Targeting the core pain point that Neapolitan elderly living alone find it difficult to express their emotional attachment to their families and sense of self-social belonging in the coffee-making scenario, a smart interactive product is designed.
Taking the daily coffee-brewing operation process as the carrier, this product helps elderly people living alone effectively express their inner emotions and enhance their sense of social belonging through a humanized intelligent interaction system. Currently, based on the above-mentioned design objectives, three differentiated interactive design schemes have been formulated：
Scheme 1:Cloud Interaction
The intelligent control product provided for the user’s Moka pot, it is equipped with a lightweight intelligent cloud platform. Through functions such as social account linkage, coffee recipe sharing, and peripheral service recommendation, elderly people living alone can complete social interactions in the process of brewing coffee.
Based on the core tradition of “coffee as social interaction” and the daily social logic of “Prendiamo un caffè? “, the product is naturally integrated into the elderly’s life.
Through recipe sharing and online chatting, the single-person activity of drinking coffee is transformed into social interaction, meeting the needs of self-worth recognition and emotional connection.
Appearance and Shape
1.Common benches on community streets.
A bench is not only a resting facility, but also a core carrier for residents’ daily social interactions — the elderly will chat with neighbors on the bench, share trivial life matters, and make appointments for coffee.
Selecting this styling element is to implant the “street social symbol” familiar to the elderly into the product
When the elderly place their mobile phones on the bench stand, they will naturally think of the warm scenes of getting along with relatives and friends in the community, reducing the sense of unfamiliarity with smart products. It makes the act of making coffee associated with the emotional experience of chatting with friends while sitting on the bench, so as to achieve the core design goal of “connecting social interactions through coffee”.
2.The sunshade awning of the coffee shop
Coffee shops with striped canvas sunshade awnings can be seen everywhere on the streets. They are the most recognizable cultural symbol of the local area, reflecting the living habit of Neapolitan coffee integrating into daily life.
The shape of the sunshade awning will make the elderly think of the familiar environment of the coffee shop, and they will feel as if they are sitting at the coffee table under the sunshade awning when making coffee. Combined with the “community coffee circle” function on the cloud platform, the elderly can share recipes with other users through the product, allowing them to enjoy the social interaction and sense of ritual of the coffee shop without going out, thus meeting their social needs.
Key Functions
1.Bluetooth Linkage Closed Loop
The phone stand automatically triggers the process: Place the phone on the stand → Magnetic fixation → Automatic Bluetooth connection → APP automatically pops up → APP displays recipe recommendations/brewing control interface.
2.Intelligent Brewing
Button control of the induction cooktop: Press the start button, and the APP synchronously displays the brewing progress, with real-time updates of water temperature and duration. Press the share button, and the APP automatically jumps to the recipe sharing page. Click “Start Brewing” in the APP, and the Moka pot automatically executes the set parameters such as brewing time and water temperature.
3.Online Community
It is equipped with independent social circles such as relatives and friends groups and community coffee circles. Users can like and comment on the content shared by others in the APP. It can recommend surrounding stores; click the store name, and the APP automatically generates a route, supports one-click phone ordering, and automatically dials the store’s phone number.
Freehand Sketch
Scheme 2:Intergenerational Remote Interaction
Extend the cultural habit that making and drinking coffee together is an important social ritual among relatives and friends to the remote scenario.
Children can send invitations for joint brewing on their mobile phones, provide real-time voice companionship during brewing, and remotely set parameters such as brewing time and temperature. The elderly only need to accept the invitation and cooperate to complete simple preparation work, which reduces their resistance to technological products and the learning cost.
It meets the emotional needs of elderly living alone to spend time with their children.
Appearance and Shape
Romanesque Architecture’s Semi-Circular Arch
Elements such as the semi-circular arch, thick walls, and arch structure of the Santa Maria Maggiore Church in Naples have long been part of the collective cultural memory. For the elderly, these architectural features are visual symbols of their hometown and traditions.
Integrating This Shape into Product Design. The essence is to transform architectural culture into “daily utensil symbols”.
When the elderly use the product, they will naturally think of the familiar churches and ancient town buildings, evoking warm memories of their youth and hometown life. This frees the smart product from the sense of alienation brought by high technology and effectively strengthens the elderly’s psychological identification with the product.
Key Functions
1.Synchronized Operation
When a child or the elderly sends an invitation to make coffee together, after accepting the invitation, the child can set the heating temperature and time of the Moka pot on their mobile phone and start the brewing process remotely. The status is synchronized in real time between the elderly’s end and the child’s end.
2.Real-Time Voice
Voice calls are strongly bound to coffee making, and the brewing time becomes a stress-free communication window. After the coffee is brewed, both parties can “toast online” (cloud toast), converting physical distance into emotional co-presence, which greatly alleviates loneliness and makes the elderly feel a sense of belonging.
Freehand Sketch
Scheme 3:Remote Visual Interaction
The core of Italian coffee culture lies in “human connection”. Endowing the smart Moka pot with an anthropomorphic form provides emotional companionship for the elderly living alone, lowers the operational threshold and alleviates anxiety from an age-friendly perspective, and aligns with Italian coffee social habits culturally—ultimately making the product a medium that connects emotions, culture and generations.
Appearance and Shape
Anthropomorphic Form
The entire Moka pot is endowed with human-like postures, transforming it into a warm companion. When elderly users operate it, they will subconsciously feel cared for, rather than facing a cold metal object—this effectively reduces their resistance to smart products.
During the brewing process, the display screen provides dynamic responses, with minimalist animations synchronized with breathing lights. This design simulates the state of calm human breathing, turning the monotonous waiting time for coffee into a quiet moment of “being with family,” which effectively alleviates loneliness.
Key Functions
1.synchronously show
During the brewing process, the display screens on both sides synchronously show the real-time temperature, remaining time and brewing stage. They also play dynamic images of coffee liquid flowing, simulating a scenario where coffee is brewed together on-site.
2.Emoji Package Interaction
Switch the interaction button to the emoji mode. Intuitive emotional expressions are used to replace cold text prompts, making the interaction warmer. Real-time SMS communication enhances the sense of participation in brewing coffee together.
Freehand Sketch
Key Points of Aging-Friendly Design
- Operation Simplification: Large-font and high-contrast display screen, supporting dialect voice control (Neapolitan dialect) with a sound intensity of ≥60 decibels. All core operation steps are less than three. The chat function is integrated with physical buttons on the body, and voice input can be sent directly.
- Network: Supports 2G/3G low-speed network environments, caches key data in offline mode, provides audio and visual prompts when the network is interrupted, and automatically resumes transmission after the network is restored.
- Safety Assurance: Anti-tipping base, anti-dry heating sensor, and heat-insulating material. One-key data deletion and secondary confirmation for key operations.
Jian Wang thank you for sharing your ideas in relation to the Clients Brief.
However, I would have like you to visualise your concepts. Can you please do this by end of today?
Erik
Really appreciate your suggestions!
Of course,I’m brainstorming how to implement these, and I will also create sketches to illustrate the ideas. They’ll all be up in the post tonight.
Hi, I’m Fortunatina Branno from Team 25 and I’m from Italy. I read your project carefully, and I must say I find the idea truly innovative and well thought out. The way you took the daily ritual of coffee as a starting point to address the issue of loneliness among elderly Neapolitans is extremely effective and creative.
I really like how you integrated familiar cultural elements, such as communal benches, café awnings, and the arches of Neapolitan architectural tradition, to make the product not only technologically advanced but also emotionally accessible and recognizable for older adults. This approach helps reduce resistance to smart products and strengthens the sense of belonging and social connection.
The three modes of interaction – cloud, remote intergenerational, and remote visual – show a deep understanding of the emotional and social needs of older adults. In particular, the intergenerational interaction and the anthropomorphic design of the smart Moka are excellent strategies for creating emotional closeness, stimulating communication, and alleviating loneliness. The attention to ease of use, safety, and network connectivity also demonstrates genuine care for accessibility and everyday practicality.
Overall, the project successfully combines culture, technology, and emotional aspects in a coherent and meaningful way. It is an excellent example of human-centered design addressing real social issues, turning the act of making coffee into a true bridge between emotions, culture, and social interaction.
Great work!
Hi Fortunatina, you can call me Jane.
I’m so glad you’re interested in my project—your summary totally gets across what I had in mind with the design. Thanks so much for the kind words, and wish you all the best!
This concept of a smart Moka pot with a cloud platform is very interesting from a social design perspective: it not only makes the coffee experience more technological, but also transforms a solitary moment into an opportunity for connection for elderly users. Features such as recipe sharing and integration with social accounts are effective strategies to promote a sense of community and reduce isolation. Moreover, the emphasis on interaction during coffee preparation demonstrates a deep understanding of the emotional needs of older adults.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0317352&utm_source
Hi there! This is Jane.
Thanks for your comments – I’m really glad that you’re interested in my proposal. You’ve perfectly grasped my design concept: creating innovative yet traditional social opportunities for the elderly to meet their emotional needs. Also, thank you for sharing the link about the application of smart home technology in the lives of the elderly – it’s really helpful!
Wish you a great day!
Hi!! Here it’s Sara from team 21. I really appreciate how your design explores the emotional side of coffee culture for elderly people living alone. The way you connect familiar Neapolitan symbols—like benches, awnings, and local architecture—to modern interactive features feels both meaningful and culturally grounded. I also like how each scheme focuses on a different type of social connection, from cloud communities to real-time remote brewing with family. Overall, your concept is thoughtful, sensitive, and creates a warm sense of belonging for the users. Great work!
Hi Sara! It’s Jane.
Thanks so much for your compliment! I’m really glad you noticed this – each scheme focuses on a different type of social relationship. You’re absolutely right: the elderly also have rich social connections, which aren’t limited to just family. Your feedback means a lot to me and is such a great encouragement! Wish you all the best!