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Responses

Describe your project

In the age of innovation and evolving societal values, there is an ever so expanding gap between generations in their interpretations of these times. To be a strong society, it means to foster connection across generations as close-knit as within the same generation. However, with the proliferation of social media, understanding across all other generations has shrunken. That is why we created Kindred, an application that fosters intergenerational dialogue. Kindred prompts users with daily prompts that range from light-hearted to serious questions that are shared to their family or community. After answering the prompt, the user is allowed to view other responses, giving them the opportunity to understand more about different generations and their experiences. In the face of apathetic progression, this application seeks to encourage an understanding of all generations and create an amiable family and community.

Describe your research process and findings.

Our research sought to understand the underlying causes of the shrinking connection across generations and to explore potential solutions to address this issue. We first focused on identifying the core challenges contributing to generational disconnect and then examined existing approaches that aim to mitigate these barriers. To capture both breadth and depth, our research combined primary and secondary methods, including academic literature, online studies, and distributed Google Forms surveys, to better understand the scope of the problem our application addresses. Our secondary research focused on identifying barriers to intergenerational communication and evaluating existing solutions designed to reduce these gaps. Polish psychologist Henri Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory explains how individuals categorize themselves into in-groups and out-groups, often leading to bias and discrimination against those perceived as different. This dynamic exacerbates generational divides, as younger individuals tend to align with their peers while distancing themselves from older generations, and vice versa. In a 2016 study on generational perceptions in the workplace, Professor Kelly Weeks found that participants frequently endorsed negative stereotypes of other generations. For example, Baby Boomers perceived Millennials as “wanting rewards without doing the work necessary to earn them,” while Millennials viewed Boomers as incapable of multitasking or effectively using technology. These deeply ingrained assumptions illustrate the persistence of generational bias—an issue Kindred aims to address. Another component of our secondary research explored design features that promote intergenerational dialogue and improve usability. Professor Soondool Chung found that both older and younger participants expressed strong interest in structured discussion themes that encourage balanced, reciprocal conversations rather than one-sided lecturing. Her research also highlighted differing preferences across age groups: older users favored clarity, structure, and accessibility, while younger users were drawn to engaging, dynamic features such as gamification, including conversation streaks and badges. These findings suggest that an effective intergenerational platform must strike a balance between structure, accessibility, and engagement. Our primary research reinforced these insights. We created a survey composed of 8 questions to conduct user research. Survey results revealed that many participants identified discomfort around discussing certain topics as a significant barrier to intergenerational connection. One participant noted, “It was difficult to talk about life-specific things when interacting with someone from a different generation because they were either too young, or their experiences were shaped by a very different time.” Despite these challenges, interest in intergenerational connection remained high, with 78.5% of respondents rating their interest above a 6 on a 10-point scale. Many participants also expressed a desire to better understand the perspectives and lived experiences of other generations. When asked what they would change about intergenerational communication, a recurring theme was reducing the prevalence of lecturing. Based on our findings, three key design priorities emerged: fostering experience-sharing, reducing imbalanced conversations, and increasing accessibility and engagement. Kindred integrates these principles to create a platform that facilitates meaningful, balanced conversations across generations while remaining approachable and engaging for users of all ages.

Describe your most important design decisions.

Our design decisions were informed by insights gathered from both academic research and user interviews. We focused on deepening mutual understanding across generations while directly addressing the key challenges and user needs identified in our literature review and forum responses.

Daily Prompts: These prompts are designed to deepen intergenerational understanding through a mix of light-hearted and reflective questions. Example prompts range from “What was the best experience you’ve ever had?” to “What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?” By encouraging participants to share personal stories and insights, these prompts foster meaningful relationships and help users better understand one another’s perspectives.
Memory Calendar: This feature allows users to revisit and reflect on past responses shared within their group, encouraging moments of reminiscence. Revisiting shared memories has been shown to strengthen interpersonal bonds; as doctoral researcher Kuan-Ju Huang notes, “Nostalgia appears to be particularly associated with the motivation to strengthen existing social connections and the size of closest relationships.” By surfacing prior reflections and stories, the Memory Calendar transforms everyday interactions into meaningful touch-points to eventually strengthen our familial connections.
Groups: This feature allows users to create multiple communities tailored to different relationships, such as family groups or broader community circles. By organizing interactions into meaningful groups, users can engage in more relevant, comfortable, and authentic conversations.
Simple User Interface: To accommodate users across all generations, the application features a clean and intuitive interface. Key design elements include: consistent help button (providing instant guidance), minimal navigation options ( only three primary navigation buttons), and general accessibility (prioritizing clarity, readability, and simplicity).
Trivia: This feature leverages engagement and gamification to encourage younger generations to interact more meaningfully with the application. Each day, the app presents a daily question that randomly selects a past prompt along with a real response from another user. The user’s goal is to guess who provided that response, creating a fun and interactive way to explore perspectives across generations.
Points: The Points feature uses noncompetitive engagement to encourage users to actively participate in the application. Users earn points based on: Number of responses submitted to daily prompts and Correct answers in the Trivia feature Unlike traditional leaderboards, this points system focuses on personal achievement rather than competition, making it appealing and comfortable for all generations.
Accessibility Mode: This feature is designed to support older users in navigating the app more easily. It includes options to increase text size and enhance contrast between text and background, making content more readable and interactions more comfortable for all users.

Overall, our design decisions in creating Kindred—including daily prompts, trivia, and Accessibility Mode—reflect the application’s core goal of fostering intergenerational connection. We deliberately chose not to include replies to avoid outcomes such as lecturing or one-sided discussions. From a simple user interface to an engaging, game-like experience, Kindred encourages authentic connections between generations through sharing memories, experiences, and perspectives.