Research: Socially Distant Seniors
Seniors are the group of people who are more vulnerable toward the Covid-19 Crisis. To understand their experience s about social isolation, we may find possible design opportunities for further development.
What are elders' experiences of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Elder's experience with the new normal means adaptation through various means of internal change.
Project Brief
Seniors are the group of people who are more vulnerable toward the Covid-19 Crisis. To understand their experience s about social isolation, we may find possible design opportunities for further development.
Therefore, we choose the socially Distant Senior as out topic for the 9 weeks research project.
Project
9 week group research project that includes interviews with elders and professionals, and detailed analysis.
Discipline
Research, Interview, Analysis.
Team
Andi Li, Peggy Li, Makenna Kesterson, Yuning Tang
Everyone involved in the interviews and insights generation
Interview
We start with Interviews to understand the elder’s experience, how they see the world and how they think the world see them.
Methodology
Collage
How they think the world sees them
Be asked our interviewee to do a image collage of how they see them selves and how they think others see them in order to understand how they feel COVID-19 has changed how their family and loved ones view them and their safety.
Dixit Deck
Understand how they see the world
Dixit Deck is a deck of cards with abstract illustration. For this exercises, we asked our interviewees to pick 2 cards from the dixit deck to present their lives before COVID-19 and during COVID-19. The purpose is to understand what COVID-19 means to them and how they see the world as it has changed.
Timeline
Understand Experience
For this exercise, we asked our interviewee to do a timeline for a day, and show the positive and negative activities in the day in order to understand good and bad experiences relating to social isolation.
Participants
For our interview, we picked 5 seniors ages between 65-80, who are healty, mentally capable, capable of participating in activities, and shelter in place.
We also have one expert in design for seniors and design for people with disabilities.
Analysis
Interaction: Elder would perceive some interaction to be safe due to the trust toward the people.
Activities: Interaction drastically reduced due to social distance
Environment: The definition of environment has not changed drastically but how they see them has changed
Service: Covid-19 "force" elders to learn and use digital services.
Cognitive: the elders don't identify themselves as "at risk" as they should
Social: Economic, governmental, and social issues are very interacted.
Culture: 1. Children is the hope of the future. 2. Seen peace or control in the world. 3. Elders are nostalgic, often look back instead of ahead.
Emotional: Elders emotion turn from negative to positive during the social distance.
Physical: the ergonomic problem we have now also happens before Covid-19, it become important because the elders use the services more during quarantine.
Ethnographic: 1. Covid-19 challenges elder's relationship with family and faith, and what they believe. 2.Increased interest in family time. 3. Routine bring the sense of accomplishments.
User Experience Journey
Social Order: Elder are impacted by lack of resources
Research Findings
We categorized our 5 key research findings between internal and external themes. Routine, Refinement, Spirituality, Self Image and Environment are the 5 key insights themes we found.
Routine gives sense of accomplishment
How they see themselves
Routine is a big part of senior’s lifestyle because it imparts how they see themselves. The discipline and unwavering commitment supports their self-esteem and it especially important now that COVID 19 have uprooted our sense of normalcy.
Our interviewees even equate routine behavior as a form of self care. The aspect of doing something for yourself as opposed to having things done for them is also important to note. Seniors appreciate their routines more in the age of COVID 19.
Solitary confinement to solitary refinement :
time to be with one’s thoughts
How they see themselves & the world
The time spent alone and indoors was often compared to solitary confinement for most of our interviewees. However our team found it interested when our respondents transitioned from viewing the restrictions as bad to seeing it as a chance for introspection.
Seniors at first grappled with the issue of loss of freedom, however later viewed it as an opportunity for introspection and figuring out themselves and their place in the world.
Spirituality as a way to see the world & their place in the world
How they see themselves & the world
Building on the idea of introspection, spirituality was a big theme for us. Seniors relate to the world events through the lenses of their spiritual beliefs. The openness our interviewees expressed in describing their point of view as spiritual as opposed to religious made us realize the abstract nature of their world view as opposed to enforcing a good vs bad binary. The see the COVID crisis as a pivotal point for society, driven by spiritual connection with the world.
Respondents mentioned meditation as the primary means of spiritual connection. Equaltin COVID with spritual symbolism was another element we found in our research.
Does not see themselves as old
or at risk
How they see themselves
The fourth insight we got is that the elders does not see themselves as old or at risk. We believe that it is related to how they see themselves and their self-image.
Someone mentioned that he or she has to provide for the family, so the person not only work from home, but also continuously go to the working place still. And some other mentioned about the needs to serve and help others. The elders are willing to take the role as the provider of the family, and the role who would like to help others and contribute to the society. They don’t see themselves as old as they need extra help from people.
The environment has not changed drastically but how they see it has changed
how they see the world & their experience
The last insight we got is that the environment has not change drastically, but how they see it has changes. This is an insight related to how they see the world and their experiences.
When working on the environment exercise, we realized that what they do for everyday routine, and their living environment actually did not change that much. But their opinions on some activity change due to the social distance they have to keep between them and other people or activities during the covid.
Conclusion
What are elders' experiences of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Elder's experience with the new normal means adaptation through various means of internal change.
Design Principles for Elders in Quarentine
Inclusivity
Don’t single elders out for being older in the brand messaging.
Universal
Universal design through understanding human factors of elderly.
Connectivity
Connectivity to Others and Services
Empathy
Prioritize mental health and emotions