The Process

Final Reflections

My goal for this project was to design an object that had as characteristic the embodiment of emotions in an interactive visualization, which could relieve or prevent the social exclusion amongst elderly in the context of the retirement home. I am very proud of the result that my group mate and I gained in this project. I do think that our different curriculum gave us the opportunity to open the direction of the project into a totally new and unexplored (for us) field. Only thanks to our consistent participation in the squad activities, meetings with experts and the squad leader and frequent user tests, we shaped our project successfully.

In my opinion, design is anything that can create an immediate contact with those who see it, good design speaks for itself by creating a relationship with the user. I learned through this project that the important thing in the shape of an object is not only linked to the aesthetics, but also to the directness that the object expresses to the user. The objects have to be recognized so to create an immediate contact with the users. Elderly are not afraid of the technology, but rather curious, but they need the ability to choose what to do with the object, the power to act.

During my past project, the importance that I gave to the user test has not been enough. In fact, thanks to this project I learned that the opportunity to test my concepts regularly with the chosen target is crucial. During all of our visits to the retirement home, we received authentic feedback, all necessary for the development of our concepts. Our visits to Vitalis Berckelhof gave us the opportunity to create a relationship with the residents, the elderly were waiting for our arrival and they were happy to participate in our project. Positive emotional well-being is needed in order to create a good relationship with elderly. I applied a design-through-exploration process: asking opinions to users and experts continually, and testing the performance of the concept enabled me to make valuable judgments on the direction of the project, and find many solutions during the design process.

In Emotional Design, Don Norman states that “good behavioral design should be human-centered, focusing on understanding and satisfying the needs of the people who actually use the product”. This quote perfectly reflects my design process and my vision throughout this project.