ROLE
Strategic Design
METHODS
Trend Research
Opportunity Areas
Top Findings
Prototyping
User Testing
DELIVERABLES
Idea
Concept
Business Model
Design mockups
PROJECT TEAM
Industrial Design
Strategic Design
Starting Point
In thirty years, the amount of people who need health care in Germany will double.
The German population is aging. Currently, there are 2,5 millions care-dependent people in Germany. The number is projected to grow to 4,5 millions by 2050. The demographic changes resulting in an aging population will generate massive challenges for the health care system as well as for society as a whole. The care sector is already facing a crisis. It is obvious that the care industry urgently needs to undergo changes.
At the same time another mega trend is shaping society: New working modes and value-oriented work. People, especially the generation X, are more and more motivated by meaningful work and less by monetary factors.
How might we use meaningful work to alleviate the care sector crisis?
This project combines the two trends and offers a solution that makes nursing care a societal task and one that is carried out with empathy.
The goal of this project is the concept of a micro job platform that acts as a broker between people in need of care and micro jobbers willing to take on nursing tasks.
Approach
First, we carried out an extensive research on the predominat mega trends demographic change and new work. The analysis resulted in several opportunity areas, from which we chose the most promising one: A service for people in need of care.
We then created a concept for this service including not only an app and a care device but also a business plan. In our process we were supported by a startup consultant to make sure we had a realistic concept. Testing our solution in a research lab also helped to refine the concept.
Result
Our solution was an online marketplace: Elderly people can list simple nursing jobs. Laypersons as well as nursing professionals can accept these jobs. This way, elderly people can obtain help whenever they need it.
The jobs reach out to laypersons who can take on mini jobs with a high social value. The jobbers can flexibly accept the job. Thanks to the smart guide provided in the app, jobbers can perform different tasks. The elderly rate each service. This way, the service assures a good quality.
In order to make it as easy as possible for people in need of care to list a job, the service offers a home device: The Home Care Hub. The device allows an individual usage with voice control. The Home Care Hub comes with an integrated emergency call to guarantee a comprehensive care.
Project team: Cassandra Schmid, Johannes Lager, Sabrina Montimurro
