Co-creating a Digital Service Concept in Wellbeing for the Elderly

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe, how a digital service concept in wellbeing for the elderly was co-created as a process and a content in higher education. The theoretical framework comprises constructivism and the Learning by Developing action model. Existing research on social service innovations; the Internet, the elderly and digital services; and co-creation with the elderly is illustrated. Furthermore, co-creation of the digital service concept in wellbeing is evaluated by the students from the viewpoints of learning and competence development. The project results indicated that the co-created digital service concept in wellbeing includes following information concerning the service providers and provided services for the elderly: services, products, activities, general information, information for carers and firms, and links to the local and public organisations. The co-creation process was composed of seven phases. The students received real-life experience when working in a multidisciplinary team with various opinions, competences, and theoretical backgrounds. The results illustrate an example concerning how the internationally awarded digital service concept in wellbeing was co-created by a student team, teachers, and the elderly within the curriculum from the viewpoint of constructivism.