SEN-Z
A holistic service to support the elderly through technological and social support interventions.
Case Study: Designing Services for Older Adults and Their Caregivers
THE CHALLENGE
How might we leverage technology and manpower to design a holistic service for the elderly that improves their accessibility and elevates their well-being?
This exploration started as I was talking to my grandparents who live alone about the different challenges they face in completing everyday tasks. It is an ongoing project. Over the period of 2020-2021, through user research, scenario mapping and constant iteration, I have developed a service model that I am continuously working on.
This project explored the viability of an on-demand concierge-style service for older adults. Over 120 interviews and multiple MVP iterations informed a deep understanding of the challenges, unmet needs, and behavioral patterns of both seniors and their caregivers.
RESEARCH
Although the User Research and Market Research conducted on this topic was exhaustive, some excerpts from the research are being posted in bits and pieces throughout the case study.
The entire service model has been based on primary and secondary research. The summary of the research is-
Social inclusion and communication:
technologies that aim to enable older people to communicate and interact with others, like family members and friends, in order to maintain their social life and thus improve their well-being
Psychosocial factors of human-technology interaction and usage:
some socio-economic and psychological aspects are relevant for understanding how different profiles of older people interact with and use technologies
Telemedicine, telehealth, and telecare:
in order to enable continuous monitoring of eventual health problems and long-term conditions, typical of older age, remote services offered by healthcare organizations could widen the possibility for older people to access appropriate care and thus improve their health status and clinical outcomes.
Entertainment and media:
serious games and smart objects at home could facilitate the daily living of older people by enabling alternative commands for home management or being engaged in proper physical or mental training
Sensing and interacting:
sensors installed at home represent a great opportunity for the monitoring of older people’s activities and behaviors, as well as the detection of sudden risks or accidents
Family caregivers or care services for immediate intervention when a problem occurs.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
The most integral part of any User Experience Design, according to me, is to be able to understand, empathize and listen.
To further delve into the lives of the elderly, 4 prospective users were also interviewed. Many insights were formed through this User Research.
The responses to the survey can be accessed here.
The key takeaways from my research have been summed up in the infographics in the gallery above.
One can also view the User Persona and information (lo-fi) gathered through various interviews.
What does one make of this information?
Gathering information through user interviews and surveys is a step that requires active listening and empathy.
The next stage is where one tries to make sense of the information and evaluate it. Sometimes this newfound information and insights gathered from the users can change the course of the project extensively.
KEY RESEARCH INSIGHTS (different from the hypothesis)
.Customer Archetype Observations
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Being a caregiver is hard; they’re overwhelmed and overworked
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Caregivers actively seek support solutions
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Older adults often don’t perceive a problem or need for help
Market Challenges
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High CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Hard to acquire older adults as users
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Extreme price sensitivity: Especially among seniors
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High-touch service needed: This complicates scalability and hurts unit economics
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Existing services fail to address emotional needs: Such as loneliness or social isolation
Opportunity Signals
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Lack of access to services is a real, recognized problem
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Others in the space are starting to notice and respond
DESIGNING THE SOLUTION / PIVOTING FROM HYPOTHESIS
Explore a new service idea:
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SENZ- A Platform for Caregivers : a trusted platform guiding caregivers through the complexity of caring for an aging loved one
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Maintaining autonomy and control of app with seniors and caregivers both
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Offered emotional reassurance, step-by-step support, and a curated network of service providers.
This is the converging process that comes right after understanding your user completely. One that involves speculation, ideation, and problem-solving.
After ideating the broad design of the service, came the service blueprint- It put into perspective the interaction between the back-end and front-end of the service.
The marketing iceberg was especially helpful in narrowing down the role "people" played in the service.
The brand environment mapping assisted in defining the core values like - care, empathy, patience, and affordability.
The value proposition canvas led me to borrow from the user interviews and research in order to reflect on how we can relieve user pain points like- loneliness, lack of accessibility, troubleshooting related to technology etc.
JOURNEY MOCKUPS
PAUSE // REFLECTING BEFORE MVP
Design Takeaways for Service Innovation
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Design for the caregiver as the primary customer, especially in early stages of aging.
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Emotional needs are often more urgent than logistical ones- especially around guilt, fear, and burnout.
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Service adoption hinges on trust, not technology.
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Price sensitivity and high-touch expectations can make consumer-facing aging services difficult to scale.