding age-related issues into design curricula.