Exploring Digital Coaching for Seniors

Research Overview

In May 2020, the Community Tech Network (CTN), a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, launched Home Connect, a remote adaptation of their digital literacy training programming. Home Connect supports older adults in San Francisco with low-cost broadband setup, a preconfigured tablet, 5 hours of required training with CTN staff, and 12 hours of optional remote training with a volunteer Digital Coach.

This study employed an ethnographic approach to unearth opportunities in the volunteer digital coaching portion of the program. The research explored the meaning of digital literacy and the experience of digital coaching for Senior Learners and Digital Coaches.

TiMeline

November-December 2021

Methods

Interviews provided context on the “why” of digital coaching while observations and the artifact review provided the “how” of digital coaching and grounded the interviews. Observation of a group Q&A session complemented the digital coaching sessions in its contrasts. Especially because Digital Coaches and Senior Learners identify themselves as beneficiaries of this program, in situ observation was critical to contextualizing perspectives in reality. Affinity mapping of field and interview notes and development of a service design blueprint informed the analysis.

Literature Review

• Brief review of academic literature on digital literacy training, digital literacy for seniors, and the role of training in digital literacy for seniors, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic

Virtual Field Study

• Observation of 3 hour long digital coaching sessions using Zoom/Phone Call + TeamViewer/AnyDesk for tablet visibility (1 Digital Coach, 1 Senior Learner per session)

• Observation of 1 hour long group Q&A session using Zoom (1 Digital Coach, 7 Senior Learners)

Interviews

• 7 interviews, 1 with each Digital Coach and Senior Learners observed in digital coaching sessions

Artifact Review

• Analysis of the Digital Coach Dugout, an online forum for Digital Coaches with training resources provided by CTN and a Q&A board

Participant Observation

• 8 months of volunteering as a Digital Coach with 2 Senior Learners, including weekly sessions during the study period

Findings

A service design blueprint, report, and presentation highlighted the following key findings:

Products vs. Transferrable Skills

• Lessons and training resources are framed around products, but product-agnostic skills are often the unexpected sticking points—i.e. navigation, common icons, and a grasp of the digital ecosystem.

• Opportunity | How might Digital Coaches be better supported in assessing and integrating foundational product-agnostic skills?

Pace

• The flexible structure of 1:1 digital coaching is key to uncovering and conquering Senior Learners’ barriers. The sessions provide the time and space to work through individual challenges that are not typically prioritized in digital literacy curricula and could not be given the same attention in a group setting.

• Slowing down and being in the moment is refreshing and grounding for Digital Coaches, especially those who work in fast-paced environments optimizing for scale and efficiency—a valuable synergy with tech workers in the Bay Area.

• Opportunity | How might the benefits of embracing what may seem to be an inefficient pace be reinforced for prospective and current Digital Coaches? How might this value be transferred to other venues for digital coaching?

An End > A Means

Senior Learners do not have a vision of what “completing” looks like. Digital Coaches are focused more on one session at a time than “finishing.”

• Learning & Teaching:

  • Senior Learners identify digital coaching sessions as a certain opportunity for learning and learning as a healthy activity they want to engage in consistently.

  • Digital Coaches value the opportunity to leverage their skills to give back. They are more focused on putting in the time and effort than an end date.

• Personal Connection:

  • While the majority of time spent in digital coaching sessions is often frustrating, Senior Learners typically end on a note of gratitude and Digital Coaches on a note of optimism. Both gain value in the personal connection formed.

  • Personal connection does not require connecting on personal topics but evolves from Senior Learners’ vulnerability met with Digital Coaches’ exceptional patience.

• Opportunity | How might the value of the process be prioritized? How might the program sustain the value of the process—either through removing the 12 week constraint or better engaging Digital Coaches or Senior Learners in it?

Retrospective & Future Research

This brief study focused on the experience of digital coaching for Digital Coaches and Senior Learners currently in the midst of digital coaching. It would be beneficial to meet with Senior Learners and Digital Coaches at various time spans after having concluded their partnership to further evaluate the findings. Observing a reunion session and interviews with each could help inform understanding of lasting skill development and perspective on the social value of the digital coaching experience after it is concluded.