Inclusiveness for older adults

Aim: To understand the perception and need for the elderly living in an urban area in India and obtain design ideation for their active aging.

Method: For my research project, I conducted a comprehensive literature review. Then, for the user research, I designed a survey questionnaire in Google form, which is to be circulated via WhatsApp to the elderly. The survey questionnaire has ten sections, with a total of 65 questions. In the survey, the maximum questions were multiple-choice, one-word, and Likert scale type, for the convenience of the target group, the elderly. However, to get rich data, few long open-ended questions were also added to the questionnaire, which were not compulsory for submitting the form. This was done to collect the experiences and beliefs of the participants along with the numbers supporting the belief. The form was filled by 58 respondents, with ages ranging from 50 years to 75 years.

Output:

• After analyzing the data collected from the survey, I proposed design ideas necessary for the active aging of the elderly in the urban space.

• I also designed five personas along with their scenario. The personas and scenario represent different kinds of old age users of the urban space along with their goals and challenges.

• I received the Best Presentation Award by IIT-Roorkee and SPARK for my internship work.

Note: Few relevant details regarding the SPARK internship of IIT-R: I got this internship by participating in the prestigious internship program of IIT, Roorkee: “The SPARK Internship Program”. With over 15000 applicants across India, only 65 applicants got selected in the year of 2020.