Me behind You

Live Brief Tzu-Yun Liu K1732342 Sustainable Design

Content

Persona Research Design Brief Thinking through making Final outcome Prototyping & Testing Summary Bibliography

3 5 16 17 19 29 35 36

Persona My grandmother is already 74 years old, she is a widow with three children and seven grandkids. After my grandfather passed away, she lost her centre of her life. She felt lost and confused to rebuild a life without my grandfather, so her favorited thing to do is looking at the old pictures of my family especially my grandfather; she learned using iPad to preserve her photos. We live with my grandmother, but she is still lonely during the daytime, because everyone needs to work or study. In addition, she had a knees problem, so it is difficult for her to travel or walk to the public space to meet her friends . The longest distance for her is that walks to an elementary school which is five minutes away from our house.

She is good at cooking especially some traditional dishes. She would cook those traditional food at the festivals, but it became a heavy work since she is getting older and older. Moreover, she can speak the dialect, but we did not learn the dialect from her, so she only can speak dialect with other elderly relatives, and you can tell that they really enjoy speaking dialect.

Rice dumplings. (Flickr, 2017)

She liked traveling with friends and our relatives, but her physical condition is a restriction for her to maintain the same hobby. Therefore, she felt loneness and bored with her life, so she spent most of her time on old memories.

Rail trip. (Flickr, 2017) 3

Idea from my grandmo!er lonely

traditional recipes

speak dialect

After creating this persona, I realized that my grandmother is an amazing woman that she can do a lot of things that I can not. I want to learn many things from her such as traditional recipes, which I want to cook for my children in the future. The recipes is like the a family tradition, so I wish I can pass it to my children.

Nowadays, There are too many methods for us to learn like school, library, Youtube and Google.

Hence, we neglect that listen the experience from elderly people is the best way to learn. So my first idea is to pass on the tradition and learn the experience from the aged.

4

Informal interview- The Bradbury 1 When I first went to the Bradbury, I did not want them to see me as a researcher, so I joined the broad game with three old ladies. I introduced myself as a student from Kingston University and I was doing a project about the differences between the young and old generation. They invited me join the game and willing to teach me how to play Scrabble. During the game, they also share their old time experience with me.

“I still remember the first time that I saw a credit card, which is still a paper one not plastic. The world really change a lots.”

“It’s really inconvenience compared to the world right now, for example, I can not just get hot water from a faucet in the pass.

I used to get water from wells outside and boiled, but now I can have hot water in my house with a pipe.”

Having conversation with those ladies, I realized that my life is more comfortable and convenience than before. I never noticed that without a water pipe could be a heavy borden to my life. I enjoyed listening their stories and experiences of their life during the game, which made me feel more content to my life and also envied that they can explore more natural life experience than me.

5

Research- Loneliness Although loneliness has a social aspect, it is also defined by an individual’s subjective emotional state. Feeling lonely is the most common negative emotion between elderly people, especially when they lost their partner, children leaving home and after retirement.

Persistent loneliness can have profound impacts on physical and mental health, and quality of life. For example, People with a high degree of loneliness are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as people with a low degree of loneliness.(Wilson et al., 2007) Social networks and the support they offer have been shown to significantly affect the physical and mental health of older people. For instance, poor quality social connections and fewer social activities increase the risk of cognitive decline in people aged 65+. (Unger, J. B., McAvay, G., Bruce, M. L., Berkman, L., and Seeman, T.,1999) In order to maintain a healthier physical and mental condition for older people, I want to expand the social network for elder through my design. Building the connection between elderly people and society.

6

Research- Integration of young and old The ratio of children to old people in the population has changed significantly over the 20th century. In 1900 the ratio of children under age 18 to adults over age 65 was 10:1; by the end of the century the ratio was 2:1. There is clear evidence that integration of older and younger people in our society could produce beneficial outcomes. Children would receive more care and supervision from mature adults instead of technology devices. More older people would be engaged in socially significant activities, and young people would be an important resource helping to meet the needs of an aging population.

Therefore, I am focus on the integration of young and old generation, which can improve the problems of changing social structure. In order to deeply research about the opportunities of building the connections, I went back to the Bradbury and interviewed a elder- James.

7

Informal interview- The Bradbury 2 James. He was a drama teacher at a high school, and then became a theater directer. He is a very talkative elder, and he shared lots of his travel experiences with me. When he was young , he enjoyed traveling, getting lost in the journey and learning from local people. Although he had a stroke few years ago, he still works hard on his recovering, in order to carry on his journey traveling around the world.

When he was sharing his stories, you can image how colorful his life was and he is very proud of his former life experience. He also taught me how to gain confidence when I was talking to people. He encouraged me to speak loud and clear, and do not be afraid of making mistakes.

He said because of the progress of science and technology, the young generation had more opportunities to go out and explore the world, so the distance between families became far from each other. For example, he did not live with his daughter, even though he had a stroke which needs others’ assist sometime.

But he said the caring resources are more than twenty years ago, so he still can get what he needs from the government or local organization.

Most of his friends are from the Bradbury, although he is willing to make new friends especially young students, but he does not have a chance. He only can meet young people like us, who run a project with the Bradbury from the University or the young volunteers.

Therefore my idea is to create the bridge for him to make new friends with young people and feel useful to the society again; so as for young generation, who can be inspired by his stories.

8

Questionnaire

Most young people did not exclude to spend time wi! elders.

Students in Kingston University Survey link https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/X8BH7LQ

Except for the elder, I also surveyed the students in the Kingston University, which is just across the street from the Bradbury. I built a questionnaire on SurveyMonkey, and then went to the Kantin asking people to filled the questionnaires.

Most people were willing to do the questionnaires for me, and they were curious about my subject and the project. So after they done the questions, I explained what my project is and what I am going to do with their answers.

“It's depends on their personality.”

“I love spending time with my grandparent but otherwise I have no many occasions to meet older people. Sometimes it is upsetting how sick or lonely they are.”

“Most elderly people are very nice and will tell you stories of their childhood, others are mean and are very negative towards the younger generations.”

9

Most students usually interact wi! !eir grandparents and older relatives.

“Back home with grandparents.”

“Traveling by public transport and family gatherings.”

“Seeing them at home.”

“Only when I go home to see the elderly relatives in my family.”

“Waiting in the bus stop"

According to the survey, you can see that the young generation did not detest to interact with the elder, but they did not have chances to meet elderly people except their families.

10

This aim of this question is to investigate what value young people think the elder have. Most of the answers are related to life such as experience of life, enjoying their life and skills in life.

In order to know the common leisure activities of young and old, I made some options for young people to choose. Therefore I can find the connection between two generation.

11

Exploration How to build !e connection betw#n two generation?

12

Sharing experiences

Young

- Story telling - Running a workshop - Mentoring - Game - Using social media - Building an organization - Volunteering

Old

Sharing !e changes of !e world

13

Case Study 1 Generation game: what can students and !e elderly teach each o!er?

This project is run for the integration of young and old people and offers learning opportunities during the process. A 12 years old student in the Radclyffe School works with local elderly people, asking them questions about their childhood, work and hobbies.

“It helps pupils develop their social skills. They learn about life and older people, and widen their horizons. It’s about getting them to realize that older people still have a lot to offer.” said by the teacher at The Radclyffe School, Deborah Mason.

(Bearne, 2017)

It is said by Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist that, ”Working like this with older people, children will learn to slow down. Nowadays, we move so fast and pick up quick soundbites, and older people don’t do that.

Someone older can often be a role model too, and that can be incredibly stimulating. It’s important to be introduced to other groups because it makes us more tolerant.”

In the program, I saw the opportunity that building connection between two generation is benefit for both.

14

Case Study 2 Why some Dutch university students are living in nursing homes? (Harris, 2017) This is a exchange program in Dutch, that students from universities can live in a nursing home for free in one condition- they must spend 30 hours each month with the 160 senior residents.

Gea Sijpke, The director of the home, said �The students bring the outside world in; there is lots of warmth in the contact.�

In this case, because of the companionship from the students, those elderly people in the care house will not feel isolated from the society and their life is changed. They can have more connection with the outside world through those young student’s experience from class, concern or parties. Moreover, the opportunity can build a long-tern and more depth relationship between them.

Skyping with the best neigbour in the world at my side, photoed by Jurrien Mentink.(Twitter, 2017)

15

Design Brief People are living longer than ever before.The number of population in the aged rapidly increase. Therefore, there are a lot of challenges we are facing, not only physical but also mental health of the elder. Over one million older people in the UK say they are always or often feel lonely.

Loneliness and social isolation impact the life of the elder, which associated with depression, sleep problems, physiological stress and mental health problems.

I am designing That For

So that

an event/ a game/ an interactive installation Create a opportunity for elder to meet people and make new friends.

-

Connect two generation and the whole society.

Prevent loneliness of the aged.

Tell the stories and share experience.

Have fun.

- There is a place for everyone to enjoy.

- The elder won’t feel isolated from society.

- The young people can get away from social media and make friends in the real world.

16

Thinking !rough making In order to design a bridge which can connect two generation, I started to match the common between them such as enjoying traveling and playing games. Therefore, the idea of designing a game popped up, which can be built outdoor and played by everyone.

After visualizing the commons, I was thinking about board games, which people from all aged can enjoy. In addition, I want to attach the experiences sharing, story telling and teaching skills into the game.

Thus, the game is turned into a communication tool, which help people building connection and knowing each other better.

17

Market Research I started searching ideas like Bingo, Chess, Puzzle and so on. And then my tutor gave me the example such as the Giant Chess, which is placed at public space for people to play. Therefore, people in public can play with friends or strangers and have more interactions with others.

Giant Chess at Nagoya Gardens, Hyde Park (Weekendnotes.com, 2017)

PING! LONDON - TABLE TENNIS IN LONDON (Pingengland.co.uk, 2017)

18

Final Outcome

19

Event- Me Behind You So people would !ink , before !ey play.

To the young,

To the elder,

Me behind you, I am your pioneer.

Take the mistake I made as a good lesson.

To remind you prevent the same.

Teach you the experience of my whole life.

To assist you become a better man.

Me behind you, I am your updater.

Show you the new world in front of me.

So you can also experience a different view.

Share my curiosity and ambition with you.

So you can be full of vigour like me.

Me Behind You as a Pion#r.

Me Behind You as a Updater.

By the elder.

By the young.

20

Why is ”Me Behind You”?

I named the event ”Me Behind You”, because I want people to rebuild and re-recognize the relationship between the elder and the young. Instead of emphasizing the comparison or superiority between two generation, people should regard each other as supporters, tutors and companions.

It is not always me in front of you, because I am older and experienced; or me in front of you, because I am younger and stronger. It should be me behind you, because I can protect you with my experience; or me behind you, because I can assist you to explore the new world.

21

Main activity - Ludo A chance to m#t new friends

Why I chose Ludo?

- It can be played by two to four people, so it can be a one to one or a group game.

- It is a traditional board game, so most people know the rules.

- It is suitable for people from all age.

- I cut down the circles from six to four, in order to control the time limit between 10 to 15 minutes. So the elderly people, who do not have a health physical condition, won’t feel stressful and uncomfortable during the game.

22

I replaced the traditional colors of Ludo with purple, rose red, yellow and green, which are the four colors of national flowers from four parts of United Kingdom. I expected that “ Me Behind You” can connect not only two generation also the whole society. Everyone can join the game, tell their stories and be part of others’ stories.

Thistle Shamrock

National flower of Scotland

National flower of Northern Ireland

Da$odil

Rose

National flower of Wales

National flower of England 23

How to play?

1. People Read

2. Play

- Before the game starts, the players should read the poem first.

- A player must throw a 6 to move from the starting circle onto the first square on the track.

3. Do !e Mission - When a player lands on a mission circle, he needs to answer the question.

- A player simply moves in a clockwise direction around the track given by the number thrown.

- If a player lands on another player, he needs to return to the starting circle.

4. The first person move into !e home triangle 24

Mission list All of the question is simple and easy to answer, but it also can be a deeper conversation at the same time. For example,” What is something you will NEVER do again? ”, the answer can be short like” go bungee jumping”, or a longer answer like” having a serious fight with my parents, because…” So people can just enjoy the game and make friends, or share their experience and tell their stories, which can assist them overcome the struggles in their life.

Q1.The most beautiful place you have been.

Q2.What's your favorite lyric? Sing it.

Q3.What is the craziest thing you do?

Q4.Take a funny selfie with each other.

Q5.What is your happiest memory?

Q6.What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?

Q7.What speciality you have?

Q8.Describe the person at your right side in three positive words.

Q9.What do you feel most proud of?

Q10.What do you wish you knew more about?

Q11.What is something you will NEVER do again?

Q12.What was the best compliment you’ve received?

Q13.What do you think/was the life like twenty years ago?

Q14.What is your favorite family tradition?

Q15.What age do you wish you could permanently be?

Q16.Describe yourself in three positive words.

Q17.What is the best way to start the day?

Q18.What is your biggest success for now?

25

Scenario

It will be placed at the public space, so people don’t need to pay any member fee or sign up for any organization, they can join the event whenever they want to.

26

Postcard for continuity of !eir friendship.

Edna Buchanan once stated, “friends are the family we choose for ourselves” (Maggio, 1996, p.270) The postcard offers a chance for people to build a continuity relationship with each other, which they can choose to send the postcard or not. After the “Ludo activity”, people can exchange the address with the postcards, in order to have a long-term connection between each other.

27

Story never ended

28

Prototyping and Testing Before testing the game in the public, I played it with my friends, which help me estimate the time of the game.

Round One 3’20 Two players.

Game finished in three minutes, because one of the player didn’t throw a six. She didn’t participate the game at all.

Round Two 5’30 Two players.

This time everyone play the game, it seems that the game finished too quickly, when there are only two players.

Round Three 15’10 Four players.

Ending in 15 minutes,which is the maximum time limit I set, when I redesign the game.

29

Where to test !e game?

I searched many locations in the centre of Kingston town. They all have some similar requirements.

- The space is bigger enough to play the game.

- It is a place only for pedestrians to walk.

- It has benches for people to take a rest, so it is easier for me -

to find someone is not in a rush.

It is a link for buildings or landmarks such as supermarkets, department store and car parks, which are popular for both generation.

30

Testing wi! publics When I tested in public space, I realized that the game is attracted to little children at first, but some elderly people are interested in what we are doing and they are more familiar with the game than the young. But I can not invite the elder to play, most of them either rejected me immediately or did not have time to play.

Video Link https://drive.google.com/file/d/ 17QrG5TamqfeOhPpMVFWlRdcLSecySHyV/view?usp=sharing

Fortunately, a cute little boy was attracted by the game. He played the game with his parents and one of my friend. Although he was unfamiliar with the game and sometimes not following the rules, he still had a lot of fun with us, and even played the game twice.

Therefore, I realized that even people do not understand the rules, they still enjoyed the game and started talking through the questions.

31

What I can improve next time?

- I was expected that there were many people rested at the playground, but it was empty when we arrived there. Thus,it was a challenge to invite people, because some people just walked through the playground, they did not want to spend time on the game. Even though I already said that it would only took them ten minutes to play.

- I was too nervous about testing the game in public, so I did not explain the rules very clearly at the beginning, and also I forgot to inform people the purpose of the game in detail, instead I gave them the postcards I made in the end.

- If I had more time, I would test it at other places.

32

Can people play wi!out knowing !e rules?

I found two major problems after testing in the public. First is that people are too excited during the game, so they forgot the direction which they should follow. Second is that people would forget which colour they were in the beginning.

Remind the players that there is a poem for them to read.

The different angles of questions show the players the right direction to follow.

Tell the players what colour they are.

33

Limitations - The event can’t reach older people who don’t want to leave their house.

- It will be more attractive to children than elder.

- The prolonged effect is unpredictable.

34

Summary Instead of building a system or an organization, I design an interactive event for everyone in the public, not only for particular groups, who need to sign up for a system or agency. “Me Behind You� can help people start the conversation and make new friends, especially between the young and the old. Thus, it increases the harmony in society, and the relationship between people becomes closer as before, when the technology have not been invented.

Human starts playing when we were babies; and playing not only helps children develop their brain, but also assists elderly people maintaining their physical and mental health. In addition, playing games is a quicker way for ice breaking and starting the conversation. So I redesign the traditional board game- LUDO as the main activity of the event.

To sum up, the event is just a tigger to build the relationship, creates more social opportunities, and connects people from all age. But it still needs people’s intentions to maintain and sustain the relationship.

35

Bibliography - Wilson, R.S. et al . (2007) Loneliness and risk of Alzheimer disease Archives of General Psychiatry 64(2) 234-240

-

Maggio, R. (1996). The New Beacon Book of Quotations by Women. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Bearne, S. (2017). Generation game: what can students and the elderly teach each other?

Harris, J. (2017). Here’s why some Dutch university students are living in nursing homes.

Weekendnotes.com. (2017). Giant Chess at Nagoya Gardens, Hyde Park.

36