2019 Fung Fellowship Showcase: Journeys in Aging and Innovation
By Yajushi Mattegunta, Fung Fellow
The auditorium was vibrating with energy at 5:20pm on a momentous Monday evening, with Fellows milling in the back behind the seats, excitedly whispering and nervously reviewing pitch notes one last time. The culmination of the Fung Fellowship — the Journeys in Aging and Innovation final event — was finally here, and with it, the last chance to demonstrate what we’d learned over the past year through our project presentations and prototype demonstrations.
The evening kicked off with some words about community by Coleman Fung, who spoke about the uphill battle in first starting the Fellowship program — how difficult it was to convince the university that creating a curriculum without tests and exams was still worthwhile. The Fellowship was proof that there was merit in such a system — that this night was evidence that collaboration and diversity worked, and could create amazing results.
Next, two veteran alumni spoke about what the Fellowship community meant to them. Jeremy Hammer, Class of 2018, acknowledged how the Fellowship had evolved, yet, the instant, tight-knit bond that was created as a Fellowship community still remained. Javier Chen, Class of 2017, built on his sentiment, sharing the unique opportunities the Fellowship created for him to connect with people all over campus — and the world — because of the inclusivity of diverse backgrounds in the cohort. He spoke about being empowered as the next generation of problem solvers, and how rare it was to get a space like this in a university.
With the community atmosphere sufficiently set, the customer engagement videos and pitches began in quick succession, with each of the twelve teams pitching their prototype in order according to their partner organization: Alzyouneed, Enfavr, San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, and the Smith Group. Every presentation was meticulously thought out, and every word in each pitch carefully chosen.
The highlight of the evening, however, came after the pitches had ended, when the audience was invited outside the auditorium to interact with the prototypes and displays up close. In addition to creating a pitch and video about a customer journey, each team was charged with the task of creating an interactive prototype or experience that reflected their innovation and customer group. Curious audience members engaged each prototype, some playing interactive intergenerational games, doing assisted pull-ups, or driving on a back country road in a virtual reality experience — all genuinely interested in the products and experience.
After the milling had slowed down, everyone was invited back into the auditorium for the winner announcements. Both winners partnered with SmithGroup in designing a memory care engagement station for adults with dementia. Prototypes needed to delight their customers, engage all senses, be safe in a memory care facility, and stimulate memories of past experiences or pastimes that continue to give them joy.
Best Prototype
Team Smithy won for ‘best prototype’ — they connected trays of physical objects representing a hobby or experience with digital visual stimulus.
Team member Stella Seo notes, “We wanted to capture that sort of fun game quality where interacting with a machine gives you sensory feedback.” Dr. Deana Anglin, a senior UX researcher at Google and one of four judges for the event, applauded their success at connecting with their customer group, drawing them into the experience without isolating them in the product.
Best Storytelling
Team Roadie won for ‘best storytelling’, conjuring clear memories of past road trips from the audience during their pitch. Mary Furlong, from Mary Furlong and Associates and judge for the event, exclaimed that she hooked in the first 30 seconds! She congratulated them on capturing that sense of adventure and movement that is so important for the older adult community and appreciated their nuanced understanding of customer pain points.
The night ended as a win for everyone, with Coleman holding up the picture of the student cohort over his head like a trophy as it was presented to him. As everyone headed out of the auditorium, it felt like the final piece of a puzzle that had been in the making for a while — one that involved all of us as Fellows reinventing ourselves as designers and thinkers, learning how to click together and collaborate effectively. The atmosphere was supportive — almost familial. And after all our discussion and research about community, it felt exactly right.
2019 Journeys in Aging and Innovation Teams:
AlzYouNeed
We’re Alz in this Together
Team: Amber Perry, Gopika Jalan, Shirley Jiang, Sonia Salunke, Tatianna Howard
Our group has redesigned the existing website, as well as developed a mockup for a mobile application. This increase in touch points will cater to the caregivers changing needs, as their loved one’s Alzheimers progresses.
Alz That
Team: Armittage Annang, Yasmeen Faisal, Iris Hou, Kaylan Huang
We created a web-based application that provides a forum for caregivers of loved ones with dementia to share solutions to everyday problems. The intent is to host an information resource for caregivers to rely on, featuring a variety of services like webinars delineating the use cases of specific technologies and more.
EnFavr
Hey Jude, Need a Favor?
Team: Beto Gonzalez, Josie Lee, Justin Lu, Yaju Mattegunta
We built an app that gamifies the previous model to include recognition, learning opportunities, and community engagement. The goal is to enhance caregiving and create a stronger community for loved ones and aging in place adults who were originally part of the model.
The Enfavrites
Team: Nate Tilton, Francisco Galvan, Jessica Santhakumar, Farhan Chowdhury
In our customer engagement and research, we discovered that in general, the older population is conservative in their willingness to subscribe to a new digital service. We wanted to implement features into the Enfavr Platform that would keep older users coming back frequently through making the application “sticky.”
EnCare
Team: Alan Munoz, Chad Wakamiya, Marisol Loaiza
Care Badges is a reward system integrated into Enfavr’s Carebank application that will prolong independent living within the aging smartphone friendly population. Care Badges work as an incentive for older adults and their adult children, causing a positive effect on their community.
SF Center for Jewish Living
RAGNLE
Team: Romina Mazooji, Alex Bazaar, Gilbert Bahati, Nicholas Brathwaite, Lorraine Pereira
Our product has two main components: a private web portal that functions as a social media platform for older adults, as well as a publicly available page with events and resources for the same demographic. This features tutorials, a messaging system, a book club page, and more.
Simple Stories
Team: Vivian Hong, Matthew Nelson, Miko Fogarty, Jordan Coffey
We created a curated profile tailored to numerous opportunities that match their shared interests, includes everything from news, sports, concerts and book clubs, and an incentive program that will keep members returning to their site.
B There & B Square
Team: Allen Lopez, Devin Pontious, May Cui, Rosey Stone, Vincent Ngo
Our personalized application combats isolation by facilitating community formation around common interests and by hosting events that will be accessible by webcast. Our app is centralized around a personalizable calendar and a messaging function where users can instant message, call, and video chat with other.
Smith Group
Smithy
Team: Aura Barrera, Hailey Windsor, Jerome Wang, J Stella Seo
We designed a tray of objects that can be thematically varied to appeal to residents’ identities and hobbies. Themes can include: outdoor experiences, musical experiences, gardening, and cooking. Based on residents’ interaction
with objects, they are “transported” to a relevant, nostalgic digital experience.
Fung^x
Team: Anna Nguyen, Gregory Zaborski, Henry Skrehot, Megan Handley, Shaden Ali
With the use of augmented reality (AR), we enable trading cards that combine elements of sensory and nostalgia therapy. Cards can be designed to tailor to a resident’s personal history or follow a theme catered to the shared interests of the residents.
The Roadies
Team: Daniel Haim, Lena Bertozzi, Lillian Tran, Nhut Nguyen, Yoyo Ko
We designed a road trip car experience station that will engage residents with dementia through many senses, trigger feelings of joy, and recall positive memories. The screen on the dashboard will utilize google maps roadside technology to take residents on one of several road trips using voice activation.
So You Think You Know Your Grandma
Team: Ashna Mangla, Inaara Charolia, Ismail Azam, Lillian Tran
This is a storytelling-based card game that uses prompts and open dialogue among friends, family, and new social contacts. The 3 levels of the game are modeled after the real-life experience of forming strong bonds. Players will learn things about those around them that they would have never guessed otherwise.
Thank you to our amazing partners: Alzyouneed, Enfavr, San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, and the Smith Group.
