TITLE:
Integrating Elder and Youth into Co-Design Approach—A Case Study of Medication Aids Design
AUTHORS:
Yu-Meng Xiao, Ding-Hua Huang, Rung-Tai Lin
KEYWORDS:
Design Thinking, Experience Based Co-Design, Elder and Youth Co-Creation Model
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
16,
2023
ABSTRACT: Designs for the elderly should consider their characteristics and needs.
However, in previous research, the role of the elderly has been chiefly as
consultants or testers, and they rarely actively participate in the design
process. This study integrates steps and methods based on experience based
co-design and design thinking, developing an
elder and youth co-creation model. This model is applied to the medication-assistance
design closely related to the needs of the elderly, exploring the impact and
benefits brought by the elder and youth co-creation model for both the elderly
and young designers. In this research, nine elder individuals, ranging in age
from 61 to 74, and eight graduate students,
primarily from design fields, participated in the co-creation workshops.
This study implements the elder and youth co-creation model in the form of workshops, organizing five co-creation workshops
to address the existing medication problems of the elderly and redesign
medication assistance. Focus group interviews are conducted after the end of
the workshop. The results show that through this model, young designers can
enhance empathy with users, discover the potential needs of target customers,
and design products that meet the needs of
the target customer group. Furthermore, the model can enhance the
confidence level of the elderly in creativity and serve as a means to present
the abilities and experiences of the elderly.