UXR/UXD/Biz Strategy
How might we facilitate active senior citizens to use the best of their abilities and enhance their post retirement life?
Project Overview
Developed strategic matrices and models to transform concepts of post-retirement engagement for the 65+ community into tangible prototypes. This process resulted in valuable, actionable solutions that support active community participation. Delivered a comprehensive product and services aligned with the overarching business plan, ensuring practical application and long-term impact.
Team
Aakansha Sharma, Arunima Chauhan, Anlu Zhao, and Iren Liao
I served as the researcher, strategist, and visual designer for this project. Additionally, I took on the role of a mindful facilitator, ensuring attention to detail and reading the room during interactions with external stakeholders, helping the team navigate dynamics and maintain focus.
Context
Problem
Retirement is a major life shift that can leave individuals feeling unmoored. The sudden change from a structured work life often brings emotional challenges as retirees seek purpose and meaningful engagement in their communities.
The inevitable question of “Now what” often becomes the focus after retirement. It creates a feeling of disappointment, anxiousness, boredom, and loneliness when the changes kick-in dramatically.
Process
Define a problem > Secondary research > Network analysis > Primary research > Competitor analysis > Business model generation (with other strategies) > prototype and user testing > Product Mockup > Pitch
Secondary Research
20% Americans will be age 65 or older BY 2024, up from about one in eight in 2000 (2021)
70% of cognitive decline in people with frequent social contact than those with low social activity (2014)
39% of baby boomers (aged 65-74) are increasingly connected, using a smartphone (2017)
17% of all traffic fatalities in the United States involved people aged 65 and older (2021)
Network Analysis
We visualized the stakeholders' relationships and interactions to identify other user groups.
From the network analysis exercises, we learned to approach problems from multiple angles, gaining a well-rounded understanding of internal strengths and weaknesses, external market forces, and stakeholder priorities. By using tools like the 2x2 matrix, SWOT, Porter's 5 Forces, and stakeholder mapping, we were able to strategically prioritize tasks and make informed decisions. This helped us align the team’s goals with market trends and stakeholder needs, ensuring a comprehensive and effective approach to solving complex problems.
Market Research & Competitor Analysis: Blue ocean strategy
As we start to realize we might be on the path of creating a social platform, we analyzed other digital social platforms that bings people together to understand the kind of user needs they currently cater to the must haves/ requirements represented on the X-axis. The touchstones were selected from our design criteria model as the aim was to explore how other competitors fulfill the criteria that we aim to excel in.
Primary Research
After walked through survey and qualitative interviews, we translated insights to analyze.
Business Generation: User Experience
Creative Matrix: 5E Users Experience with our key personas
Different/Good Matrix
By applying the 5E user experience matrix (Entice, Enter, Engage, Exit, Extend), we learned how to dissect the entire customer journey. This exercise allowed the team to evaluate each touchpoint and identify opportunities for improvement in user interactions, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience from start to finish.
Through the Different/Good matrix, the team understood the importance of balancing innovation with practicality. This tool helped us evaluate ideas based on their uniqueness and value, ensuring we focused on solutions that were not only creative but also feasible and effective.
Business Generation: Analysis and Strategy
Leverage the followings frameworks to validate and align our strategies.
• 5E's of User Experience: Identify a comprehensive view of user engagement
• Business Canvas: Aligning business strategy and operational components, ensuring a clear and efficient path to achieving goals.
• Brand Pyramid: Define and build our brand identity and personality, enabling a stronger emotional connection and a more meaningful relationship with our customers.
• Brand Guideline: A comprehensive reference for maintaining consistency in visual identity.
• Product Vision Board
Scenario Building
Scenario building - Prototype - Usability testing
Lo-Fi Prototype & User Testing
Mid-Fi Prototype & Hi-Fi Prototype
Final Delivery
Product explainer videos
Learnings & Reflections
Managing and Resolving Team Conflict
We faced challenges collaborating with a teammate who had strong personal perspectives, which initially impacted team morale. Unable to accept an imbalanced working environment, I proposed creating a safe space for open dialogue. This conversation allowed us to embrace each other's personalities and express how we preferred to collaborate. We learned the importance of understanding not just expertise but also individual personalities in fostering effective collaboration.
Effective Time Management in a Fast-Paced Project Timeline
With a short timeline for business creation, effective time management is essential. I facilitated task prioritization by breaking the project into manageable milestones, ensuring we remained on track. By assigning tasks based on team members' strengths and implementing regular check-ins, I was able to assess progress and reallocate resources as needed. This approach not only kept us organized but also fostered accountability and collaboration, enabling us to meet deadlines without compromising quality.
With a short timeline for business creation, effective time management is essential. I facilitated task prioritization by breaking the project into manageable milestones, ensuring we remained on track. By assigning tasks based on team members' strengths and implementing regular check-ins, I was able to assess progress and reallocate resources as needed. This approach not only kept us organized but also fostered accountability and collaboration, enabling us to meet deadlines without compromising quality.
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