A small product similar in size to mahjong, with a tiny screen on top to display image information. Unlike mahjong, it has magnetic sides and metal contacts, which means that the product in the user’s hand can exchange information by joining together. Users can join their product with the same product of others to get a preliminary understanding of the other person’s basic information and precautions. Considering that the elderly may have a lower acceptance of new things and may not use electronic products much, we propose this simple and efficient form of information exchange.
This description is somewhat abstract, so I found some products with similar shapes and put a reference object next to them to compare their sizes.
As shown in the figure below, the black square in the middle is closer to my expected size, while the button size of the phone next to it is my ideal size.
Regarding the lanyard, I believe we can draw on traditional Chinese craftsmanship wisdom and cleverly incorporate the element of the Chinese knot to prevent users from mistakenly picking up a product that looks very similar in appearance.
We plan to add a small thermal printer in the future, which will make it convenient for the elderly to print out friends’ information and post it somewhere for easy contact.
We tested the precision of the thermal printer and concluded that it is fully capable of handling this job.
My initial design idea stemmed from our friends in Spain mentioning the needs of users at day care centers, and we also believed that it might be too difficult for the elderly to learn to use smartphones. However, they do indeed need a simple, efficient, and user-friendly tool to connect with their friends, which led to the initial concept of this product.
Furthermore, in day care centers where personnel turnover is more frequent than in Chinese nursing homes, we believe that if the elderly make new friends at some point, the chances of meeting them again in the future may decrease, which is regrettable and avoidable.
We designed this product to cost around 10 to 15 US dollars, which is approximately 9 to 12 euros, so it won’t put too much financial pressure on the elderly and their families (I understand that the average hourly wage in Spain is about 16.15 euros). It will be as affordable as possible, with an extremely power-efficient e-ink screen and a durable, drop-resistant metal material.
I love this idea! Thank you so much for providing such detailed information and sharing photos to help us get an idea of the product’s shape and size! I really like the idea of the thermal printer for the future. I also love that you’re incorporating elements of Chinese tradition. I suggest that you research the possibility of applying these devices to other areas, not just direct communication between users. For example, they could be used to interact with games or other ways to keep the mind active. Thanks again for your great work!!
Thank you for your reply! We have understood your thoughts and will make the necessary changes. We realized that there seems to be a problem with the starting point of this product—as I mentioned earlier, it may overemphasize its social attributes—we will find ways to entertain on the basis of it and not let it look like an electronic business card.