SOEN 357 - MINI PROJECT

CASE STUDY: DESIGNING FOR THE ELDERLY

SAVVAS SIDERIS
VICTOR-THYRETH OUY

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

The effects of the COVID lockdown have been profound for many people. However, one group that was heavily affected by the measures was the elderly population. The lockdowns were imposed with the intention of protecting the population, especially the elderly, considered the most vulnerable group. The response from a lot of nursing homes was to limit the number of visitors they received.

Technology and social media are tools for people to stay connected during isolation. Although the elderly population has become a lot more proficient with the use of technology over the years, there is still large variability in their abilities with technology. 

 

In addition, conditions of degenerating, or chronic sickness, become evident a decade before the average lifespan of an individual. They result in additional impairments (cognitive, visual, physical, and hearing). 

To help bridge the gap in the adoption of new technologies for the elderly, it is important that specific applications be developed with the intent of addressing these impairments. An application designed for this group needs to be designed in a way in which ease of use is the primary focus of design.

It is imperative that any application addressed to this group facilitates self-reliance, and promotes social engagement, taking into heavy consideration usability and simplicity.  

• The application needs to address both individuals living in nursing homes and their own homes

• The application needs to benefit individuals living in isolation, supporting their daily needs

RESEARCH

    Seniors tend to experience isolation, affective, and anxiety disorders, among others, with depression being the most common mental health problem [1]. In general, seniors experience higher rates of suicide, while most adults in the Americas simply don't have a mental health support network. The disruption of personal ties, as well as loneliness, are a big cause for this reality. Healthcare providers are expected to provide assistance when they work with the local community. In essence, seniors' mental health needs to be considered in national health planning, as well as be carefully carried out by professionals and the community [1].

 Awareness of the existence of websites and applications isn't necessarily enough to motivate their use. Additionally, there seems to be a fear with respect to a lack of prior knowledge of previous digital technologies [2]. Anxiety and depression affect a large percentage of the older population. Awareness is the first step before engaging in productive ways to improve their own mental health.

For some people, using technology was a way to prevent "bothering others", increasing their self-reliance. Other reasons were loneliness, as well as playing/sourcing music. Barriers to using technology could sometimes be the fear of believing they have a rare condition based on online research they performed for a symptom. While other people expressed concern with respect to dexterity issues when playing a game. A method in which some hesitation for the use of them can be dissolved is encouragement from family and professionals. 

 Educated women tend to make up a larger percentage of the studied population. 

    A population-based assessment was done during COVID-19. Based on research, adults aged 65 and over were the most vulnerable to developing mental health challenges from isolation [3]. Educated individuals tended to be more aware of technology to connect with others. The pandemic pushed more people to adopt newer technologies, and only a small percentage became disinterested in their use. Familiarity with technology, simplicity, as well as social factors, and assistance are the main facilitators for the adoption of new technologies. 

Most users are highly interested in using applications to monitor health data [5].

Facebook Mobile

Facebook is a very popular social media platform amongst older generations. The size of the platform guarantees that most of their immediate relatives are likely on it. Allows them to stay current about the lives of their older grandchildren, or even updates on their great-grandkids

Pill Monitor

This app allows users to keep track of their medication, as well as showing reminders and keeping a log

iBP

Allows multiple users to document and monitor blood pressure

 

Although social in-person interaction is the best manner in which older individuals can attempt to battle these conditions, an application could be developed that focuses on creating an extremely simple interface that will help them:

1. keep track of crucial health data
2. store it
3. facilitate information sharing with caretakers and healthcare professionals.

 

  

An oversaturation of applications likely does not help in the adoption of new and unfamiliar technology for a lot of individuals.

A complete application with an extremely straightforward and linear presentation of information, calendar updates, and communication with caretakers could help facilitate the engagement of seniors in adopting newer technologies.

Additional considerations for the development of an application involve aesthetics that affect the perception of the application itself. Navy blue, sky blue, and aquamarine are the favorite colors for seniors, as well as fonts that are larger and clearer to increase visibility.

Additionally, red and yellow can stimulate dementia patients to eat. The application color scheme should bring out feelings of calmness and excitement, for stimulation. Neutrals, such as white should be used as a background as it is a clean color that matches with the rest [3]. 

PROTOTYPES

User personas

In order to conceptualize some of the archetypes of the intended user base, the following personas were designed. A big challenge of designing an application targeted at an older population lies in the fact that the range of acceptance and skill varies greatly, and it is not limited to a specific age range either. 

    

The application aims to unify different services in a manner in which users of all ages, and technological prowess, can find a functional purpose to use some form of a tool, with the greater intent of improving their mental well-being. An application that groups functional services could help attract users that both accept and do not accept to add this form of technology to their everyday lives. A simple design will allow users of varying skill levels and disabilities easily navigate through the application, to produce real data which can be used by professionals to improve their services.

User Journey

    In order to demonstrate the experience of an average user, a user journey was designed. The user journey demonstrates the feelings that an average would experience if they need help with relevant health services. The search for an appropriate application would tire a senior member with limited knowledge of technology in an oversaturated ecosystem of applications. A functional app that can reduce the user's clutter and organize their information while updating the information to their providers could alleviate some of the stress  

Sketches

To begin the fundamental design of the application, we employed sketches as an economical and streamlined approach to communicate our shared vision for the app's layout.

Wireframes

The design is focused on simplicity and quick accessibility. The main focus of the application is to allow users to be able to easily navigate the platform in a very streamlined fashion.

Styles Guide

        Colors used

These colors were chosen based on the research conducted. Blue is considered a tranquil color. A simple design with shades of blue as the baseline should have a higher chance of engaging the users' interest and raise their trust for the application.

Typography

The font used is of the inter font family found on Figma. 

It was designed that a simple, modern-looking font would be easily read by users and would match the simplistic theme of the page

FINAL MOCKUPS

The final mockups are laid out as the concluded design of the app. Possessing the initial conceptual models, further communication with potential users would test how easily can users interact with this interface. It's possible that users might prefer no sliding windows at all on their application, and only a linear set of pages presented to them. The information is as simplistically streamlined as possible, with easy colors to the eye. Data could potentially be updated and accessed by the workers responsible for the individuals as well, and so, some functionality takes into consideration that some functions might even not be touched by the users at all (eg. workout plan could be designed from the workers only).

 

CONCLUSION

The team went through an iterative process to determine the best suited color scheme, as well as organize the content in the most simple manner possible. The decided approach that the team took was in consideration of simplicity, as well as limitation of complex elements. The content is displayed in a very streamlined manner, so that even the most inexperienced user can very linearly follow the content. The problem was difficult to define due to the fact that the targeted population possesses extremely varied skillsets regarding technological use. The creation of an application that offers very direct, functional utilities is the best approach at potential encouraging users that are not technologically savvy, to potentially adopt a different method for containing all important information regarding their health.

It is difficult to create a technology for a population that tends to resist its use, and a lot of users that oppose additional technological clutter. The development process was illuminating, as it highlighted the importance of understanding the target audience, limitations that they could impose, and manners in which they can be navigated around. Research for an audience requires extremely careful consideration, as users need to be served a product which is extremely catered to their needs.

Sources

[1] https://www3.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9877:seniors-mental-health&Itemid=0&lang=en#gsc.tab=0

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6391644/

[3] https://aging.jmir.org/2021/2/e28010/

[4] https://www.seniorlifestyle.com/resources/blog/top-8-mobile-apps-active-seniors/

[5] https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/health-apps-could-help-older-adults-most-dont-use-them

[6] https://eldertech.org/color-in-designing-technology-for-seniors/#:~:text=Navy%20blue%2C%20sky%20blue%2C%20and,the%20spiritual%20or%20reflective%20mood.