Bronze A' Design Award in Social Design Goes to Walk Along Not Alone Persuasive Board Game by Peixin Wang

The Work

Project

Walk Along Not Alone Persuasive Board Game

Function

Persuasive Board Game

Category

Social Design

Discipline

Communication Design

Industry

Social Impact

Colors

Silver, Gainsboro, Linen, Rosy Brown and Cadet Blue

Images

5

Client

Pharos(Dutch Centre of Expertise on Health Disparities)

The Recognition

Laureate

Peixin Wang

Country

Netherlands

Recognition

Bronze A' Design Award

Edition

2020 - 2021

Design ID

#122271

Credits

Team

Marieke Sonneveld, Annemiek van Boeijen and Gudule Boland

Image Credits

Photographer Peixin Wang, 2020.

Design Details

Unique Properties

This board game introduces the end of life preparation in a friendly and structured way. With this game, the elderly Chinese immigrants learn how to cope with ageing and end of life in the Netherlands. The game offers practical information on end of life preparation. It creates a comfortable atmosphere for talking about the end of life. From develop perspective, the game is easy to update with new information and knowledge input. Besides, this game format is adaptable. With research input on the target group, this game can fit other immigrant groups in different contexts.

Inspiration

By giving thoughts to the wishes and boundaries, people can achieve a better-prepared trip towards the final stage of life. In the Netherlands, the healthcare system and social culture enable people to prepare for their end of life. However, the immigrants residing here face challenges because of the disparities in health literacy, values, as well as economic and physical condition. Ageing in a different culture feels like walking in a jungle full of obstacles. The elderly feel helpless and fearful. Therefore, I would like to create a path, help them walk smoother and achieve a better-prepared end.

Research

To find out design opportunities, I first built an empathy understanding of the elderly through qualitative research. I knew about their motivation and mindset from in-depth interviews. Nextly, I built a holistic understanding of the supporting system through literature research and expert interviews. From the practical experience of social workers and experts, I found out the hindrances and enablers in the current support. The conclusion is: The elderly need a reliable and friendly tool to know about end-of-life preparation.

Challenge

As the client requests, the solution should target on current problem, be easy to carry out, and be sustainable for further development. I solve this challenge by providing a structured game. The content of this game is adaptable for new input. The game logic is applicable in other digital games, APP, and VR games. In this way, the design outcome fulfils the client request.

Realization and Technology

This design originated from solid research and iterative development. To find design intervention opportunities, the designer conducted research on elderly immigrants and the supporting system. The research insights indicated that a tool that introduces end of life preparation is in need. With a reliable tool, the elderly can proactively explore the end of life topics. Based on design requirements synthesised from the research stage, the designer conducted ideation and brainstorming sessions. The board game idea stood out. The game content and mechanism were adjusted by testing and iterating and finally developed into a feasible game.

Operation and Interaction

This game is designed for multiple elderly players. The players each use a character to play through the game. Players can experience different conditions and mindsets. By answering questions in the tone of the character and playing funny tasks, players get into the context gradually and build an easy atmosphere. When encounter challenges, the player refers to the tips capsule and learn to react towards real-life challenges. The challenges include: Seek medical treatment, accompany, care options, and the last phase living place. Players unlock information about healthy living, hospice service, and last wishes. Players can also share opinions on topics such as sedation and resuscitation.

Project Duration and Location

The project started in April 2020 and finished in October 2020, in the Netherlands. This project can be tested out with elderly Chinese immigrants and can be adjusted to fit the immigrants from other cultural backgrounds. This project is a graduation project of the Industrial Design Engineering Faculty at the Delft University of Technology. The project client is Pharos, the Dutch Centre of Expertise on Health Disparities.

Specifications

The size of the game board is A2(594mm*420mm). The game kit includes a game board, four pawns, four character cards, four sets of tips capsule cards, and three groups of flip-over cards. The game kit consists of both Chinese and English version. For viewing convenience, the English version was showcased in the pictures. The Chinese version is designed to be used with immigrants from a Chinese background.

Keywords

Social innovation, cultural sensitive design, end of life, persuasive board game