Design Challenge
#3: How might we learn from COVID-19 to reimagine our future for life, work, learning and play?
Project Description
It is a one-stop user-friendly application for the elderly.
Criteria #1: Value
As technology advances, the usage of internet, online meetings/chats and smartphones increases dramatically. Many elderlies in our community are having difficulties to use the technology due to eyesight problem and complicated user interface. In the current must-stay-home condition due to COVID-19 pandemic, elderlies cannot go out to socialize with their peers in their favourite kopitiam or community centers. This elderly-friendly app will encourage them to use the technology to stay active, updated and connected to their peers during this COVID-19 outbreak.
Criteria #2: Inspiration
Activities can be sorted by occasion or audience size, and can be scaled to reach critical mass even beyond lockdown. The channel can be employed for personal or public use. Some examples:
Recent news in Singapore reported that elderlies are having problem staying at home during this circuit-breaker period. This is mainly because they cannot go out to parks or kopitiam to socialize with their peers. While the younger generations can stay connected with their friends through the internet, the elderlies cannot use the technology because they are too ‘chim’. We hope that with our elderly-friendly app idea, they can stay updated and active without feeling intimidated by the technology. Another example will be our elderly colleague who has a difficulty connecting to online meetings because he must work from home during this period.
Criteria #3: Impact
The user interface is made simple and straight forward with big font and icon so that the elderly won’t get confused. The news segment will keep them updated about the outside world. The fitness section will keep them fit by providing indoor exercise suggestions for elderly. The gaming with chatting feature will allow them to play simple multiplayer games such as bingo, chess, or scrabble with their peers. Lastly, the govt segment will allow them to connect with the Singapore government directly. The combination of all segments mentioned above, will keep the elderly occupied at home during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Criteria #4: Timeliness
We will engage app developer and do the necessary research with our target audience in the first month. Then, we will start building the app aiming to have the first prototype 1 or 2 segments by the end of third month. In parallel, we will make a short video on how to use the app. Then we will do market survey with the target audience. With the feedback, we will continue to build the app. We hope that by the end of six months, we will be able to launch the full app.
Criteria #5: Systems Thinking
Our app consists of 4 main segments. For the news segment, we can tap pull the news from the national news like Straits Times. The games segment, we can adapt from the already available simple game apps. The exercise segment, we can connect with activeSG platform and we can use the same reward system with the national step challenge. Lastly, for the Govt segment, the elderly to login using their SingPass and the government can use this platform to connect directly to them. For example, this app can facilitate government when they want to send solidarity fund to the elderly.
