ABSTRACT
How does design enable people to overcome distances such as physical remoteness, generational gaps, and differences in domain? This has become a significant question, especially in the age of COVID-19, when digital technology and designed interfaces have arisen as key mediators that connect people while allowing them to maintain social distance. We present a case study of Klari, a design-driven startup that has facilitated a redefinition of the boundaries of design and business. This domain proximity enabled us to explore the implications of proximity between community members of different generations who needed to overcome physical distance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults face unique barriers to sustained technology use in their everyday lives, and the technology divide between generations further accelerated during the pandemic while access to education was limited. Klari is a service to help isolated older adults in learning digital technology. We present a case study of the iterative process used to design Klari, which enabled a social entrepreneurship startup’s strategic and practical development.
