Features Overview
In collaboration with Katy Lee for the Adobe Ring Creative Jam
The scope of this challenge was to create a mobile app for the elderly. During the height of the pandemic, many elderly people felt isolated from their loved ones. Because of their age, they were at higher risk of getting seriously ill from the virus. For the elderly living alone, communication from others is a lifeline. So what if there was a better communication system? My partner and I both have family members, including grandparents, who are hard of hearing and require hearing aids. We noticed that their experiences with online video chat platforms. My mom struggled to hear her colleagues during work meetings which effected her communication with others. Often closed captioning features are not reliable and the volume only go so high. Technology can also be difficult for older people to navigate. Striping down an a Zoom like app to it’s bare necessities will make the process simple. Originally we wanted to create a tablet specific app, however, for the scope of the project requirements, we had to create a mobile specific app. Most elderly people my partner and I know use tablets more than touch screen phones because of there larger size for pictures, text, and buttons. We later went back to create a tablet friendly version that aligned with our original purpose.
Goals for this app:
Closed captioning
Interactive components
Large buttons
Easy navigation
Does the solution address a target audience and their needs?
Does the prototype solve the problem in an innovative way?
Is the user experience and interface intuitive?
Is visual design used in a thoughtful and meaningful way?
Adding emojis buttons was a quick way to convey emotions and increase engagement in a fun way. We designed the emojis to be more more mature, but still have a personality.
Since technology can be very overwhelming to the elderly, we added a tutorial overlay to help walk the user through the steps into making the call and how to navigate the app. The tutorial would pop up over the contact page and the live call page.
View the mobile app
https://xd.adobe.com/view/27cd8d1c-0600-449b-a3d6-2ddb697bddaa-729e/
User Research:
Our own parents/grandparents feedback about current apps
Not loud enough
Tiny icons
Tiny font
Too many options
Providing simple tips and tutorials
Limited gesture control
Simple and easy navigation
Focus on the function
Buttons hard to press
It was important for the menu, buttons, text, and images to be as large as possible. Increasing the sizes, decreases the processing time to identify the information.
We took the assumption that many of our users would not have a cellphone or struggle to use their phone to contact people. To cut out the multiple steps to add someone to their contacts via an account number or bar code. Their contact information, which is the users name, is automatically added to their contact list for easy access and to immediately start conversations with their friends and family.
Abstract
We focused on a video chatting service for the elderly with visual and audio impairments. We used contrasting colours to allow for maximum visual navigation, with larger font, and pop-up tutorials to help guide the user. From personal experience, a lot of present-day apps are confusing for older adults, and we simplified that experience while allowing them to stay connected with their family and friends.
Comet focuses mainly on video calls that allow the users to easily access their contact list, with minimal navigation and touch because older adults sometimes have less mobility control. We added customized emojis to our video calling feature so our users can react to what the other person is saying while staying engaged in the conversation.
We focused our design on minimalistic approaches and eye-catching call-to-actions to maximize the video calling experience for older adults who are not as technologically adept.