Giulia Scala

BENSAI

AN ENTERTAINMENT PLANT APP

Technology has increasingly played an essential role in our access to services, and more generally
in our ways of living ourselves and our social relationships. However, not everyone feels represented and comfortable with these technological systems, including the elderly, a category of users often neglected.
Hence the project question:

How can we involve the elderly in new opportunities for digital entertainment? Bensai is the answer: an entertainment app for older plant experts who want to cultivate their passion by providing their knowledge.

The first phase of the project involved research that included interviews with 13 elderly individuals, 7 of whom were subjected to a more detailed investigation. These seven people were asked to complete a diary for five days, during which their perception of loneliness, emotions, and feelings of social exclusion were explored. Their daily routines were mapped, and their openness towards technology was further examined. Following this, a quantitative study was conducted involving 75 participants who were asked questions about their routines and interests.

After that 5 insights were identified based on the collected data.
These insights formed the foundation for creating personas, which enabled the development of the concept.

Combining the immense value of these people’s experience with their passion for gardening (an activity that emerged during the research phase), Bensai comes to life.
This service allows them to share and transmit their plant expertise to those less knowledgeable by leveraging the potential of artificial intelligence.

The name Bensai refers to 3 concepts:

1. The association with Bonsai, a typical domestic plant very popular, in order to highlight the area in which the service operates (plants);
2. The reference to the knowledge that can be transmitted and from which can be drawn using the app. A typical example of using such a phrase is the saying “Come tu ben sai…” (as you well know…);
3. In the terminal part of the name the presence of the word AI underlines the central role of artificial intelligence in the experience.

THE APP

The app consists of 4 main sections: HOME, MY PLANTS, HELP, AI CHAT