The main aim of this project was to find out how digital technology could be used to support and sustain an organisation who’s core members are elderly men. A critical challenge was that the solution needed to act as an environment which promotes more in-person interactions, rather than being a platform for online interactions.
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Designed for non-technical users, the platform presented here connects Men’s Sheds with each other and allows the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) access to data which it can use to provide vital support to its members.
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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1 in 4 older people experience social isolation and loneliness. This issue is compounded in males, where there is a perceived reluctance in help-seeking behaviours, likely adding to a large, gendered disparity in health and well-being.
Some communities of men have been proactive in combatting this disparity through a community-based movement known as Men’s Sheds.
Of relevance here, is that there is a noted lack of a digital platform which the organisation could leverage to better serve its members.
Develop an understanding of the experiences of shed members.
Discover the challenges faced by the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA).
Explore how digital technology can be used to support members and the IMSA.
3x Ethnographic interviews with members of three different sheds.
1x Active participation during an open day where potential new members could meet shedders.
1x Semi-structured interview with a former non-executive director of the Irish Men’s Sheds Association.
The following are the themes developed from affinity mapping of 3 ethnographic interviews, 1 active participation, and 1 semi-structured interview.
I used affinity mapping in Figjam to cluster similar themes.
Using 9 themes derived from my affinity map, I developed 3 core design criteria.