Hejje: from my generation to yours
An Intergenerational Knowledge Platform
design research & innovation | Independent | new york city, usa | 2020-21
Try prototype here
Problem Context
Soon after Covid-19 started spreading through the world, there was a need to maintain distance from the elderly, for protecting them and this got me thinking about the many intergenerational interactions that might get affected. Generational Knowledge has been passed on linearly within families and if one generation misses passing on this knowledge, it is a huge loss to the community. What does this learning interaction mean to people and how does it play a role in their lives?
_edited.jpg)
Intergenerational Learning
Learning exchanges that involve people who grew up in different timelines
Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer
A flow of generational knowledge rooted within different communities and geographies.
These interactions result in a rich extended learning environment outside of current education systems and fill in gaps that exist regarding diversity in learning. And the most important being, a nurturing learning environment as compared to a generally rigid, homogenous, and structured education system.
" If the demands of building sustainable systems and lifestyles are more complex than the capabilities of those asked to do so, which I argue is the case today on a massive scale, then no matter how much funding we throw at sustainability technologies our efforts will fail."
​
Zachary Stein, Education in a Time Between Worlds
How might we create opportunities for intergenerational interactions to thrive?
For the elderly
-
reduce social isolation through respectful interactions
-
increase social and tech awareness
For the young
-
reduce friction to approach elderly
-
enrich learning through lived experiences
Design Research - What can we learn from successful intergenerational relationships?
APPROACH
As one of the ways generational knowledge exchanges take place is within familial interactions, grandparent and grandchild relationships became the focus of this project. Interviews with Generation Y and Z, diary studies with grandparents and grandchildren, and workshops informed the research and insights.
​
DIARY STUDY - REMOTE
A mixed-methods Diary study and ethnography were conducted remotely by providing activity prompts for interactions. Participants were asked to record their interactions and activity outcomes. Depending on the age group of the participant, the activities were either given to them directly or through their parent.
​
Whatsapp was helpful in facilitating these activities as participants in India were most familiar with this application.
Barriers to the Interaction
The 9 interviews with Millennials and Gen Z informed further on the relationship details and takeaways of the relationship.
Participants were chosen between a range of having lived long term with their grandparents to have never had any interactions with grandparents.
​
Talking to the two extreme participants provided insight on the gains and loss of having a strong relationship with grandparents, as well as the barriers in interaction that develop within this spectrum.
No interaction
Grew up in the
same house
Interactions with grandparent
“I mean obviously in my ideologies, the difference in ideology, they are from a different era. So yeah, and he says a lot of things which can be very offensive and I don't agree with”
Growing up in different time periods
Ideological Differences
Differences in some ideologies usually cause friction in the relationship. Culture is one of the factors that may influence ideologies, but diversity in learning, growing up in a different time and environment create variations in values and thought.
“There are a lot of cultural norms that I don't agree with anymore - Sort of teachings or lessons from older people that my generation and myself don't agree with.”
Lack of Acceptance to change
Closed off to older generation
The younger generation, Gen Y and Z, feel that the older generation finds it difficult to accept the changes taking place while they also find it difficult to empathize with the elders and where they come from.
“So I think there's also like a generational thing where we like avoid the conversation. So we avoid talking about it because we don't want to fight it. I don’t, I'd fight about it and I feel that has helped my grandma like open up her mind.”
Challenging Elders is disrespectful
Lack of safe sharing space
In some cultures, it may be considered disrespectful to argue or raise a concern against the opinion of an elderly person. This creates hesitation to have conversations that maybe conflicting with each other’s opinions and values.
“Now, I think, as I know myself more I think that it’s undeniable that I am Vietnamese and that is a very important part of me. It infiltrates every single thing that I do and it's a part of my identity.”
Lifestyle
Living with grandparents is not as common as it used to be. People move homes according to their jobs and lose touch with their roots. More people tend to live in smaller families of 3 or 4.
Language Barrier
Cultures are ingrained in languages. The younger generation that’s growing up away from natives homes have difficulties communicating with their elders as they converse in different languages.
The Value of this Relationship
Grandparents in the Interaction
Grandchildren in the Interaction
_.jpg)
The Learning Style - Storytelling
Sharing wisdom through narrating lived experiences. This provides a space for the imagination of context, problems, and solutions. It encourages to not repeat certain mistakes or gives an insight into how to resolve problems faced. This interaction creates diversity in the medium of learning, opens up new perspectives, and creates empathy for each other. Especially for the elderly and very young children, the relationship is mutually beneficial they provide each other a space for sharing, listening, and support. Leaving both feeling important in their roles.
_.jpg)
Ideation Workshops
Ideation workshops were designed to address two potential directions. The first workshop was about increasing interactions between grandparents and grandchildren while the second workshop was about exploring ways to connect with one's roots and preserve generational knowledge. The format of the workshop was more conversational and interactive. The results informed ways of interventions and
Languages
Travel
Games
Food
Inheritance Maps
Guiding Design Values
Lifelong Learning
Conversation for Change
Cultural exchange
Continuity and Preservation
Outcome Aspirations
To build capacity for change by making learning a lifelong practice and create safe sharing spaces.
To foster sustainability and responsibility towards living cultural heritage in an increasingly globalized world.
Strategies
Connection Creators
Meeting at Intersections
The value of the offering is what the two user groups have to offer to each other. Prioritizing to meet needs of the user groups to get initial connection started.
Connection Builders
Starting Small & Simple
The two distinct user groups are used to different patterns and mediums of interaction. This requires the initial product or service offered to be easy to access and use, without need to adapt or go through change processes.
Connection Fortifers
Ensuring prolonged interactions
Ensure that the two user groups recognize learning values to takeaway from each other and continue to interact at frequent intervals.
Grand's Family Game: Concept to Prototype
Concept Testing
.jpg)
How would you like to play an interactive game or any form of engagement artifact with your grandchildren?
​
A storyboard and concept deck was shared with users in the age group of 55-65 years to understand interest levels and expectations. These discussions contained concept visuals. The concept test informed further iteration.
There is interest and curiosity for age groups approx 65 and above to interact with younger people to share their stories. As per SMEs in Education, it was understood that teenagers or young adults may not reciprocate the same level of enthusiasm. So the prototype would have to be in a medium that speaks more to the younger generation while also being inclusive in usage to all groups.
Prototype & Testing
A conversation card game prototype was created which allowed for the exchange of stories from each user group.
Discussions with experts in education and game design, research in child development models helped in building the first prototype and test. The age group 14-19yr was chosen as It favored safe remote testing with easier communication as compared to a younger age group within the project time frame.
PIAGET'S STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
​
Formal Operation Stage
​
​
ERIKSON'S MODEL
​
FIDELITY: IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION
The learning goals of children and young adults are varied as they grow. Child development models helped to narrow down stakeholders to teenagers and their grandparents. The individuals in this age group are discovering and forming their identities. They are looking out to take more responsibilities.
​
Grandparents or elder members of the community can play a pivotal role at this stage as mentors and motivators. By gamifying storytelling and conversations, teenagers can create interactive moments to share, listen and learn. This is initiated using a question card game.
​
Participant Profile:
​
Age Group - 14-19yr
Location - India
ROUND 1 TESTING - 5 Participants
For testing the conversation card game, it was important to keep it unmoderated so that the conversation between the grandchild and grandparent is natural. were conducted using an Adobe prototype for the cards and google form and Whatsapp for feedback.
Learnings:
​
-
Participants enjoyed the cards once they used them
-
2 participants did not complete the test which meant that there might be more motivating factors required to initiate the process
-
Participants did not share their stories, and only listened to what their grandparents had to say
ROUND 2 TESTING - 35 Participants
Try prototype here
For Round 2, I formed a collaboration with an education academy in India. Teachers played the mediator role to create motivation for students to use the cards. This round received high numbers of participation and proved that a close respected member can effectively act as motivator.
82% teens
Shared their stories
Grandparents liked to know how tims have changed and some other information about today's world that they were not aware of.
I liked that I gave some time on spending time with my grandparents being so far.
I usually interact less with my grandparents, now I learned so much about them and want to do this atleast once in a week
My grandmother was happy that I spoke for a long time after awhile
From Product to Service
Hejje is platform for intergenerational interactions. The foundational product of Hejje is a to be used as a means to narrate, record, and share learning through lived experiences.
Hejje - means Footsteps in the language Kannada. Hejje aims to break the barriers that are built around generations because of various social trends around the world. Reducing social isolation among elderly and increasing traditional ecological knowledge, and learning through their lived experiences for younger generations. This practice would also build capacity for accepting change and differences between generations as stories build empathy.
.jpg)