Prototyping longevity services: Tech-driven or human-assisted service?

Abstract

The study investigates the design of longevity services through an experimental comparison of tech-driven and human-assisted service encounters, focusing on six key features: learnability, efficiency, safety, trustworthiness, confidence, and satisfaction. The controlled experiment, which involved 12 gender-balanced participants from Boston, USA, employed four qualitative methods, including surveys, the Think-aloud technique, semi-structured interviews, and transcript analysis supported by computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) and its AI-empowered coding function. The study concluded with two insights: 1. Tech-driven services can improve safety, trust, confidence, and satisfaction; and 2. both service encounters are context-sensitive, shaped by participants’ demographics, personality, culture, and environmental factors. Although the small sample size limits the study’s generalizability, the participants’ stories and perceptions offered valuable insights into their implicit needs and subtle behaviors in learning, experiencing, and addressing sensitive, private, and vulnerable topics related to longevity planning.