Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

The frustration experience

The shopping experience

Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

1.Designing new experiences for the modern 70’s outside

their homes.

2.Before i go to sleep project. Designing better bedside tables.

Sharing some immersive empathy experiences

The cafe experience

The physical limitation

experience

Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

The frustration experience

Description - I canceled a lunch at the last minute, in an expensive restaurant (that i really wanted to do go), with a nice view over the sea, to eat fresh sea food and it was a free meal! I told my friends that i couldn’t go because of an emerging pain on my back and i couldn’t move. I told them to send me a photo of what i was missing to increase my sense of frustration… (they didn’t know that my back pain wasn’t real).

1.Designing new experiences for the modern 70’s outside their homes

Feeling the experience - I got into the persona and one of the hardest things was facing the reason why i couldn’t go out. For me it was just because of a stupid pain (i was on denial)! It was hard for me to admit that pain could really spoil my plans (i was minimizing physical pain). As time was passing, i was overcoming frustration and empathizing with the idea of being older as i started to think about mi getting older. A question came to my mind: How will i deal with sudden pains that can force me to stay at home? Then i realised that the body might hurt but the mind was just fine and healthy so, i made myself as comfortable as i could and started to read a book. I felt that this could be a resourceful thought. Then my friends sent me a photo and i called them back (we talked about how i was doing). They told me that they would come visit me after lunch and they would bring me some cookies.

Feeling that i was not alone, that my friends where thinking and worried about me was crucial to overcome frustration. The cookies helped a lot to! I thought that boredom was going to be the main feeling, but not at all. I also realised that i focus a lot on the amount of pain that an older person could feel and how incapacitated that could be.

My friends having lunch by the sea.

Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

The shopping experience Description - I went shopping at “A Loja do Avô” (The grandfather’s store - products for

older people) to buy a sticker to my grandmother.

1.Designing new experiences for the modern 70’s outside their homes

1. Outside the store 2. Inside the store 3. T h e u g l y a n d

boring stick that i bought

1. 2. 3.

Feeling the experience - From the outside the store looks kind of attractive but once you get closer, you realize that you don’t want to be a customer of that store (not even if you are going to buy something to someone else). I started to feel pity for older people and embaraced for being there. The first thing that you see is a line of 5 or 6 adaptable toilet seats, diapers, a big adaptable bed with lot’s of stuff on it, some orthopedic ugly shoes. Everything is so messy that i just wanted to buy the stick as fast as i could. There were 3 more buyers there, non was a 70’s (maybe relatives but much younger). I asked for the sticks and they where just not all at the same place, so i had to move from 3 different areas to be aware of the existing models. They were all so ugly and depressive that i bought the simplest one. I asked for some advice and the lady that was there just couldn’t help me with more detailed information. I felt that this is just a functional store that seves the purpose… if you need a stick, you get a stick, if you ask for some happier colours, you get the standard ones. If i was older and i wanted to buy my own products there, i would be depressed. I now understand Fernanda better (my interviewed) when she said that she doesn’t identify with this kind of stores and products.

Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

The cafe experience

Description - I went to Fernanda’s cafe (the owner and my interviewed highlight) and mixed myself with the usual customers (all ranged between 65 and 80’s). I wanted to feel and understand their social engagement and community awareness.

1.Designing new experiences for the modern 70’s outside their homes

Feeling the experience - I took breakfast there, around 10 am. I noticed that Fernanda had no bread to serve me, so she asked to one of her friends to buy some on the supermarket next to the cafe. This is something that is very common in this little cafes. They manage them selves like small communities. It was very easy to talk with this ladies. You fell that you just need to go with the flow. If they are talking about some nacional event, you start to do the same, and they talk to you like you where a regular customer. I really felt like i was one of them. I felt welcomed. They are very open persons and the just love to communicate and share they personal stories, or even feelings. If they feel respected and that you are paying attention to them, they share and make you feel at home. I really felt that!

I realised that this is a very nice place to talk with friendly people, no matter what age you have. They take care of each other and care about each other. They told me, that there are some old people living on the neighbourhood that are not able to walk, so they go there and visit them. I now can say that i feel more comfortable with the idea of getting older when i think about Fernanda’s cafe and their friends from the neighbourhood.

Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

The physical limitation

experience Description - I limited my movements before i went to bed by wearing gloves on my hands, putting pillows around my belly and towels around my legs. Then i tried to read in bed and reach my bedside table.

2.Before i go to sleep project. Designing better bedside tables

Feeling the experience - Having all this stuff on my body was very limitative. I also love to read in bed, but i couldn’t do it in the same position (belly down). It took me a long time to find a comfortable position to do read. I felt that the bedside table was so far way from bed because i couldn’t move in a very agile way. It was hard to reach and to grab the book (all the suddenly, my bedside table wasn’t funcional anymore).

I wasn’t able to read for a long time because i wasn’t comfortable enough (i was always moving and trying to change position because my legs started to get numb). The most difficult thing was to turn of the light. My table lamp isn’t the most practical one if you think in terms of someone with physical limitations. Something that i do in a few seconds, took me minutes and this was frustrating (i couldn’t read the number of pages that i wanted because i got so tired of finding a nice position and reaching the book…).

Insights for InnovationRaquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016Raquel Félix Jan/Feb 2016

Identified Qualities

Physical: Constant pain and physical limitations. Cultural: Finding their “tribe”. No easy access to information about the places or people they might identify to (they don’t know if they even exist beyond their neighbourhood or even around there). Emotional: Not feeling old. They don’t identify with stuff for old people. Lot’s of free time (what to do with it?). Being independent. Frustration related with some physical limitations and the way they are stereotyped. Complexity: Wanting to do things but what, where? (Things and stuff that don’t make them feel old or infantilised).