End-to-End design of video call apps for elderly users with Alzheimer's & Dementia
Project Summary
I did visual design on a tablet app, and end-to-end concept & design on its companion app for mobile phones.
Responsibilities
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Experience Design
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Prototype & Usability Testing
Timeline & Team
3 weeks for the initial app designs, usability testing ongoing during the MVP development process
Results
Launched to a beta test group in March 2023, pending full launch this year.
Company Overview
FamilyHotline is a pre-revenue startup with a mission to bring family connection to elderly people with Alzheimer's & Dementia
The goal was to launch the product on the heels of the COVID Pandemic to capitalize on the world's attention to loneliness & isolation.
Project Summary
I was provided with research findings
...and a (mostly) designed tablet app for Dorothy
My task was visual design on the tablet app for the elderly user, & end-to-end concept & design of a companion app for family members
I had 3 weeks to deliver hi-fidelity designs, so that the offshore developers could have sufficient time to build before the company's deadline.
Process
A competitive UX analysis revealed some shortcomings of GrandPad & ViewClix
GrandPad
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No relationship indicator & small labels on contacts
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Lots of navigation required (scrolling, opening apps, etc.)
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A single family member had to input all of the contacts (large burden on Brenda)
ViewClix
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No outgoing call capability
The primary question to answer was how do we offload all set-up to Brenda's app & distribute the load across multiple family members?
The client and I talked about using common app flows, like Profile Creation, to input contact card info for each group member, and I created this basic flow
I researched the UX of other apps that managed closed groups, and I took inspiration from Life360
Creating each user's contact card for Dorothy would happen as each user created their own profile in the companion app
Creating Dorothy's profile could feel similar to creating your own profile
Finally, to fulfill the requirement of contact cards only displaying on Dorothy's tablet when the users were available, I designed the interaction for a general availability schedule
General availability meant you could "set it and forget it", instead of monitoring your availability day to day or moment to moment.
This was based on research provided to me
For more common actions, such as login & registration, I relied on standard/common practices for mobile apps
To build the prototype, I created a design system to keep the experience consistent
I collaborated with the client to flesh out an overall style
Note how the screens developed as we collaborated over his desired style
I discovered from the development team that a valid phone number was required for all users
Based on user feedback, I adjusted the schedule to condense the time slots into 3 per day (rather than hourly slots) & to allow an easy way to "Select All"
Accessible design for users with Alzheimer's, Dementia, & vision impairment required visual hierarchy, contrast, and adding key information
After prototyping everything in Figma, 20 Usability Tests showed surprising sticking points
Sign in & Registration fields caused problems
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Whose phone number do I enter?
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Why does it want my email?
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Why do I need a password?
They didn't know where to tap to create a new group
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I thought I was starting from scratch...
They skipped adding photos to their profile & group because the UI didn't grab their attention
I advocated for the user, and addressed the sticking points in the flow & design
My usability tests also showed a frustration with the elderly user's profile
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What if my elderly user is a couple?
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What if my elderly user doesn't have a phone number anymore?
A welcome surprise - 100% of users linked the tablet app to the group before sending it to their elderly loved one
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This allowed me to put the paywall in Dorothy's app rather than in Brenda's app
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We avoided a potential uphill battle with Apple and Google's app reviewers over in-app purchases
Outcomes & Learnings
What is the overall experience?
FamilyHotline is still a new products, but is making a real difference in people's lives
The app just launched to a beta group at the RootsTech conference in 2023, pending a full launch later this year.
What I learned
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It was surprising just how limited Brenda was in technical ability
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I would make less assumptions about Brenda's abilities & do more observation and testing earlier on in the process
