Greenspace

Supporting the independent elderly people with heart conditions
Service Design | Healthcare | Student Service Design Challenge 2020
Basic Information
Time: 2020. 1- 2020. 5 (5 Months, including four rounds)
Initiator: Philips Experience Design
Co-organizer: Service Design Days
Partnership: IBM, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Delivery: Project Video
Project Report
Interactive Prototype
Business Model Canvas
Project Status: Achieved
My Role
'Healer' is a collaborative team project for the 2020 Student Service Design Challenge initiated by Philips Experience Design. My primary responsibilities included:
- Conduct the desk research, compile the topic proposal report for the first round;
- Plan, contact, and execute the experts, organizations, and engaged participants interviews;
- Create personas;
- Discuss and cooperate with other team members to develop journey map, insights, concepts, final service blueprint, and storyboard;
- Develop the low-fidelity interactive prototype, and organize concept testing.
- Cooperate to compile the final report and business model canvas.
Project Overview
The Student Service Challenge is a unique and international design competition amongst students, celebrating excellence in service design. It is initiated by Philips Experience Design to challenge creative minds to envision service design concepts that matter based on an actual, tangible, real-life case they can relate to. The overall theme is 'access to care' (Sustainable Development Goal #3). This year, the question we need to explore is how to improve the heart of people in Europe that are 'invisible,' neglected, underserved, forgotten, or overlooked.

According to the Scottish Health Survey 2017, the prevalence of any cardiovascular disease in the ages of over 65 is 73.1% during the whole research process. For those approximately 135,000 people in Scotland who have experienced a heart attack, they need to keep exercising to help their recovery and prevent a recurrent heart attack.
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However, for those elderly independent people who have survived a heart attack, some of them may have to face the mental challenges of anxiety, fear, and a loss of confidence. These emotional issues could lead to a lack of motivation for exercise.

Therefore, our team's proposed topic was supporting independent elderly people with heart conditions.
Process & Approach
This project involved four rounds ( see Figure. 1). After we set the general topic in the first round, we conducted engaged interviews with some senior generations at the Govan reminiscence group, and with professional carers and organization experts online. These interviews helped us further figure out the senior generations' empathy details, construct the five key personas, including the independent elderly people with heart conditions, independent elderly people with potential risks, professional carers, voluntary and potential carers, and official organizations, as well as the relationships among the different stakeholders. ( see Figure. 2 and Figure. 3 )

Since our target user is Steve, who represents the independent elderly people with heart conditions, we paid more attention to the impacts on him after diagnosis. We got insights regarding his emotional reactions, recovery behaviors, habits, even his inner traits from the multi-angle interviews ( see Figure. 4). Based on that, we addressed the initial unmet requirement, how we might reduce his anxiety and depression when he can't do the sports they used to do.
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With another two interviews with the professional carers, a vitality program coach, and an occupational therapist, to understand Steve's general recovery process. We inferred further reasons that caused his anxiety and confidence loss,  transformed them into the final design opportunity, supporting the elderly independent people with heart conditions in recognizing their recovery progress and the value of his contribution. (see Figure. 5)

After we ideated various initial concepts, we tested in the form of a storyboard and a low-fi prototype with professional staff working at the British Heart Foundation, an occupational therapist, and our tutors. Their feedback from the angles of professional recovery, social care, and ethical consideration of technologies helped us to iterate and refine the final solution. ( see Figure. 6 and Figure. 7)
Figure. 1 . Overall process and approaches
Figure. 2. Engaged interviews and online interviews
Figure. 3. Relationship map
Figure. 4. Persona of the target user group, independent elderly people with heart conditions
Key Insights
1. Losing confidence gradually
After diagnosis, to prevent the recurrent circumstance, the elderly people with heart conditions usually will spend a long time to recover, and they might also attend to different vitality programs based on doctor's professional suggestions or other recommendations. However, when they found they can't do some actions well or feel embarrassed to attend to those activities, they will become frustrated and aware of a health situation gap.
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What was worse, they might be limited or cautious to do some intense sports, such as playing football, which might influence a primary social way to them. With more and more restrictions, they will gradually lose confidence to back to an average healthy level.
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2. Worry about they are burdens on others and no longer valuabe to society
Based on Steve's persona description, he actively participated in community activities and had a strong community sense. But with his current poor health situation, he would be afraid to be no longer make contributions to his community and worry about relying on others too much. It will also bring a mental burden to him to influence his recovery.
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3. Desire to normal socializing
For those elderly people with heart conditions, communicating with others frequently could help them release mental and physical pressures. Meanwhile, they might don't like to be treated as patients with severe health issues. Therefore, it's vital for surrounding carers or other organizations to create a social-friendly ambient for them.
Figure. 5. Analysis of the top selected insight and transformation to opportunities
Final Challenge
We aim to support the elderly independent people with heart conditions in recognizing their recovery progress and the value of his contribution.
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The opportunities contain:
- offering an opportunity for a healthy, fun routine,
- building on existing strengths,
- showing the elderly independent people's social contributions to the community,
- giving positive feedback on their recovery progress,
- social attractions,
- promoting societal health and wellbeing. 
Service Solution
Greenspace is a connected, accessible gardening service designed to help people recover from poor heart health.
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Sensors in the garden provide metrics to suggest tasks recommended by healthcare professionals that gently improve fitness. People who have suffered from poor health are the stewards of the garden.
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By engaging with nature, making friends, and encouraging exercise, Greenspace offers the opportunity to improve individual and societal well-being.
Figure. 6. Storyboard
Figure. 7. Hi-fidelity prototype of the screen interfaces of the Greenspace service
Interactive prototype:
https://www.figma.com/proto/eUxAKvJyqK6zHb7Y8RzgBt/Garden-interactive-system?node-id=90%3A0
Figure. 8. Business Model Canvas
Design Impact
As one of the twenty finalists, our team, Calaband, managed to submit a full-fledged service solution that complied with the challenge's evaluation criteria: people-centric, society oriented, technology-enabled, circular & sustainable, and business viable. And our concept, Greenspace, will be honored to participate in a unique virtual exhibition during the Dutch Design Week 2020.
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Please see
the finalisits 2020
for more information
Figure. 7. Hi-fidelity prototype of the screen interfaces of the Greenspace service
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