Timeless Archive

An exhibition initiative that hopes to use self-reflection and story-sharing to support older adults with low life fulfillment

Timeline

Sept 2021 - Dec 2021

Role

User Research

Usability Testing

Interaction Design

Accessibility Design

Tools

Figma

Miro

Google Sheet

Team

Amanda Hsu, UX Researcher

Zejun Wu, UX Designer

VIcky Xiao, UX Designer

View Final Prototype

View Final Report

Challenge

As the elderly population grows, addressing overlooked issues like their mental well-being is essential, as they impact their life satisfaction and physical health. Studies show high levels of dissatisfaction that come with aging can be caused by a lack of life fulfillment.

Solution & Outcome

My team of 3 UX Designers and I initiated an exhibition concept called 'Timeless Archive.' A solution that contains a five-step process that would help older adults dwell less on regrets focus on the present and find inner values by facilitating wisdom sharing.

As a project concept, it encourages and helps to cultivate a mindset of fulfillment through thought-provoking and self-reflection prompts. As a design framework and user population, Timeless Archives also adopts and advocates an asset-based design framework to discover and emphasize the assets the older adults’ community owns - their wisdom, experience, and willingness to share.

Starting with Research

To better understand older adults' everyday life and mental wellbeing, we recruited 5 older adults over Reddit and kindly asked them to take a screener survey to measure their life satisfaction using the Life Satisfaction Index of the Third Age (Barrett & Murk, 2009). We conducted 45-minute interviews over Zoom, and participants were compensated with a $15 Amazon gift card.

LOGISTICS

🗣️ 5 Interviews with 50+ Older Adults

Using a screener survey based on Life Satisfaction scale, 2 participants were considered to have high life satisfaction and 3 considered to have low life satisfaction

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What aging-related challenges are older adults facing? How do they cope?
How do they find purpose and fulfillment in life?

INSIGHTS

🧐

Looking for external satisfaction

Older adutls with lower life fulfillment look towards external factors for life satisfaction, such as career achievement and life outcome

🙁

Feeling regretful & lack of controls

Older adults with lower life fulfillment felt less control in life and tend to dwell more on regrets from their past.

😃

Both groups find fulfillment in sharing their wisdom and experiences with others, especially with younger generations.

HOW MIGHT WE

How might we help older adults dwell less on regrets, focus on present, and find inner values by facilitating wisdom sharing?

DESIGN STRATEGY

❤️‍🩹

Empower existing experience and knowledge sharing to cultivate sense of self worth

All of the participants in our research addressed that their knowledge and experience were valuable assets brought from aging, and giving the knowledge and experience back to others could contribute to their sense of life fulfillment.

❤️‍🩹

Facilitate gratitude towards the present and what they already have

Using mix strategies to help older adults feel more grounded in the present and develop a positive mindset feeling grateful for what they already have.

View Research Report