Innovative Longevity Design through Boundary Object Integration

This descriptive study explores how Longevity Planning Blocks (LPBs) can serve as boundary objects to facilitate conversations and identify user needs in service design, thereby advancing the understanding of Design for Longevity (D4L) within financial planning, service innovation, and system design. Using constructivist grounded theory, we analyzed 69 one-hour in-person D4L service experiments with participants in Boston, USA, categorized by age: adulthood (25-54), pre-retirement (55-64), and post-retirement (65-84), with controls for gender balance, annual household income, savings, and investable assets. We identified six key considerations to improve the design of LPBs—adaptability, tangibility, modularity, learnability, unpredictability, and scalability—based on six emerging themes as core codes and 11 codes, which include understanding individuals’ needs, fostering point-to-talk behavior, presenting dynamic life stages dependent on individual preferences, incorporating unique lived experiences, prioritizing preparation over planning, and positioning a longevity coach as a continuous touchpoint for financial wellbeing, acting as a financial therapist. These insights highlight the value and challenges of using tangible artifacts as boundary objects to enhance D4L design and development.