Interviews with Baby Boomers

Using questionnaires and conducting interviews with my selected user group, Baby Boomers, gave me some new perspectives on this demographic. I asked general questions to get an idea of their childhood background and experiences, their outlooks and perspectives on aging, and their aspirations or concerns for the future. Interviewees defined getting old as “normal”, a “natural process”, “maturing in life experience, financially, and in social interactions”, when the “freshness of body and mind are no longer there”, and not being able to do things as before.

I found an interesting divide between the older Boomers who grew up in the West and those who grew up in Asia, particularly in their childhood experiences. Westerners typically enjoyed an enjoyable, fun-filled childhood, while their Asian counterparts endured poverty, civil war, and cultural revolution. As a result, I found that the Asian Boomers feel they have more reason to enjoy life after retirement since they never had the opportunities when they were younger.

There was also a difference between the younger Boomers (aged 43-52) and the older generation (53-63). The younger generation is more active and and more likely to consume social/digital media, however they expressed more concerns about finances, and family responsibility (as a caretaker for both children and parents). Older generations tend to use technology less, yet still yearn to learn or keep up-to-date with new technologies in order to maintain connections with the outside world.

It was interesting in uncovering these differences within my target group, however, I would like to focus on the more general similarities I found throughout my user research. For example, many view retirement as a new phase in which they can live an active and mobile lifestyle of travelling, volunteering, spending time with family/friends, learning something new, playing sports, or pursuing their hobbies. A common concern is, not surprisingly, that of health. They would like a knowledge of options available to them and want to avoid being a burden on their children. A few are particularly afraid of inheriting genetic diseases from their parents such as Alzheimer’s.

{ Tags: thesis, user research }