New milestone reached with completing the second workshop round for Buddy4All
April 2023 marked the successful completion of the second workshop round in which potential users took centre stage to give their feedback to help the further development of the Buddy4All platform. Participants had the opportunity to test several aspects of the platform, both new and improved. In total 28 younger adults, 27 older adults and 20 professionals participated in the workshops that took place in both Austria and Switzerland.
User-centred design workshops
The workshops were hosted by Gedächtnistrainingsakademie, Jugendinitiative Triestingtal und terzStiftung, with the goal to:
test the user friendliness, content, design etc. of the newly developed aspects of the platform
validate if the already developed aspects improved from the lessons learned from the first workshop round.
Since the platform aims to connect both younger and older generations, both younger adults, aged between 14 and 23 years, and older adults (60+) were included. Also, youth and senior service professionals were involved to get a better understanding of the pains and gains that they perceive in potentially using the platform for their clients. This all with the goal of developing a platform that adheres to the needs of the people who it is meant for and to create real value for them.
New and improved prototypes
In the run-up to the second workshop round the technical partners, AIT, KRESK, Salumentis and soultank, worked extensively on the second prototype of the Buddy4All platform, which now included the following aspects:
A prototype of the complete platform: the improved Startscreen and Navigation, the Virtual Buddy motivation system, including notifications and articles to promote a healthy lifestyle (new), and the improved Forum to ask and receive help (formerly known as the “Wall”)
The Social App prototype with an improved profile screen (more possibilities to indicate your professional experiences, -goals, interests and help topics) and an integrated scheduling function for memory training and location-based game.
The newly developed location-based game or scavenger hunt, where the younger adult is outside using mixed reality (MR) glasses to solve puzzles together with the senior buddy, who is connected via a phone to see what the person outside is seeing.
Strengths and needed improvements
Valuable insights were gathered from all user groups, shedding light on the strengths and areas for improvement for each prototype. Overall, the usability of the prototype representing the complete platform and the Social App were rated highly positve. Suggestions for further improvement now were more aimed at details, such as optimizing the design. Also, some of the new suggestions for the profile screen need to be reconsidered, such as the professional goals and experiences.
Testing the new location-based game brought up several (technical) challenges that will need to be improved and for now influenced the usability score more negatively. During the workshops the participants experienced problems with the connection, but also with hearing each other via the MR-glasses and seeing the puzzles outside with sunny/bright backgrounds. The concept though was valued more positively, especially the aspect of working together in a innovative way.
The discussion groups with the professional users showed us the potential value of the Buddy4All platform from their perspective. They do like the intergenerational aspect and the low threshold way of digitally getting into contact. However, the user groups are questioned in the sense that they preferred using the app in a closed and organizational setting (rather than an open/public platform). It was also discussed how they could integrate the use of the platform into their daily work and how to motivate their clients to use it. The discussed insights will be used for the business plan.
What’s next?
Just like the first workshop round, the gained insights in the strengths and perceived weaknesses of the Buddy4All platform will contribute to the further development of the prototypes. In Autumn this year the third and last workshop round will be organized. This time the platform will be one fully integrated prototype, in which everything comes together. Then in 2024 field trials will be organized so that a selected group is able the use the platform in a real-life setting.
We thank all the user groups for their involvement and enthusiasm. We really appreciate your feedback. It not only helps us to further improve the platform, but it also gives us lots of positive energy to see the fun that comes from organizing such workshops.