Understanding “Loneliness” Among Elderlies and Opportunities of a Socializing Robot
A start-up was looking into the Japanese senior market to explore opportunities for its aging tech products. The client team wanted to thoroughly understand lifestyles, daily life routines and struggles as well as the definition of “loneliness” among seniors in urban and rural areas, who either live by themselves or spend most of their time alone. The insights were applied to adjust their product development and business offers to the market needs.
Our Work
- 5x 2.5h ethnographic in-home interviews with seniors, living in urban areas and 5x 2.5-hr online in-home interviews with seniors in rural areas
- Stepping into Japanese homes and developing an understanding of seniors’ needs and living circumstances by exploring their living environment (regional differences), how seniors manage their own health, finance, schedule, etc. and challenges they face in their daily lives
- Uncovering ”loneliness,” i.e., its interpretation and expression as well as understanding family dynamics and the amount of communication seniors have with their family, friends and neighbors
The Outcome
- Consciousness around cultural differences between the Japanese and other senior markets that the client already had entered
- A clearer understanding of product requirements and content creation to adapt the client product to the market
“The team is professional, organized, very service oriented and helpful in bridging the culture gap for non-Japanese looking at the Japanese market. We look forward to our next project together!”
– Client Voice
Our goal is nothing less than to help you create a successful partnership between your brand and the people who trust it.