SERVICE DESIGN + RESEARCH + USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
NextRodeo - a Social Platform for Young Seniors
How might we build a concept for a new social (media) platform?
Targeting a gap in the social media landscape, our team delved into the needs of "Young Seniors" (65-75). Through research and user interviews, we discovered a desire for community, connection, and learning. We also determined that the majority of young seniors preferred in-person connection and did not feel that technology was currently being designed with their age in mind. We designed a series of events supported by a co-created app, prioritizing immediate community building and continuous learning from users. This project highlighted the value of adapting design processes based on insights and embracing incremental progress over rigid solutions.
PARSONS, INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC DESIGN, 2023
Group Project, Master of Science degree in Strategic Design and Management
ROLES
Service Designer, Researcher, Marketing and Branding
TEAM
Giordana Cue, Ananaya Singh, Qing Shen
Design Process
Definition
Brainstormed potential target audiences
Conducted initial market scans and secondary research into the competitive landscapes of different segments
Identified seniors as an audience that was currently being under-served by available options
Research
Conducted research interviews with 15 participants, 62-80 years old
Synthesis
Based on our research we narrowed our focus to “Young Seniors” aged 65-75 and created:
Ecosystem map of trends, themes, values, and needs
Competitive analysis
SWOT analysis
User journey map
Three distinct user personas highlighting goals, motivations, and pain points
Design & Delivery
Decided to launch a series of in-person events supported by a simple application that we would continue to co-create with users
Created prototypes of the mobile application and initial launch marketing assets
Wrote a five-year roadmap of priorities and plans for growth
One of three user personas created.
Lessons Learned
This project re-affirmed the importance of remaining open-minded as to the many forms that a design process may yield and adjusting based on available information. The assignment brief for this project specified that we design a new social media platform, but our research suggested that may not be the best way to address the needs and values of our audience in the immediate term. As a result, we decided to take an incremental approach, where our initial release focused on building community ties and furthering our understanding of our users. Our roadmap suggested next steps could include seeking sponsorship opportunities and building a platform to host event-driven forums and online community events.