Project & product
Buddy4All: A digital platform bringing older and younger generations together
The increasing number of elderly individuals living alone is leading to greater social isolation, compounded by declining mental and physical health. Older people struggle with technology and lack assistance for recurring issues, exacerbating feelings of loneliness. The Covid-19 crisis has further intensified this isolation among the elderly. Simultaneously, young people face their own challenges, experiencing negative effects on mental health, psychosomatic complaints, and anxiety due to factors like home schooling and restricted social interaction. Adolescents from troubled families lack adult role models they can rely on.
Promoting mental and physical health
Buddy4All promotes mental and physical health through cross-generational interaction and personalized support via a mobile app and mixed reality glasses. It connects older and younger adults to benefit from each other's experiences, aiming to improve well-being and active lifestyles for both generations.
The buddy system
Similar to the buddy principle, this project is based on the idea that users always have a companion. The system includes three types of ‘buddies’:
Real Buddies (both younger and older adults),
Virtual Buddies (help through a forum and helpful articles for daily life)
Professional Buddies (professional caregivers and social workers).
The buddy system includes a range of features that were developed in collaboration with users during workshops to ensure that they are useful and easy to use.
Features of Buddy4All
The Buddy4All app includes various features with the overall goal to improve the well-being of older and young people.
Mixed-Reality Games
Mixed reality games (MR games) are a form of video games that blend the real world with virtual elements where players can interact these elements. Buddy4All offers two types of MR games:
Location Based Games involve two players: one wearing MR glasses who searches for objects outdoors, while the other guides using a smartphone and communicating via integrated voice chat.
Cognitive Games are solo memory games played with MR glasses to exercise cognitive abilities.
Chat
Buddy4All allows you to connect with and chat with other users and professionals (care givers and social workers). The idea is to get to know each other with casual conversations and help each other out with difficulties in real-life.
Write text messages to users of the community and professionals
Talk via video call with other users and professionals
Forum
On the Buddy4All Forum, users can post a question or ask for help on diverse topics. Users can:
Post a question to the community on a specific topic (including picture)
Reply to a question and offer help
Read replies of others on topics that interest them
"‘Virtual Buddy” articles & push notifications
Buddy4All offers a range of helpful articles for older and younger people. These cover topics such as: nutrition, movement, mental health, sustainable living, and more.
Furthermore, an elaborate push-notification system sends reminders and information about new content to the user to help them better engage with the platform. The notifications are send, based on their recent activities as well as preferences definde in their settings.
User Profile
Every user has a public profile which is visible to other users. The content of the profile can be adjusted by each user to display who they are and what they are offering or looking for so it is easier for others to connect with them. The profile includes information about:
Where they live
Personal description
Interests
Professional experience and aspirations
Topics they can help others with
Administration of the platform
On the backend view of the platform, administrators (even with limited technical capabilities, e.g. from partner organisations and customers) can do the following:
Administrate users
Add new MR games
Add new articles and and help section content
Configurate push-notifications
View analytics data about user behaviour
Project Phases
The Buddy4All project started in March 2022 and runs until September 2024. This section gives an overview of the different project phases and how the system was developed, using a user-centered approach.
Requirements & Design Phase
The project was developed with a user-centered design (UCD) approach. This approach to product development is centered around the user’s needs and involves end users regularly throughout the design process. It involves understanding the users' behaviors, goals, and challenges through methods such as user research and usability testing. By actively involving users in the design process and incorporating their feedback iteratively, UCD aims to create products and experiences that are intuitive, efficient, and satisfying for the people who will ultimately use them.
To achieve this, the product development went through three iterations. An iteration describes a time-period of developing the product further and concludes with testing the new version with users, the results of which are used as a basis for the next iteration.
Iteration 1
The first iteration involved establishing the product’s basic framework and conducting user research. In a kick-off workshop in March 2022, the responsibilities were decided, the technical framework was discussed and proto-personas developed. To learn more about the user needs, a survey was conducted with 150 participants. In parallel, low-fidelity prototypes were created and the basic technical infrastructure set up.
The iteration concluded in December 2022 with end-user workshops where users could test and give feedback about the low-fidelity prototype of the social app and the first MR game. The objective was to test the overall concept of Buddy4All and obtain feedback on its general comprehension and necessary modifications. More details about the first end-user workshops can be found here:
Technical Development Phase
Iteration 2
During the second iteration, the technical foundations for the mixed reality games, the social app frontend and backend were laid and partially implemented. Based on the end-user workshop findings, a new mid-fidelity design prototype was developed. From a business perspective, several activities were carried out, such as developing the business model, discussing the value proposition and defining a marketing and communication strategy.
The second iteration ended in April 2023 with end-user workshops. Both end-users and project partners' experts attended the workshops. During the workshops, users tested a (partially) functional version of the social app, a mid-fi design prototype of new features and MR games. Additionally, workshops were held to discuss questions such as 'What are the users' motives and doubts about Buddy4All?'. The scope and results of the user workshops can be found here:
End-user workshops of iteration 2
Iteration 3
During the third iteration, the so far seperate aspects of the system (social app and MR app) came finally together and the full scope of features was developed. Additionally, change requests from the previous user workshops were implemented and the visual design of the interface improved.
The iteration concluded with a end-user workshops in late fall 2023. In the workshops the fully functional application was tested, including the MR games. Despite encountering technical difficulties regarding the MR technology, potential end-users provided very positive feedback overall.
Evaluation & Dissemination Phase
Field Trial
To conclude the development, a field trial was conducted to test the product in a real-world setting and explore the effect of Buddy4All on the well-being of it’s users. Younger and older people in Switzerland and Austria participated in the field trial between March and July 2024.
In parallel, further discussion with potential partners and customers were taking place and the business & dissemination plans were being updated and refined.