How might we help elderly feel able, safe and independent?
How might we help elderly feel able, safe and independent?
UI Challenge
UI Challenge
Case Study
Case Study
CLIENT
CLIENT
IFP Festival
IFP Festival
DURATION
DURATION
11 August, 2024
11 August, 2024
MODEL
MODEL
B2C, D2C
B2C, D2C
Context
Context
Mumbai's IFP Festival is one that celebrates culture and creativity and it brings together thousands of creators each year with their intense 50-hour design challenge. In 2024, I joined thousands of participants from across India to tackle a real-world design problem against the clock.
This case study peels back the curtain on my journey: the roadblocks I hit, the insights that sparked breakthroughs, and the final product that emerged from this intense design marathon.
Mumbai's IFP Festival is one that celebrates culture and creativity and it brings together thousands of creators each year with their intense 50-hour design challenge. In 2024, I joined thousands of participants from across India to tackle a real-world design problem against the clock.
This case study peels back the curtain on my journey: the roadblocks I hit, the insights that sparked breakthroughs, and the final product that emerged from this intense design marathon.
Problem Statement
Problem Statement
India faces a significant demographic shift with its elderly population growing rapidly. With changing family structures and increasing lifespans, seniors today need solutions that support their independence while ensuring their wellbeing. This further raises the question of,
HMW help elderly population maintain their independence and quality of life while aging, in a way that provides both them and their loved ones peace of mind?
With my anecdotal experiences and observations, following broad branches of thoughts were sparked with this problem statement:
India faces a significant demographic shift with its elderly population growing rapidly. With changing family structures and increasing lifespans, seniors today need solutions that support their independence while ensuring their wellbeing. This further raises the question of,
HMW help elderly population maintain their independence and quality of life while aging, in a way that provides both them and their loved ones peace of mind?
With my anecdotal experiences and observations, following broad branches of thoughts were sparked with this problem statement:
Medication and Health Management
Medication and Health Management
Safety during an emergency
Safety during an emergency
Assistance for the ones living alone
Assistance for the ones living alone
Social Connection and Loneliness
Social Connection and Loneliness
Approach
Approach
Within the 50-hour timeline, I began by analyzing existing elder-care solutions and user pain points, synthesizing findings into focused "How Might We" questions. I used concept mapping to expand beyond initial ideas, I prioritized solutions based on impact-effort ratio. The process finally led me in creating a minimal design system that would guide the final high-fidelity prototypes.
Within the 50-hour timeline, I began by analyzing existing elder-care solutions and user pain points, synthesizing findings into focused "How Might We" questions. I used concept mapping to expand beyond initial ideas, I prioritized solutions based on impact-effort ratio. The process finally led me in creating a minimal design system that would guide the final high-fidelity prototypes.
Helping Elderly to 'Remember to Remember'
Helping Elderly to 'Remember to Remember'
During research, I noticed that dedicated health apps often go unused - notifications get buried and app icons forgotten. Yet, I observed how comfortably seniors use WhatsApp daily for family connections.
This led me to think, why force new habits when we can leverage existing ones? Solution! By extending the reminders to WhatsApp, a familiar environment is created for medication tracking. Users receive reminders where they're already active and can respond with simple confirmations like "Taken" - no new app learning required.
During research, I noticed that dedicated health apps often go unused - notifications get buried and app icons forgotten. Yet, I observed how comfortably seniors use WhatsApp daily for family connections.
This led me to think, why force new habits when we can leverage existing ones? Solution! By extending the reminders to WhatsApp, a familiar environment is created for medication tracking. Users receive reminders where they're already active and can respond with simple confirmations like "Taken" - no new app learning required.
The problem of forgetting doesn't stop here! Even with clear reminders, seniors could struggle to identify correct medications. Names like "Metformin 500mg" would mean little to some users, leading to confusion or incorrect doses.
They say, visual memory often remains stronger than text. Solution! I designed a non-intrusive feature to add medicine shape and color with the medicine name - "the round orange pill" becomes more recognizable than "Metformin". This visual aid provides an intuitive second layer of verification, reducing medication errors.
The problem of forgetting doesn't stop here! Even with clear reminders, seniors could struggle to identify correct medications. Names like "Metformin 500mg" would mean little to some users, leading to confusion or incorrect doses.
They say, visual memory often remains stronger than text. Solution! I designed a non-intrusive feature to add medicine shape and color with the medicine name - "the round orange pill" becomes more recognizable than "Metformin". This visual aid provides an intuitive second layer of verification, reducing medication errors.
Redefining Elder Support with Youth-Led Communities
Redefining Elder Support with Youth-Led Communities
I observed how seniors often face growing isolation - simple tasks like changing a light bulb or getting groceries become challenging. To solve for it, my first instinct was to create a gamified volunteering platform, where young people could earn points helping seniors. However, this raised critical questions:
I observed how seniors often face growing isolation - simple tasks like changing a light bulb or getting groceries become challenging. To solve for it, my first instinct was to create a gamified volunteering platform, where young people could earn points helping seniors. However, this raised critical questions:
What would motivate youth to download yet another app?
What would motivate youth to download yet another app?
How would we ensure consistent volunteer availability?
How would we ensure consistent volunteer availability?
Most importantly, how could we guarantee volunteer trustworthiness?
Most importantly, how could we guarantee volunteer trustworthiness?
I then considered an email-based volunteer system to tackle offering a new app for the young volunteers but faced similar trust and reliability challenges. The core issue remained: ensuring safety while connecting vulnerable seniors with strangers.
Solution! The breakthrough came from realizing we didn't need to build a volunteer network from scratch. By partnering with an established pan-India NGO, we could tap into:
I then considered an email-based volunteer system to tackle offering a new app for the young volunteers but faced similar trust and reliability challenges. The core issue remained: ensuring safety while connecting vulnerable seniors with strangers.
Solution! The breakthrough came from realizing we didn't need to build a volunteer network from scratch. By partnering with an established pan-India NGO, we could tap into:
Pre-vetted, trained youth volunteers
Pre-vetted, trained youth volunteers
Existing safety protocols and background checks
Existing safety protocols and background checks
Consistent volunteer availability
Consistent volunteer availability
This approach transformed an ambitious community feature into a practical, trustworthy service that seniors and their families could rely on.
This approach transformed an ambitious community feature into a practical, trustworthy service that seniors and their families could rely on.
Dual Portal
Dual Portal
While designing for seniors, I realized our biggest competitor wasn't other apps - it was the humble pen and paper. When technology becomes more complex than writing things down, users naturally revert to familiar methods. Additionally, seniors often struggled to consistently maintain their digital health records and schedules. Users forgetting to keep up with the app or feeling overwhelmed by it will make it obsolete.
Family members were already actively involved in managing their elderly relatives' health. Why not give them the digital tools to do it better? Solution! I designed a dual interface approach:
While designing for seniors, I realized our biggest competitor wasn't other apps - it was the humble pen and paper. When technology becomes more complex than writing things down, users naturally revert to familiar methods. Additionally, seniors often struggled to consistently maintain their digital health records and schedules. Users forgetting to keep up with the app or feeling overwhelmed by it will make it obsolete.
Family members were already actively involved in managing their elderly relatives' health. Why not give them the digital tools to do it better? Solution! I designed a dual interface approach:
Seniors get a simplified view focused on receiving reminders and taking action
Seniors get a simplified view focused on receiving reminders and taking action
Family members get expanded access to set up medication and appointments, receive SOS alerts with mic, camera and location access and much more
Family members get expanded access to set up medication and appointments, receive SOS alerts with mic, camera and location access and much more
This approach maintains seniors' independence in daily tasks while giving loved ones peace of mind and the ability to provide meaningful support from anywhere.
This approach maintains seniors' independence in daily tasks while giving loved ones peace of mind and the ability to provide meaningful support from anywhere.
PS, the design for family member side of the app was out of scope with this stringent timeline.
PS, the design for family member side of the app was out of scope with this stringent timeline.
Let's Collaborate!
Let's Collaborate!