Problems from The Aged society in Taiwan
In 2022, according to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, there were over 3.22 million single-person households, accounting for more than 35% of the total number of households in the country. Among them, the most affected group was those aged over 65.
According to the Elderly Condition Survey Report in Taiwan, about 80% of the elderly individuals living alone engage in watching television as their leisure activity and around 60% of the elderly have limited interaction with social groups. Lack of social connections may result in lack of physical activity, leading to heart diseases and diabetes. Besides, loneliness can lead to various psychiatric disorders like depression, sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease, affecting the mental health of elderly individuals.
To delve into the reasons behind the situation, my teammate and I conducted the questionnaire having 60 responses from the seniors and was distributed through various Facebook senior clubs, LINE senior groups. Most important attractions and concerns for seniors to participate in outdoor social activities are as follows.
Persona
"I want to join a group that is led by someone, safe, and has similar interests." by a senior citizen in East Dist., Tainan, Taiwan.
Through interviews, I learned that this service must align closely with users' interests. I also recorded the daily routines of elderly individuals and found that their physical activity levels are lowest and their need for companionship is highest between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM, which is also the ideal time for seniors to go for a walk before having dinner.
Product Features
Orders Management
Set up Chatbot in LINE app to help users to manage their tour orders, also it reminds users about upcoming trips.
Effortless for seniors
LINE is the commonly used app among the elderly. It allows a more convenient registration process for the seniors. Also, we provide necessary information and viewing of all route details of interest.
In designing the LINE chatbot and configuring the UI, we focused on selecting the most crucial features. To cater to the elderly users, we increased font size and enhanced contrast to improve legibility of the interface for the elderly, making it easier to read for the seniors.
Cooperate with local students
Through surveys and brainstorming, we attempted to view the issue from a student’s perspective and discovered that involving student guides might be a good solution. This led to the idea of "intergenerational tours," which emerged in our minds. Also, there is a shortage of volunteers available for short-term daytime service. University students have flexible daytime schedules and are more capable of preparing for the tours.
We started by exploring suitable routes in areas near the school and collaborated with local, long-established businesses. We incorporated hands-on experiences and professional explanations into the tours. Multiple visits to the attractions helped streamline the process. Finally, we adjusted the interaction model between student guides and seniors based on feedback.
Benefits for other stake holders
This service project collaborates with National Cheng Kung University, offering unprecedented course choices for university students. It guides students to break free from their peer environment, providing opportunities to learn how to interact with the elderly and take good care of them through service and engage in meaningful exchanges.
University students have more flexible class schedules, making daytime availability for guiding more convenient. Additionally, this project can take into account the educational significance for students by introducing local culture, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the school's community and enhancing their oral presentation skills.
Prototypes and Refinement
We took on the role of tour guides and designed a two-hour local tour in collaboration with traditional shops and Buddhist organizations in Tainan. During this tour, we actively collected user feedback and suggestions for improvement. The main areas for revision are as follows:
- Needs for a booking system with senior-friendly interface
- Needs for local tour guides with flexible time
- Establish a service model and system that takes into account different stakeholders
Presentation
Since most visitors to our on-campus end-of-semester exhibition are students, bridging the generational gap to help them understand the topic was a significant challenge. Ultimately, we decided to present our idea in the form of a board game. By interacting with a scaled-down map, guests could experience a first-person view of the trial runs, immersing themselves in the joy of intergenerational tours while gaining a deeper understanding of the value of service design.
We used programming to integrate Arduino and Unity. When exhibition visitors triggered different switches on the board game, videos of the attractions would play, enhancing the sense of immersion.
Feedback from professionals
"How does this service deal with the fear of strangers?" by an experienced local guide
Based on group-leading experiences, even young individuals, when traveling together, find it challenging to relax and engage in conversation because of social anxiety and trust issues. This is even more pronounced when it comes to seniors, especially as they age, their thoughts become sensitive and conservative. Consequently, it is difficult for them to form groups with strangers of different backgrounds to achieve the social interaction patterns that seniors desire. On the other hand, seniors' outings require companionship to alleviate concerns about potential risks and inconveniences. Your service should further consider the psychological challenges and situations that seniors may need to overcome as they age.
Reflection
Survey design
Place personal information section at the end of the survey and provide comprehensive descriptions of questions and answers. Also, we changed open-ended questions by converting all responses into multiple-choice options for easy selection. Target the online communities of the specific demographic and organize a lottery as an incentive.
Interview
In the process of interviewing seniors, it is challenging to extract genuine answers within a short timeframe. Some seniors may be hesitant to participate, making it difficult for us to convince them to engage in the interview. Building rapport with seniors through casual conversation and asking questions, allowing for a better understanding of their lifestyle.
Recruitment for Testing
At the beginning, many seniors are not willing to participate in unfamiliar activities. So, we decided to visit local Buddhist organizations in Tainan and design routes that align with their interests. As a result, the success rate of recruitment increased.
Want to see more technical shares? Visit my Medium
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- Setting up web services and deploying bots
- Integrating SQLite and back-stage operations
