02 April, 2018

As part of CIT’s Innovation Week 2018, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), Cork County Council, Service rePublic and the Older Persons Alliance hosted a Design Thinking Challenge on Tuesday 6th March. 

In teams of four, students were required to solve a real challenge for the older people in the community. This was a unique opportunity for students, from a variety of disciplines, to work in teams, while learning to use Design Thinking tools and techniques.

“The issue of courtesy for Older Drivers was raised at meetings of the Older Person Council (OPC). We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the students of CIT to further explore this and to hopefully design a solution to the issue. An Intergenerational approach is very welcome” said Ms Liz Maddox, Chairperson of the OPC Cork County.

Students tackled the problem and realised “the older person isn’t the problem, we are” as they discussed mutual respect on our roads. They discovered that the three biggest fears for the older driver are speed, ice and fog. Older people told them “the roads are so busy now and have become really dangerous” and “I didn’t drive for six months after I had a near miss when out driving”. One older woman declared that her husband tells her each time she gets in the car “I know you are a good driver, but it’s the other drivers on the road we need to worry about”.

Some ideas on the day included a pull-down sign in the back window of a car to alert other drivers that you are nervous on the road. Zoned and colour coded parking for the older driver was another idea and a campaign called “give an inch, get a mile” to support drivers of any age who are not comfortable on the road.

The next stage of engagement will be to work with the winning team to implement a solution.

To explore how CIT can collaborate with you and your company, email us today extendedcampus@cit.ie or call us on 021433 5302.