This experience was rewarding
As someone who is in the field of Information Technology (IT), my everyday life revolves around digital devices, from computers to smartphones to wearable devices, forming an essential part of my daily routine. While I was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by the latest and greatest tech gadgets, others, particularly the older generation, did not have this opportunity. With Singapore’s direction towards a “Smart Nation” and the recent COVID19 pandemic prompting a shift towards preferring remote interaction over the internet, seniors who do not know how to use tech gadgets can quickly become disconnected with the rest of society. Due to this, my team and I decided that it is important to tackle this issue, materialising as the digital literacy workshop that we conducted over a span of 4 weeks.
Having completed the planning and execution of the workshop, I better understood the challenges that seniors face when trying to catch up with technology. Although some seniors have little to no knowledge on smartphones, others can be tremendously proficient, demonstrating unexpected skill. Nevertheless, engaging with the seniors allowed me to gain insights into why tasks that are trivial to me can be challenging to seniors, ranging from language barriers to slower motor control to simply not being used to the features and gestures available. Equipped with this knowledge, I can better empathise with the seniors, and perhaps even apply this information in the future to design friendlier applications. Overall, this experience was rewarding as it gave me the chance to apply and share my knowledge in IT with others, hopefully making small but impactful improvements to everyday life for the seniors that participated in the workshop. Moreover, I have also come to appreciate the fact that I grew up with a computer since primary school, and have had years to become accustomed to what I consider normal today, something that many did not have the opportunity for.
Submitted by Zong Han
Engaging the senior at Blossom Seeds Pte Ltd
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