CLARK Design Studio Winter 2016 1 TEAM Rose-Marie Keva (Bachelor of Interior Architecture) Joel Kotsjuba (Bachelor of Recreation Management) Arno Peever (Bachelor of Machine building) Andrej Kmeť (Bachelor of Industrial design) SUPERVISORS Martin Pärn (Estonian Academy of Arts) Ruth-Helene Melioranski (Tallinn University of Technology) 2 “ About the project Clark is a conceptual solution developed as a part of Design & Engineering master’s program course Design Studio during the fall semester in 2016 by an international and i n t e rd i s c i p l i n a r y t e a m o f s t u d e n t s f ro m E s to n i a n Ac a d e my of A r t s a n d Ta l l i n n U n i ve r s i t y of Te c h n o l o g y. T h e aim of the Design Studio was to search, d eve l o p a n d te s t n e w c o n c e pt s to s u p p o r t t h e wo r k to c o m e - Wo r k 2 . 0 . 3 CONTENTS About the project 01 Introduction 02 Problem description 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly 04 Mnemonics 05 Brief 06 Competitors 07 Concept Development 08 Final Concept 09 Conclusions 10 References 4 01 Introduction At the beginning of the project, we were looking for the opportunities to enhance collaboration at work. Through discussion and brainstorming, we worked through the possibilities of collaborations at work and around it, and found it interesting to focus on the aspect of engaging communities. We narrowed down the selection of target group and chose to focus on engaging elderly to the labour market due to the relevance of the topic. During the course of the project, the team faced several challenges, but it was dedicated to overcome them by showing a strong work ethic, teamwork and willpower to achieve good results. At the development stage, the concept took part of the Universal Design Competition renounced by The Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs, from where it got a positive feedback from the jury and received a financial prize. This team decided to use the prize to produce a professional presentation video for the final presentation Over the course of the project, we con- of the concept. ducted ten in-depth interviews, out of which half of the interviewees had a knowledge worker professional background. In addition we made a group interview and questioned senior knowledge workers at ABB and Telia telecom company. The last two interviews have not been brought out separately in this paper, but were considered in the development of the concept. The literature study together with the interviews presented in this paper is put in a sequence correlating to the development of the project over time. . P1. Concept roadmap / source: private source 5 02 Problem description “ Demographical Trends: Aging Population and its effect on the labor market Demographical Trends/ Aging Population and its effect on the labor market In 2010, the old-age dependency ratio, that describes the ratio of 65-year olds and older compared to the people of working age (15-64-years old), was 25,5%. This means, for every hundredth of 15-64 year old there was 25,5 65-year old or older people, and the figure is steadily growing, indicating the decreasing number of working aged people. With optimistic prognosis, Estonian figure in 2030 will be 32,6 and by 2050 36,9 - this is 1,4 times higher than at current times (Puur ja Põldma 2010). One of the main effects of the increasing trend of old-age dependency ratio is the decreasing tax- and revenue base. A sphere, where the effect of aging population and the societal changes are strongly manifesting itself is the labor market. Labor market pressure index identifies the correlation between 5-14 and 55-64 year olds in the population. If the index is above 1, there are more people entering the labor market than leaving due to the age. The last 10 year the index has decreased - from 1,2 in 2001 down to 0,77 in 2011 and continues. According to Eurostat, the amount of people in the Estonian work force will decrease over 100 000 in 20 years (Look P2. Person´s employment capability). To keep the economical capacity on at least the same level as it is today, the government has chosen to tackle the problem by considering to increase the local employment rate rather than solving it through immigration 6 02 Problem description Person’s employment capability depends largely on his work-ability, or in other words the ability to use his physical, mental, social resources at work (Leetmaa, 2004). This means that in order to support the elderly employment capability, there should be the supportive tools and means to empower the use of their personal resources at work. We chose to support their use of mental capabilities. P2. Person´s employment capability/ source: private source Interviews about retirement, working, learning The interviews at Nõmme marketplace, Elderly Cultural Centre and 3rd Youth University took place during the research phase and served a purpose to find out the needs and desires of elders work life, as well as the reasons and problems for retiring. 7 P3. Elderly Cultural Centre visit/ source: private source 02 Problem description Thoughts on retirement and working / Nõmme marketplace retired. Most of them continued with an unskilled work after retiring from their previous profession like administrator, holding kids, At Nõmme market place we gathered an guard etc. overall thought about work after retirement. Interviewees were 60 to 81-year-old men After the meeting we became curious why and women with different professional back- do people later in their professional career grounds. We were looking for answers to choose to take a new direction instead of questions like: what were the reason for their taking the effort to develop and learn new retirement, would they like to work again, are things to pursue the same professional posithe health issues the main problem for stop- tion. In the light of this question, we started to look ping working. Elderlies gave us different feedback. The main for ways to support the elderly capability to reasons for retirement were that younger took learn and develop. their position over, they didn’t have any more energy or they would like to separate time Elderly and learning / for other important things in life, like family. 3rd Youth University in TUT One interviewee mentioned that he didn’t feel comfortable with new digital technology. Most At the 3rd Youth University we took part of a of them wouldn’t go back to work unless the lecture where the professor introduced and working environment is suitable and pleasant explained new digital communication devicfor them. At the same time persons who were es. The lecture was incomprehensible and in retirement age and working, said that they reminded more of a show where the professor tried to explain his point through funny life work until they have health for it. situations, but it was difficult to draw meaningful conclusions out of it. After the lecture Reasons for retiring / we interviewed several participants. Our aim Elderly cultural centre was to find out how elderly learn new things At the Elderly Cultural Centre, we interviewed and what are their thoughts about this leca group of ladies aged 69 to 85, with different ture. professional backgrounds and mostly retired. Our aim was to find out what steps they have taken during their career to get better understanding why people retire from their speciality. Majority of ladies said that different life circumstances, like sickness or caretaking of a family member forced to quit the job at a certain point of their career. After getting healthy again or when circumstances changed, almost none of them did not return to the same position because they felt that things had moved on and it would be difficult to adapt back into. Some of ladies said that it was hard to get familiar with new technologies like computers so they 8 Most of them said that their primary information channel is internet and TV. To get some deeper understanding of some subject they prefer attending trainings. Their opinion on the lecture were good, although when asking a more detailed questions about the subject, they failed to have an understanding. It was surprising that elderly are embarrassed to admit their lack of understanding and rather hide their lower capabilities. Only one man said that he didn’t understand anything 02 Problem description and claimed it’s his own fault. They showed a clear interested in self-development and staying up-to-date with current technological possibilities for improving their daily lives. P4. 3th youth University / source: tnuni.sk 9 This finding contributed in understanding the importance of empowerment - the need for strengthening and supporting learning in a discreet manner. 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly “ One of the stereotypical assumptions towards aging health condition is that they retrograde back to being childish, or lose their cognitive capabilities completely. Due to the assumptions, there is little attention paid to the causes of the health problems, assuming all is natural part of aging. But there is a clear difference in decreasing health condition resulted by natural part of aging and as a cause of illness. It is important to identify the changes in health taking place as part of aging. We decided to find out about the changing cognitive capabilities of the aging brain. Strengths of Elderly There are different models and theories about intelligence, but most theorists agree in dividing it into primary and secondary mental abilities (Cavanaugh and BlanchardFields, 2002). A common subset of the primary mental abilities is made up of numeric facility, word fluency, verbal meaning, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation. +more concrete +solve familiar assignments faster +think less over Fluid and crystallized intelligence The research pertaining to the secondary mental abilities usually focuses on two: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence (Cavanaugh, et. al., 2002). Younger people perform at a higher level where rote memorization that is part of fluid intelligence is measured whereas older, more experienced people make up for this in what is called crystallized intelligence through better developed verbal abilities and judgment (Merriam, 2001). alternatives Fluid intelligence describes the ability to handle new situations and problems. It performs best in young age, develops until age 25, and is not dependent of cultural environment or the way of upbringing. 10 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly Crystallized intelligence represents the capacity of info, skills and strategies that person has gained through his fluid intelligence and it develops till the age 50. Unlike fluid intelligence, it is dependent of the environment, education and cultural background of the person. Strengths & weaknesses of Elderly Those cognitive strengths and weaknesses manifest itself in knowledge work assignment, which includes tasks such as decision making, planning, executing. If given an assignment of knowledge work, the elderly can be characterized by following: - Conservative in decision making - Doubtful in fulfilling tasks and afraid to fail - In new situations, try to minimize the risk of failing more than young - The executional capabilities - such as planning, initiating, carrying through can lower + More concrete + Solve familiar assignment faster based on experience Interview/ Senior Knowledge-Workers on Note-taking Later in the concept development stage, we conducted four interviews with elderly knowledge workers to find out how do they take notes and what are the challenges. Note-taking and task-management is very individual to everyone and it was evident in the example of our interviewees. There are many different tools for task-management and note-taking, such as project timeline map, wall calendar, paper note-book, digital calendars, task-management softwares, etc. It came out that they prefer having a personal note-book for writing down tasks and notes separately from the collaborative tools provided to them from work. They created the structure of the content by themselves - some were organized and some were random. The information that is important for them to note down is everything that is new and out of their daily assignments. Information such as instructions, new names, important personal and work-related events, passwords and tasks were important to take notes of. One of the preferred ways to write down the tasks was in list and once it was done to strike them through. + Think less over alternatives The challenges in note-taking: Additionally, the research validates the necessity of this work and confirms that the after-retirement time is an extremely vulnerable time for elderly - it is the dangerous period for losing all kinds of capabilities, including mental. (Kai Saks, 2015) 11 -writing by hand takes more time and effort -need for glasses when reading -remembering things takes longer time and effort -reaction time is slower -it is important to write down everything new -handwriting is bad 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly During the development of the interface design, we applied the knowledge from the interviews and chose to provide a task-list that is less structured and gives a freedom to the user to choose the order and timing for executing the tasks. When asking about using software tools, it turned out that they had tried out some calendar apps, but quit after some time, because “it was a little complicated” and “it didn’t stick to them”. In their case, they were not afraid to test out new technology, as in some examples they had created a website on their own and were using smartphones daily. We concluded that the note-taking solution that we are creating should be easier than writing with pen and paper and it should provide an intuitive user-experience for the user. During the development of the interface design, we applied the knowledge from the interviews and chose to provide a task-list that is less structured and gives a freedom to the user to choose the order and P6. Note-taking / source: private source P5. Note-taking / source: private source 12 P7. Note-taking / source: private source P8. Note-taking / source: private source 13 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly “ Memory Memory is the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information (Oxford English Dictionary) Memory is divided into three different types: long-term, short-term and working memory. Short-term memory - responsible for the temporary storage of information (from 30 seconds up to few minutes) Long-term memory - responsible for the storage of information for an extended period of time Memory is divided into three different types: Working memory - Part of short-term memory which is concerned with immediate conscious perceptual and linguistic processing. (Oxford English Dictionary) It is also referred to as a functional ability to store material for the purpose of carrying out a cognitive task. (Kai Saks, 2015) long-term, short-term and working memory. As mentioned before, some cognitive capabilities are getting better in age. For example, the communication and language skills are increasing, which is the function of semantic memory. Lexical memory is the part of the memory which is used for retrieving factual information, such as names and objects, from your memory. It’s working function decreases in years, causing elderly often not to remember specific facts. The performance of working memory, which is a part of short-term memory, and functions for the purpose of remembering information for a specific task, decreases in older age as well. Memory decreases in one third of elderly with good health. (Kai Saks, 2015.) 14 03 Cognitive Capabilities of Elderly It is therefore important to support the working function of short-term memory as it is one of the naturally decreasing cognitive functions for humans. Empowering the elderly to remember new information and retrieve it for carrying out tasks can have a significant impact in their performance at work. P9. Cognitive capabilities of elderly / source: washington.edu 15 04 Mnemonics “ Memory training workshop During our research phase we also took a part in a 2-day Memory training held by a well-known memory trainer Tauri Tallermaa. The goals of this training were to: · discover the potential abilities of the brain and the memory and put them in current use · improve the reminding process and saving the information · make yourself clear and memorable for other people · improve attention and concentration skills · increase confidence and competitiveness Creating Effective Visual Imagery The workshop started with a short introduction of the memory, its abilities and different types, how do we memorize different things?, what is the brain?, how does it remember etc. We also did a memory test before the training and after it, to compare the results and to see how effective the training had been. Form mental images Make associations between images We went through the remembering process. Got to know the relationship between goal setting, focusing and understanding. It occurred that the first rule of memorization is to create associations and that there are various possibilities for the creation of links to the information you want to remember. We can create these associations only through our imagination. That’s why we did some exercises to discover, activate and train our imagination. As an interesting fact, it came out that another remembering technique uses location. We used the Journey method to learn how the location affects the saving of the information and the later usage of it. And as before we tried out the Journey method 16 04 Mnemonics walking around in different rooms and connecting the information that need to be remembered with specific elements in the rooms. 1)Form mental images 2)Make associations between images. These two tasks are described in detail as following. The most important aspect of remembering any kind of information is repeating. For remembering numbers and names we were introduced to Dominic technique, which was basically replacing numbers with the first letters of weekdays and then a bit more common number-shape link for better remembering by visual resemblance. Forming images Concrete nouns are the easiest information to visualize. A concrete noun is a noun that identifies a specific object such as a ball or tree. These items are easy to visualize because you just have to picture the actual object. Connection mnemonics/ Visual mnemonics The task of visualizing becomes more difficult with more abstract information. For example, how do you visualize numbers and formulas? Just picturing a number as it is written on the page probably won’t help you with remembering it. Visual Mnemonics It is a well established fact that the mind easily remembers images. Visual mnemonic systems takes advantage of this fact to create systems that allow you to commit virtually unlimited amounts of information to memory. Using imagery can make learning more fun and interesting — especially when compared to repetitive learning by rote. Generating images for abstract material Techniques exist for converting abstract information to images. These techniques include: Associating a visual symbol that has a similar meaning or that can cue the idea we are trying to remember. For example, the word ‘learn’ can be associated with an image of a student in school. Visual mnemonic techniques have been used by world record holders that have committed huge amounts of information to memory. The better your ability to perform the above two tasks the better you will be able to take advantage of the visual mnemonic systems. Fortunately these tasks aren’t very difficult to begin with and they get easier with practice. Substituting a word or words that are similar in sound or meaning which are easier to visualize. For example the word ‘fulcrum’ could be represented by the images of a glass ‘full’ of ‘crumbs’. Using your own images can be better than using images suggested by another. This is because you likely have your own unique image that is associated with abstract ideas which are more appropriate for you than images suggested by someone else. Creating Effective Visual Imagery In order to create effective visual imagery you need to be able to: 17 04 Mnemonics Making associations between images Don’t just think of the words and actions — actually visualize the activity. Also, including many details in the imagery will make it more effective. When making a visual association between images think of the two images interacting in a way that uses some or all of the following tips. Clearly visualize the images in your mind with as much detail as possible. Images can be further enhanced by adding other sensory detail such as sound, touch or texture, even taste or smell. Bizarreness Images should be bizarre as opposed to plausible — unusual, weird, implausible, incongruous, or ludicrous. This is not always necessary but bizarre imagery is generally remembered better. By adding bizarre elements you also make the imagery unique which can help distinguish it from similar imagery. Making images bizarre can also add an emotional factor. Interaction The two items you are picturing should be actively interacting in some way not just pictured beside each other. Sometimes you can even substitute one object for another. For example, if you are associating the images of a mouse and pen, imagine writing with a mouse as though it were a pen, or picture a pen running in an exercise wheel. One way to create bizarre images is to exaggerate attributes of the items or the actions they are performing. Emotion Images that evoke an emotion — especially a positive or humorous emotion — can be beneficial. It is important to avoid negative emotions as they have been shown to interfere with memory. Vividness Images should be clear, distinct, and strong. It is also useful to add motion so that the interaction is like a movie instead of a static image. The more you can see the imagery the better. P10. Mnemonics / source: keyword-suggestions.com 18 05 Design brief “ “We want to create a smart watch application that would make everyday notetaking and remembering important information easier. As an addition it will also work as a memory trainer, cause the app will remind the user with a symbol of the task not the task itself, so keeping the brain active through associations that the user has to make while using it.” 19 06 Competitors We looked through the smartwatches available in the market for elderly. There are some customized devices for the elderly such as Omate, but it was not a device for everyday use in the working environment, as the screen size is small and it is leaving too much the impression of an assistive device meant for elderly. At one point in the concept development we consiered the op- tion to develop the smart wrist device, but taking into consideration of production costs and tight competition amongst smartwatches, we continued with a software solution. Affordability is another important aspect in choosing the device, so it should be lower-price range smartwatch, such as Sony Smartwatch 3 or Moto 360 I Gen (in a price range of 150 USD). P11. OMATE / source: qatarliving.com There are several productivity and notetaking APPs developed on Android platform, such as Todoist, Evernote, Google Keep, which makes the new concept need to have a clear competitive advantage. P12. ToDoist / source: geeky-gadgets.com 20 06 Competitors P13. Evernote / source: help.evernote.com P14. Google Keep / source: phandroid.com 21 07 Concept development Clear visual design and information structure are one of the most important elements of the design goals of the concept. It is very important to visualize and organize information in a way, which is easy to read and understandable not only for young people or people who are experienced with technology but also for elderly. ning as force-touch buttons at the same time. Integrating force-touch buttons adds value for elderly as it gives a physical feedback during navigation. This idea received positive feedback also from young users, who prefer smartwatch experience different from regular touch-screens. As this concept would require a square design of the screen, we started to develop it further with a possibility in designing both hardware and software solution. We were interested in continuing with that concept, but after being stuck for some time, we felt to be too limited by the 4 squares and the restrictions it made in visually organizing information. Considering the little added value that it gave in connection between user and device, we decided to try out other options. During the development process we tried and tested several graphical concepts for interface The Four-Button Interface: The concept uses the simple logic of four squares to divide the information and provide a simple navigation throughout the app. The square shape screens are functio- P15. 4 Button Interface/ source: private source We brainstormed many different options and proposals, drawing inspiration from animations, interactions from the real world and some more abstract ideas. For example we drew inspiration from productive elements in the nature such as bees, trees and liquid elements. Also, we tried out various hand movements in designing most in- tuitive user interaction for the app. We chose to settle with “the bubble concept” for the final interface design, as it provided a free, intuitive, and simple visual language that is understandable and quick to learn for all the users. 22 07 Concept development moving some steps to create an easier and faster use of the functions. After several developments of the UX schema, we could apply final visual design on the top of it In addition to the visual side, the functionality of the app holds an important role. We created user interaction schemes, built paper prototypes, and tested them on elderly knowledge-workers. We received valuable feedback, implemented the changes by re- P16. Antoher versions of Interface/ source: private source P17. Schema and prototype/ source: private source 23 08 Final concept Clark empowers you to remember the important things! mands and touch-screen. It holds a simple design to make note-taking intuitive and at- Clark is a smartwatch app that enables to easily record, organize and remind tasks and notes. It allows to record tasks by voice and additionally, it helps to train the brain by enabling to create associations with the tasks through symbols. The app is designed to take into account various user groups’ Clark makes note-taking seamless and revitalizes the memory through the use of connection mnemonics. Record tasks, take notes, create to-do lists effortlessly by voice and set reminders with symbols which assists with remembering the information. tractive for everybody. needs and can be used through voice com- CLARK P18. Final concept/ source: private source P19. Voice recording/ source: private source 24 08 Final Concept Speech-recognition technology recognizes and translates the spoken language into text instantly, providing a fast note-taking without disturbing the workflow. Simple interface design and intuitive interactions with modern technology makes notetaking experience intuitive for everybody, including the people with special needs. Connection mnemonic technique, used in the reminder function, allows to make associations between the tasks and assists on remembering the necessary information. We created the Clark presentation video that is accessible by the URL link or QR Code https://vimeo.com/199215289 P20. Interface/ source: private source P21. QR code for CLARK video/ source: private source 25 09 Conclusion This project is an interesting example of an universal design solution, as there was no aim to create a solution to meet the needs of many user groups. But as striving to solve one very relevant problem of a rather extreme user group, it became beneficial and relevant for many. For the limited amount of time, only paper prototypes were used for testing. For further development, the interface and interactions should be developed, tested further and a digital prototype with animations should be created. Additionally, the process of creating and setting symbols in the reminder function can be developed further, as it might lead to It is not only targeting the problem of short- new interesting solutions. term memory of the aging, but also the relevant problem of information overload, which For any further development, it is important creates a need for an assistive device to to note that there are a lot of well designed save and remember the important informa- productivity and note-taking apps available. tion. In order to succeed, Clark should maintain and be developed on its unique proposal of Clark is a concept that is worth developing combining seamless note-taking and unique further, as it holds a lot of potential that was reminder function, as well as provide simple user experience. confirmed through several feedbacks. P22. Reminder/ source: private source 26 10 References 1. Eurostat, Labor market and labor force survey statistics, 2015, URL: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Labour_market_and_Labour_ force_survey_(LFS)_statistics 2. Actively Aging Development Plan 2013-2020, Ministry of Social Affairs, URL: https://www.sm.ee/sites/default/files/content-editors/eesmargid_ja_tegevused/Sotsiaalhoolekanne/Eakatele/aktiivsena_vananemise_arengukava_2013-2020.pdf 3. Leetmaa, R., Võrk, A., Kallaste, E. (2004). Vanemaealine tööjõud tööturul ja tööelus. PRAXISe Toimetised nr 19/ 2004. Poliitikauuringute Keskus PRAXIS, Tallinn. 4. Eesti 2020, Estonian Competitiveness Plan, URL, Estonian Competitiveness Plan, URL: https:// riigikantselei.ee/et/eesti-2020-eesmargid 5. Gerontoloogia, 2016, Annely Soots, Kai Saks, Riin Tamm, Mati Pääsuke, Tiia Tulviste, Luule Sakkeus, Tiina Tambaum, Toivo Maimets, Marju Medar, Anne Murov, Taimi Tulva, Taivo Uibo 6. The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education, by David L. Crawford, Source: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/lifelonglearning/highereducation/implications/ 7. Cavanaugh, J.C., Blanchard-Fields, F, 2002. Adult development and aging. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning. 8. Merriam, S. B, 2001, The new update on adult learning theory 9. Oxford English Dictionary, Source: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ 10. Mnemonics, T.Tallermaa, URL: http://www.kiirlugemine.ee/malutreening 11. Visual Mnemonics, Skillstoolbox.com, URL: http://www.skillstoolbox.com/career-and-education-skills/learning-skills/memory-skills/mnemonics/visual-mnemonics/ 27 12. Picture sources P1. Concept roadmap / source: private source P2. Person´s employment capability/ source: private source P3. Elderly Cultural Centre visit/ source: private source P4. 3th youth University / source: http://tnuni.sk/aktuality/promocie-studentov-univerzitytretieho-veku/ff498b1927b40b19c5384ec3b12211b0/ P5. Note-taking / source: private source P6. Note-taking / source: private source P7. Note-taking / source: private source P8. Note-taking / source: private source P9. Cognitive capabilities of elderly / source:http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/01/13/ cognitive-training-shows-some-lasting-effects-in-healthy-older-adults/4. P10. Mnemonics / source:http://www.keyword-suggestions.com/bW5lbW9uaWMgdGVjaG5pcXVlcw/ P11. OMATE / source:http://www.qatarliving.com/mobile-devices/mobile-phones/advert/ omate-truesmart-android-watch-sale-or-exchange P12. ToDoist / source:http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/todoist-productivity-app-now-supports-android-wear-19-12-2014/ P13. Evernote / source: https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/209005897-How-touse-Evernote-for-Apple-Watch P14. Google Keep / source: http://phandroid.com/2015/04/23/google-keep-notes-android-wear-update/ P15. 4 Button Interface/ source: private source P16. Antoher versions of Interface/ source: private source P17. Schema and prototype/ source: private source P18. Final concept/ source: private source P19. Voice recording/ source: private source P20. Interface/ source: private source P21. QR code for CLARK video/ source: private source P22. Reminder/ source: private source 28
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