Michael O'Leary

MSC in User Experience and Service Design

Michael O'Leary

Student Profile

Mike’s desire to help communities become more sustainable and inclusive has been a major influence on his human-centred design journey. As a passionate volunteer who possesses innate curiosity, he considers his greatest strength to be his ability to connect with users on a human level.

Overview

The main aim of this project was to find out how digital technology could be used to support and sustain an organisation who’s core members are elderly men. A critical challenge was that the solution needed to act as an environment which promotes more in-person interactions, rather than being a platform for online interactions.

Designed for non-technical users, the platform connects Men’s Sheds with each other and allows the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) access to data which it can use to provide vital support to its members.

Background

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1 in 4 older people experience social isolation and loneliness. The WHO also recognise that this has a serious impact on a person’s physical and mental health. This issue is compounded in males, where there is a perceived reluctance in help-seeking behaviours, likely adding to a large, gendered disparity in health and well-being.

Some communities of men have been proactive in combatting this disparity through a community-based movement known as Men’s Sheds.

While the Men’s Shed movement in Ireland has been particularly effective at engaging men, communication between sheds is disjointed and there is a recognition that if the organisation wants to develop a more sustainable model it will need to adopt a more professional approach.

Of relevance here, is that there is a noted lack of a digital platform which the organisation could leverage to better serve its members.

Context

Challenges

Members often feel there is a lack of communication from the IMSA.

They worry about membership rates since COVID.

They worry about the cost of insurance.

There is a reluctance to adopt new technology.

Positives

Appreciation of knowledge/skills that can be shared within a group.

Pride in the work they do/products they create.

Recognition of the inherent value of sheds as a place where men can socialise.

Challenges faced by the IMSA

Need to professionalise in order to better serve its members.

Lack basic data on real membership rates.

Limited resources for regular engagement with members.

Solution

A simple ‘tap’ function to log attendance transforms unconnected, individual sheds into a networked web of live locations. The visual, live representation of active sheds highlights the fact that not only are members of a shed there to support each other, but also that localised sheds have peers within touching distance.

With a constant feed of live data, and a portal through which sheds can receive regular updates, the IMSA will be better equipped to make informed decisions on how it can best serve its members — making the organisation more effective at combatting social isolation and loneliness.

Student Profile

Mike’s desire to help communities become more sustainable and inclusive has been a major influence on his human-centred design journey. As a passionate volunteer who possesses innate curiosity, he considers his greatest strength to be his ability to connect with users on a human level.

Michael O'Leary:: Image/Video

Images


Course: ma ux and service

Year: 2024

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Photography: Seán Daly