TLDR: Not much observation is needed to discover how hard is for elderly folks to use smartphones. Icons and text are small, clickable items are far from being suited to their finger formats and visuals definitely don’t help. As part of the Google UX Certificate program, I was asked to focus on a problem you see in our society today and that was my idea.
The problem: Visuals, journeys, and systems are, in general, designed for people who can see properly and understand how digital applications work within their group of tasks and behaviors. My challenge was to design a concierge to support the use of smartphones — a scheme to simplify daily operations such as search, messaging, calls, videos, and music.
Structure and visuals: The solution is composed of 2 experience hubs, the Admin and the User Profile navigation group. The first sets up applications to be loaded and display options while the User remains 100% focused on content due to reduced features and tasks needed. The Grotesk Metro Sans offers great visibility as the result of a study into the Paris Metro system. It suits perfectly the UI. Neutral tones compound the color palette to enhance contrast, allowing users to customize their app. The highly legible icons come from the Chunk Icons Pack.
User research and Ideation
The User journey, Persona A: Lourdes, 88 🇧🇷
“Phones are complicated to me. I find them hard to read and fund myself. But as everybody else is checking me out on this little thing I have to keep fighting with it.”
Our user finds an environment similar to a set of cards. The standard mode shows type-only containers but Admin can also add emojis, images, and colors to enhance the experience.
Each card is linked to an app on the smartphone which will load under the concierge with limited features. All the UIs are designed with extreme user needs as default.
The Admin journey, Persona B: Joana, 28 🇨🇦
“I would love to offer my grandma the chance to enjoy the web just like me. I’m sure she’d dive into her old movies, music, and all kinds of searches. Despite her age, she’s a curious and bright girl.”
Admin user creates an account and inserts the menu options that will be shown as cards to The User. Card appearance and roles can later be customized in type, colors, emojis, and the use of images.
