Unpacking Cultural Perceptions of Future Elder Care through Design Fiction

TL;DR

This paper uses Design Fiction to explore cultural perceptions of future elder care in Singapore, revealing tensions between filial piety and automation, and community integration through visual narratives and public responses.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach by applying Design Fiction with Asian cultural context to uncover elder care perceptions and conflicts.

Findings

Identified key tensions between filial piety and automation

Revealed controversy over integrating elder care into communities

Collected 109 public responses to fictional scenarios

Abstract

We present a case using Design Fiction to unpack cultural perceptions of future elder care rooted in the Asian context of Singapore. We created two design fictions, addressing the tensions between filial piety and automated care and the controversy of integrating elder care facilities into residential communities. The design fictions took the visual forms of a shopping web page and a petition site and the public were invited to make fictional decisions. Received in total 109 responses, we identify the key tensions and value conflicts and illustrate them through visual narratives. Further, we propose the Asian perspective of positioning relationships as the protagonist in creating elder care design fiction.