Senior care | Product Design
Project Description
Social isolation and loneliness pose a serious health risk, comparable to established dangers like smoking, obesity, and inactivity. This project highlights a growing challenge: a busy younger generation and a rapidly aging population. While our society prioritizes competition, it often leaves older adults (above 65) feeling isolated. Defined the smart solution for the younger generation, who have the desire to help but lack the time or resources to adequately care for their elders.
Duration
26 Weeks
Tools
Miro, Figma, Otter, Office 365
My Role
UX Researcher & Designer
Understanding the problem
Do your grandparents or parents, who live alone have enough social interaction?
This issue was also addressed by WHO and is increasingly being recognised as a priority public health problem and policy issue for older people. According to WHO, The Demographic Change and Healthy Ageing Unit addressed the issue of social isolation and loneliness as one of the themes that cut across the four main action areas of the decade.
2 Million+
According to NHS, more than 2 million individuals over 75 live alone in England.
1 Million
According to Age UK, more than a million older adults claim they go more than a month without speaking to anyone.
64%
of lonely people are likely to develop dementia; also which can sometimes lead to depression.
Key Insights from
Expert Interviews
To validate the quantitative data collected through secondary research, Guerrilla interviews were conducted. Similarly, interviews were conducted with care home nurses to get the key insights about the old age group and the relevance of isolation with them.
They need companionship and care 24/7
To keep their mind active they must be kept busy with some activity
They don't know how to use the mobile device so we help them
There are more than 43 types of dementia
Key Insights from
Expert Interviews
To validate the quantitative data collected through secondary research, Guerrilla interviews were conducted. Similarly, interviews were conducted with care home nurses to get the key insights about the old age group and the relevance of isolation with them. Following are some of the significant findings:
-
They need companionship and care 24/7
-
To keep their mind active they must be kept busy with some activity
-
They don't know how to use the mobile device so we help them
-
There are more than 43 types of dementia
Further Defined in the report, attached below.
It costs a lot more than moving into a nursing home care home
Tracy, Care Home Nurse
One thing I feel is lacking in my life is COMPANY. Machines and technology cannot replace humans. Also learning technology is not bad, but its like starting to learn some thing from scratch which i am not interested in.
David, User
I think because families in in the United Kingdom are so widespread. You know, my family, for example, go as far up as Manchester and down as far as this coast in Dorset. So we're spread far and wide whereas years ago, we were having more of a extended family living close knit. That doesn't happen anymore. People just travelled away.
Tracy, Care Home Nurse
Designing an app will alone solve this issue?
Not really! Because this problems needs a different approach and can be done addressed with a different solution.
Design a product/service
that can provide tech-enabled companionship to promote better physical & mental health while making them feel self-dependent. So, after analyzing the problems and needs, I decided that wearable devices can be a possible solution to this issue.
Market Research &
Ideation
Existing products in the market were analysed, keeping in mind new wearable technology for senior citizens
Crazy 8 design sprint, to generate different ideas for products that could bring a possible solution to the challenge.
Testing the design ideas, on potential users, before heading further gave clear insights into how users actually felt about the product.
Service Blueprint
A service blueprint was created which demonstrates the complete backend and logical flow of the product constituting things like front-line operation, back-end operations and supporting operations. Here the main phases taken into consideration are the user actions.
App Design
The app contains various procedures like the Onboarding process, watch the connecting process, the account setup process and the dashboard screen, but all are sophisticatedly designed and placed.
Filling the app with colours and written content, turned out to be a splendid experience. The colour contrasts and size is chosen to aid the elderly people while reading and accessing it. Except this, the animation level is kept very nominal (only where it is required) as the app should not allow the user to wait and let the animation get finished. This way the sail through it app is much more effective and convenient
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