Enabling social action among the younger generations
Thanks to improvements in public health, we are living longer, from a global life expectancy of 34 years in 1913 to 71 years in 2013. However, aging beyond what is considered "productive" life has excluded millions of people from society. I led this research project to explore how cultural values in Mexican society can contribute to enable social action among the younger generations.
MY ROLE
Design Researcher
Service Designer
INSTRUMENTS
YEAR
Stakeholder map
Interviews
Personas
Diary studies
Community Engagement
Service blueprint
2016
The challenge
The project started looking at the cultural barriers for Mexican society to adopt sharing economy practices, specifically transport. During the Discovery phase, the project evolved to explore how the community aspect of sharing a car combined with local culture and practices could build social responsibility awareness.
Discover
Digital technologies have made it possible for people to share meals, houses and other goods through online platforms that connect the ones who “have” with the ones who “need.” (Sundararajan, 2016) The aim? Becoming more resourceful. Nevertheless, Mexico seemed to have some barriers that were preventing commuters to share their means of transport, like other countries already do.
In the first stage of research, I contacted car owners and public transport users in a spectrum or more and less likeliness to join carpooling practices. I used different engagement methods to learn about their perceptions and beliefs. I also spoke to professionals in the carpooling industry to get some insight in the business in Mexico.
Finding 1. There is a "Yo primero" (me first) culture
I wouldn't like to take the risk to pool with someone who has many problems and goes all mad in the car or a woman who is telling me how to drive. It's always more comfortable going by myself" – Enrique, 30
Finding 2. There is a perception of public transport to be for the poor. Car is associated with social status in Mexico.
"You make me feel trapped and the fact that you've got no filter or criteria to let people in makes me want to break up with you for good." – Break-up letter, Daniel, 28
Julien Lafouge, in BlaBlaCar LATAM and Hugo Rodríguez in Uber Mexico, agreed that there is a very specific demographic population in Mexico overcoming cultural barriers when adopting carpooling practices: older people, allowing them for instance, to have company and be safer when traveling.
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At this point, the project shifted to look into combinations of Necessity and Capacity to promote age inclusion.
How can technology be leveraged to promote age inclusion?
Understand
The way society see older generations is bound up to their perceived "usefulness". In some countries, it is very common for families to take older ones to retirement homes. In some cases, these homes have agreements with local schools to bring children to play, talk, use the computer, etc.
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Other programs are about inclusive labour market, building an aged workforce and finding the benefits of engaged and serious employees.
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However, in Mexico, traditionally grandparents stay at home with the family. Still, as families decrease in size, move to cities or migrate to other countries, there are many cases where elders are lonely and abandoned.
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Intergenerational programs have proven to be of great value by allowing elders to play a bigger role in society. They allow younger generations to benefit from the experience and knowledge of older people and respect them for what they did in the past, but also for what they do now. And for elders, they benefit by seeing fulfilled some of the needs that are likely to be neglected when health and energy have decreased.
Insight 1
Elderly people don't like participating in activities that declare them "old". Therefore, often their participation in programs for the elderly is limited
"People go to these places with very low prospects. We don't feel part of that group. We still have strength and energy to do many things. We would get depressed if we joined those groups." – Marco and Cristina, 62
Insight 2
Family make assumptions about what elders can do and can not. They often contribute to make their elders dependent on them to perform any task.
"I can't drive anymore and my daughters have told me not to take public transport because it can be dangerous for me. I understand they are busy and don't have the time to take me" – Felisa, 72
Insight 3
The curiosity and eagerness to discover new things is not diminished with age
"I would go to the moon in my flying cloud with my three children and see the Earth from a different perspective." – Antonio, 67
Ideate
To generate a broader spectrum of ideas and not limit them to what the researcher own understanding was, this phase included an activity with 4 young women entrepreneurs with a Latin/Hispanic background, professionals in fields other than design. The project was presented to them and the participants were asked to generate as much ideas as they could think of.
Develop
University Students in Mexico are required to comply with a social service of 480 hours within an organisation as a way to payback to society for the education received. INAPAM is the National Institute for Elderly People in Mexico where people aged 65+ register to have social benefits.
The developed service connects University students with elders from their own community who have similar interests, likes and time availability. The mutual benefit can create bonds of companionship that transcends the mere transaction. Students are matched with an elder from their own community who have similar interests, likes and dislikes and time availability.
The University of Life: Adopt a Grandpa
The program aims to break intergenerational barriers, and allow interaction between young an elderly. It connects Undergraduate students who need to comply with 480 hours of social service to graduate with people who are registered with INAPAM [National Institute for Elder People], aged 60+, who live in the same neighborhood.
The primary audiences for this project are University Students in their final year of studies who are required to comply with the Social Service in a public or private institution to graduate in Mexico City. This group is interested in doing a meaningful social service where they learn new things and meet people.
The secondary audiences are students who are looking for convenience and flexibility regarding time and location.
On the side of the receptors, the target users are solo living elders aged 60+ who would like to have more social interaction.
Students register through INAPAM website, were they can fill in a profile and see the matching elders that could be potential adoptive grandparents. They choose one and a meeting is arranged to introduce them and see if they like each other.
Once the adoption process is completed, both participants arrange the days, hours and activities they will do each time they meet.
