About Wave50™
This FutureSpot can be summarized by the following vision statement:
Make it easy, not just easier, for a person age 50 or older to find summarized answers to technical questions via the internet.
This endeavor included direct and indirect research work with SeniorNet.org, the International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independenc (ICADI), the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Eons and many other individual interactions with Baby Boomers. The research resulted in design and workflow recommendations for an online Community site focused on providing summarized and ready-to-use technicaly information which this demographic wanted help with, without having to make them into Computer Scientists. One of the specific results was the idea of the SummThing.
The Opportunity
This community has the means and the desire to live a vibrant and exciting life but there are very few technical providers who are partnering with this group at a fully engaged level. This is the person and group we are going to partner with and we will start by simply helping them to master the basic technological tools and to provide a place for them to interact and help each other during this perpetual learning process. With this initial solid foundation established, what comes next is practically limitless in terms of benefits for this demographic, and as a result, benefits to this progressive and innovative larger world and community we live within.
Success Criteria
Establishment
Build an online community for the group of people who are age 50 and older by...
- Creating an online, searchable FAQ / How-to library of common technical questions being asked by this group.
- Encouraging offline people in this group to participate in this community
Motivate this group to interact in this online community by providing services and information which…
- Focuses on their interests and activities which involve technology
- Rewards those who submit questions
- Enables and supports online interaction and problem solving by people who help answer this demographics technical questions
Reinforcement
Reinforce a user experience where technology becomes a higher value-adding part of their daily lives by…
- Providing timely summarized and clarifying answers to the common technical questions which are submitted
- Understanding and promoting the improvements to existing technical innovations which this group is asking about
- Understanding and promoting the requirements of future technical innovations which this group is asking for
- Reflecting this group’s identity in everything we provide to this group (e.g. values, needs, desires, terminology used, anecdotes etc.)
- Magnifying feelings of relevance as a result of interaction in and around this community
Growth
Build an infrastructure that enables the community to accelerate its own growth and value-add by…
- Acknowledging (in ways which are important to this demographci) those who contribute (e.g. those who answer questions)
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Sharing a % of profits with the community (e.g. 50% of profits will go to advocating and lobbying for support of efforts which deliver technical innovations focused on serving the needs of this demographic as well as "Universal Solutions")
Maintenance
Create tools and processes for sustaining and maintaining the infrastructure and community which has been created by…
- Thoughtfully and empathetically supporting and enabling this community to find its place and power online.
Audience Value
A person age 50 or older who is seeking technical help
- I am a person who knows that computers and the internet are useful tools but do not know where to begin. I may have been fortunate enough to have started to use these already, but finding specifically what I need is still a challenge. I rely on generic services and tools as well as family and friends to help me tap into these things but I need a year of their help when only an hour here and there is available. Each day the anxiety grows because each day I realize that I will need to rely more and more on computers and the internet as I get older but it’s not getting any easier. It’s only getting harder and more complex.
- Value: We provide one website which focuses only on answering the questions you ask by returning a single summarized easy to understand answer. We make the internet you-friendly.
A person or group who is helping a person who is age 50 or older with a technical question
- I am a person who is the family and friends helpdesk. Even with all of the resources available, nothing ever takes only 5 minutes to solve. If I am fortunate, I’ve been able to get my Mom’s computers (and her ability to use the internet) to a stable state but I also know that at some point, I am looking at a full weekend of troubleshooting and teaching.
- Value: We provide the tools to help everyone who helps their mom or dad or any relative or friend with computer and internet questions.
A person age 50 or older who is interested in helping others in this group with technical questions
- I am a person who is interested in helping out on technical topics which I understand. I interact with others in this group through various channels (e.g. in-person, on the phone, written articles and / or books, via email and / or blogs etc) and enjoy the benefits of helping and sharing my knowledge.
- Value: We provide an online place familiar to you and to others with the same life experience, where you can help each other out regarding technical issues as well as collaborate on innovative technical ideas.
