All,

I'm a Stanford PhD student working with DaimlerChrysler's research group (http://www.dcrtna.com/index.html) on a project involving the emerging Third Age (roughly 55 to 70 year olds) user base. We're particularly interested in the attitudes and preferences of people in this demographic to consumption, lifestyle, risk, retirement, the internet, environmental concerns, driving habits and (especially) cars. The aim of the project is to better understand these customers and (hopefully) design vehicles that meet their needs.

The details:

I'm looking for people age 55-70 (maybe a bit younger) to interview in their homes (or elsewhere if need be) for about two hours. We would talk about lots of topics in a relatively informal way and a DaimlerChrysler employee from the research center or design studio might also join us for the interview. The information from the interview would only be used internally and your likeness and words would not be used for advertising or other marketing purposes. The only requirement is that you meet the age guidelines and are someone who buys or considers buying new cars. I'm looking for a diverse sample of interviewees, so any and all are welcome to respond. You don't have to be a car enthusiast.

I'm going to be doing this around the country this summer. I will be targeting six (perhaps seven) regions: Northern California (Bay Area), Southern California (LA, Orange County, San Diego), Southwest (Dallas, Lubbock, Albuquerque), Midwest (Chicago, Milwaukee), New England (Boston, Worcester, Portsmouth), South (Atlanta, Savannah, Gainesville, Charleston), and perhaps the Philadelphia area.

There isn't currently any monetary incentive attached, but there will be some merchandise for participants. The primary incentive is to be able to participate in the development and design of the vehicles they use. Very few companies understand the needs of 'boomers' as they move into what used to be retirement age. The needs of 60-somethings today are very different than those of the previous generation and anything that can be done to improve products for them is worthwhile.

If you have any interest, or know anyone who would be interested please contact me here or at rmaurer@stanford.edu.

Thanks,
Ralph
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Ralph Maurer
PhD Candidate
Center for Work, Technology and Organization
Stanford University