Master's thesis - Intergenerational Aid in the 21st Century
Exploring the role of digital support in the day-to-day lives of seniors.
ROLE:
Graduate researcher and designer
DURATION:
18 months
INSTITUTE:
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
TEAM:
Myself guided by my supervisors
TOOLS:
Photoshop, Figma
DELIVERABLES:
Primary and Secondary Research, Participatory Workshops, Stakeholder and strategy map, Service Ideation, Low-High Fidelity Prototypes of a product, Usability Testing, Published Thesis
OVERVIEW:
As digital immigrants of the 21st century, the current elderly always seem to have difficulty catching up with today’s technologies. When day-to-day services like banking, healthcare, travel, etc., become entirely digitized without giving seniors the required time, education, or support to get on board, it gradually chips at their independence, dignity, and agency. To keep afloat in this rapidly digitizing world, most seniors find themselves relying on assistance from the people around them, such as younger family members, neighbors, friends, and community volunteers. My research explores the various facets and multitudes of digital support that younger persons commonly provide seniors.
Common queries that often come up in our interactions with senior parents, grandparents, neighbours or even friends.
RESEARCH QUESTION:
OUTPUT:
-
Researched and identfied key insights into the social connotations of this widely popular intergenerational support.
-
Created a stakeholder map with strategies that each of them need to take in order to tackle digital support for seniors.
-
Ideated, designed and tested low fidelity prototypes for a product that capitalizes on this intergenerational digital support, making it a warmer and efficient experience for users.
-
Created High Fidelity mock ups for theproduct, in careful consideration of accessibility and incusivity guidelines.
What factors influence this intergenerational digital support between seniors and younger generations? What is the role of technology and its design in this context?
DESIGN PROCESS:
Coloured circles indicate my areas of involvement in the entire process.
CONTEXT:
A Global Ageing Crisis
Rapid Digitization & Seniors
To date, technology use among older adults is far less than that of younger generations, due to a multitude of reasons like affordability, access, and usability caused by age-related afflictions, lack of experience, and disinterest. And this digital divide is more than just a temporary problem, the pace at which technology changes and age-associated disabilities will always create an inevitable gap that future seniors must constantly try to bridge.
Between 2015 and 2050, it is estimated that the proportion of the world's population aged above 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22%. (World Health Organization, 2022) With the UN declaring this as the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, it is imperative that we rise to the occasion as a society - in the way we include, design, and provide care. ,
Warm Experts
Technology woes for the elderly are rarely an individualized problem. A recent study in the US identified that almost half the seniors need someone, often being younger family members, friends, neighbors, and community members to help set up and show them how to use a new electronic device.
Warm Technology
While technology has greatly benefitted humanity, we must acknowledge that it has a reputation for being complex, impersonal, and uncaring. 'Warm technology' is an alternative approach to designing technologies that improves quality of life in a wholesome and inclusive manner - fostering inclusivity, social connectedness, dignity, and self-reliance.
METHODS
-
I conducted interviews with 13 research participants to understand their personal experiences and individual perspectives on intergenerational relationships, technology adoption and familiarity with digital products. A variety of research participants like seniors, younger persons, community volunteers, etc., were recruited to bring in diverse perspectives and lived experiences.
-
Following the interview, a hands-on workshop was conducted with 10 participants exploring concepts of “reciprocity” and “support’. The workshop allowed participants to “make” and “explore” while conversing, allowing for more unconscious thoughts and beliefs to surface.
The first activity was designed to explore the ecosystem of support as seniors age independently. It helped identify what they considered their key support systems and preferred means of accessing these in the near future.
The second activity probed into the idea of reciprocity between generations in today's world. It gave a glimpse of what the current younger and older generations wish to 'give' and 'receive' from each other.
.jpg)
-
I also conducted a precedent study to understand the pros and practical concerns of existing products and services that aid seniors with digital technologies. Considering that many of these were paid products, most of the analysis was obtained from their websites; neither my research participants nor I have used these apps ourselves. It became evident that barriers like affordability, access, awareness, etc., affected the large-scale adoption of these services.
-
The research was also fundamentally informed by my experience as a regular volunteer at the West End Seniors' Network, an NGO offering social and community support for seniors in Vancouver. My role as an Information and Referral Desk Volunteer for a year allowed me to observe the impacts of digitization on the day-to-day lives of seniors while spending quality time.
DEFINE:
Primary data gathered from the interviews and participatory workshops were initially organized into codes individual to each participant. A thematic analysis helped rearrange these codes based on similar themes and identify threads of compelling perspectives. I the mapped the key insights.
IDEATE:
1.) Stakeholder & Strategy Map
By examining intergenerational digital support, I understand how complex the larger issue of digital literacy is for the elderly.
Intergenerational support is but one facet of tackling digital inclusivity for seniors. Though seniors like relying on younger family or friends and younger persons want to help, on a practical scale, the quantity and frequency of support required is too much to bear by just the younger generations. Other stakeholders in this picture, like the community, governments and technology companies, must also acknowledge their responsibility and shoulder this burden. There needs to be collective action from each of these stakeholders to truly progress with regard to bridging this digital divide. A systemic change is the only long-term answer considering the scale of a global crisis such as this. The following is a map of strategies that various stakeholders can implement to improve digital literacy for seniors
2.) 'Una', a product design exploration
Going ahead, after having done this research, I wondered if there was a small step that I, as an interaction designer, could take meanwhile to contribute to this larger ecosystem of progress. A systemic change of the scale proposed would take a long time to come into effect fully.
This research so far helped me understand the magnitude of value seniors place on interpersonal trust and bonding. Informal digital support has the potential to create and maintain intergenerational relationships, a valuable asset in this age of widening generational isolation. While intergenerational digital support cannot remain a singular answer to the bigger crisis at hand, it can remain an efficient, quick fix until we start seeing more systemic changes. And even then, it can continue being one of the more affectionate systems of support for a senior. If the process of digital support can be made less burdensome for the younger persons involved and focus more on its relationship-building capacities, this would highly benefit both seniors and younger generations. In this spirit, I prototyped Una, a mobile application to better facilitate this intergenerational digital support by overcoming its barriers and building on its opportunities.
Named in the spirit of togetherness and oneness, Una allows seniors to call and share their screens with known younger persons to receive digital assistance. The warm experts are provided with a variety of visual guides like masks, pointers, gestures, etc., while screen sharing to efficiently guide and support the seniors. Una first takes the shape of a mobile application considering that it is one of the more commonly possessed digital devices by seniors.
Una focuses on bringing ease, efficiency, and warmth to the existing process of digital support within established relationships. The convenience and speed that Una provides with digital support would save time and energy, which are precious commodities for younger persons. The variety of visual guides also makes the overall learning process more inclusive, comfortable, and easier for seniors. With intergenerational digital support already being a widespread and preferred option, Una can ease the experience for all generations involved until other stakeholders, like technology companies and governments, share the burden of support.
INITIAL PROTOTYPING AND TESTING:
Initially, I chose to start with a mobile version, considering that many seniors at least own a smartphone, if not a tablet or laptop. Using insights generated in the research, I pinned down key pain points and opportunities for seniors and younger persons regarding digital support. This analysis helped brainstorm potential needs and features for the product. Translating these into features into an information architecture and mid-fidelity wireframes, I tested this with 4 of my research participants (two above 60 years and two below 60 years). Their feedback helped shape the final product and its key features.
The following points encapsulate the feedback that I received.
-
How will the app ensure safety and privacy if the senior is screen sharing important information?
-
How will seniors navigate the app? Will the seniors need help learning how to use this app? (It should be, simple and not intimidate them?)
-
The call for help option was well received as opposed to the DIY.
-
The DIY option may not necessarily provide the right answers, so seniors may give up on it after a few tries
-
Keep the app as straightforward as possible….gamification might complicate
-
Could there be a potential to message? Could the senior send screeenshots if the younger person is busy
-
Not confident about using community learning and blog posts
-
Sharing a simple premed gif or sticker was well appreciated. The idea of creating recipes or anecdotes felt tiresome.
Common queries that often come up in our interactions with senior parents, grandparents, neighbours or even friends.
FINAL PROTOTYPE:
Let me take you through the key features of Una using a simple use case of a daughter, Dianne, teaching her aging parent, Lisa, how to buy a product on Amazon.
On the left, you will see Lisa’s screens and on the right, Diannes. This is to help you understand the two versions of Una, one for the warm expert and the other for the senior.
-
First, Lisa opens the Una app on her phone and clicks Diane’s profile from her list of contacts of warm experts in her life. Lisa messages Diane to check if she is free for a call.
Una has two versions, one for the warm expert and the other for the senior, to suit their varying needs.
Seniors can save and video call contacts of warm experts in their lives.
-
Lisa messages Diane to check if she is free for a call and when she confirms this, Lisa calls her. After quickly catching up, Lisa updates Diane about wanting to buy a steamer on Amazon.
Seniors can also message their contacts and send screenshots of screens they are having trouble with, giving an opportunity to be more respectful of the warm experts' time.
Seniors can video call warm experts to share their screen and seek digital support.
-
Diane asks Lisa to open the Amazon app and share her screen while on call. Now Diane uses a combination of visual guides like masks, pointers, and floating commands to instruct her mom on how to buy the steamer. By using these tools, she is able to teach her mum not just basic know-how but also nuances like checking for product ratings, confirming the number of products in the cart, sending as a gift, etc.
Warm experts are provided with a variety of visual guides like masks, pointers, and floating commands on the shared screen to instruct seniors.
While these visual tools are mere guides for the seniors, the actual clicking is done by seniors. This ensures that seniors slowly learn how to do these digital tasks on their own.
While these visual tools are mere guides for the seniors, the actual clicking is done by seniors. This ensures that seniors slowly learn how to do these digital tasks on their own.
-
With the help of Diane's verbal instructions and visual guides, Lisa quickly finishes ordering her steamer, and they say their goodbyes. Feeling grateful for the help, Lisa selects a sticker from the curation provided by Una when the call ends and sends it to Diane. Later, when Diane checks her messages and sees this sticker, she feels the warmth and affection her mum wanted to share through this simple act.
Seniors are provided with a curation of warm gifs and stickers to express their gratitude, fostering relationships.
BENEFITS OF UNA:
The convenience and speed that Una provides with digital support would save time and energy, which are precious commodities for younger persons. The variety of visual guides also makes the overall learning process more inclusive, comfortable, and easier for seniors. With intergenerational digital support already being a widespread and preferred option, Una can ease the experience for all generations involved until other stakeholders, like technology companies and governments, share the burden of digital inclusivity for seniors. Una intends for seniors and younger generations to rely positively on each other for digital support as an opportunity to grow and mutually benefit from their intergenerational relationships.
Una, as a warm and simple application, also has the potential to transcend beyond known relationships and act as a bridge between seniors and communities, governments, private sectors, etc. This reduces the burden on family members and creates multiple tiers of support for a senior.
Hi! I'm Sita, a product designer in Vancouver.