VitalEase: Your Companion in Elderly Care
Team Member’s
Hinal Patel: Designer, User Researcher
Daithy Ren: Designer, User Researcher
Bella Cooper: Designer, User Researcher
Jonathan Desta: Designer, User Researcher
Problem Overview
In the realm of elderly care, our user research shows a strong need for better remote health checks and easier scheduling for older adults. We learned that more than half of the people asked want easier ways to keep an eye on health from afar, and nearly half want help with scheduling and reminders. It’s tough for caregivers to look after the health of their elders. These findings point out the hard parts of managing care. Our “Paired Smartwatch for Elderly Care” is created carefully. It gives a simple, all-in-one system to set events, get medication reminders, track vitals, and make the job of caring more joined up and efficient.
Solution
Introducing the “Paired Smartwatch for Elderly Care,” our innovative solution tailored to address the specific challenges unveiled through user research.The purpose of this wristwatch is to directly address the demands mentioned by study participants by carefully designing it to make remote health monitoring easier and to automate scheduling and reminders. By using the Paired Smartwatch, caregivers may effortlessly arrange appointments and establish prescription reminders, guaranteeing that the senior citizen and the caregiver are informed on time. The Paired Smartwatch measures elderly’s vitals such as temperature, fall detection, and oxygen saturation that are essential for providing quality care. A safer and more connected caregiving experience is promoted by the smartwatch’s ability to instantly notify the authorized caregiver in addition to starting a 911 call. With its seamless features, the Paired Smartwatch for Elderly Care aims to empower caretakers and make elder care more efficient and approachable.
Paper Prototype, Testing Process, and Results
Prior to the usability testing phase of our project, we crafted a basic paper version of our smartwatch app for caregivers. This was aimed to help us see how people might use it and what they found confusing before we actually designed the high-fidelity digital prototype. On top of the founders’ testing, we gathered three mock caregivers in which we crafted three tasks; scheduling appointments, viewing vitals, and viewing medication of a client, and watched how they interacted with it. They pointed out confusing aspects of the user interfaces, more specifically, not understanding what the red circles on the calendar meant and having trouble using voice commands for appointments. They also found it hard to manage events. The insights from our test users showed us that we needed to make things clearer and smoother for potential caregivers in the field. We changed the red circles to symbols that are easier for everyone to understand, making it clear when there’s an appointment. We made it simpler to use voice commands by creating a blank space that turns into a microphone when touched. This change makes it more straightforward and user-friendly. Furthermore, we made it easier to view events by adding a new page in addition to the details for each day by incorporating an option for a weekly view on the calendar tab.
Enhanced event visibility and improved voice input experience were our most salient revisions. The outcomes of our paper prototype usability tests guided our most key revisions. The uncertainty surrounding the interpretation of red circles underneath a certain day prompted us to rethink our visual cues, leading to adopting universally recognized symbols for existing appointments. Additionally, reimagining voice input was a pivotal decision that arose from the usability testing phase of our prototype.
Digital Mockup
Our digital mockup shows all the screens the user will see while completing our two main tasks- medication and appointment management as well as remote health monitoring. All tasks are clearly labeled from the home screen with simple and tested workflows that allow users to achieve their goals. After receiving feedback on our original digital mockup we increased the font size and weight of all the text to increase readability for older users. Our design utilizes notifications heavily and also includes voice input as well as a button on the side with a screen reader so users who are unable to read the screen can still use this device.
Full Mockup Overview
Task 1: Appointments
Elderly View
Caretaker View
Description
Both caretaker and elderly will be able to see the home page that shows three features: Medication management, Appointment and Vitals. They can click on the icons to use those particular features.
If the Elderly or Caretaker clicks on the appointment icon, it will show them the calendar view. The dot underneath the dates indicate that they have event scheduled on that day, mimicking apple’s calendar feature. They can click on that day to view more details
When either user clicks on a particular day it takes them to a list of all events on that day where they can click for more details. The caretaker is also able to add events
N/A
If the caretaker clicks on the plus button to add new events it will take them to this page where they can add a new event, time and location of the event by clicking on the box. Once they fill out the information they have an option to confirm or cancel the event.
When the caretaker clicks on to add their info in the box it takes them to add the information by voice input. It will process their input and convert it to text and take user back to the previous page automatically once the voice input stops. They can also click on the cancel button to go back without recording any input.
Once the caretaker added the second event, the events page would show both events, an option to add a new event and also option to go back to nov11th in weekly mode page. The new event would also show up on elderly persons watch
If either user clicks detail button they will see more details about the event but the caretaker will have the option to edit or delete events
Both users will get a reminder 30 minutes before any appointments
Task 2: Medications
Elderly View
Caretaker View
Description
Both elderly person and caretaker can click on the medication icon to see the current medications scheduled for the day.
Once the caretaker clicks on the medication icons it shows them all the doses the elderly person (Ava) needs to take for the day. Highlighted in Green indicates they already took the does. Outlined in grey indicated elderly person still needs to take those doses during the day. Same for the patient only they are viewing their own doses.
When it’s time for the elderly person to take there medication both the caretaker and elderly person will receive a notification and either can confirm completion. The caretaker has an additional option to snooze which will prompt another reminder in 15 minutes.
Task 3: Vitals
Elderly View
Caretaker View
Description
Both elderly and caretaker can click on the vitals icon to see elderly person’s vitals such as heart rate, temperature and oxygen saturation.
Once user clicks on vitals application it displays the vitals of the elderly person. The green outline indicates the vital is within a normal threshold, yellow indicates it is slightly outside of a normal threshold but not life threatening and red outline indicates life threatening (any time and vital is red 911 is called)
Once user clicks on a vital it pops up with the details in a bigger screen and when the vital is yellow (slightly out of normal range) it gives the option for elderly to call their caretaker and vice versa. This screen also appears as a notification as soon as vital is recorded as out of range.
If user chose to call in previous screen it will take them to this screen and call.
If elderly person experiences a fall this screen will show and elderly person will be automatically redirected to a 911 call and the caretaker has the option to join.
If elderly person has dangerously low heart rate this screen will show and elderly person will be automatically redirected to a 911 call and the caretaker has the option to join.
When user is calling 911 this screen will show
Summary
In our insightful blog post, ‘4Life Smartwatch: Revolutionizing Elderly Care with Advanced Wearable Technology,’ we delve into how the 4Life Smartwatch is setting a new standard in caregiving for the elderly. Our extensive user research has shed light on the pressing challenges faced by caregivers and seniors alike, such as managing complex medication schedules, keeping appointments, and the significant emotional and physical burden of caregiving. The 4Life Smartwatch emerges as a comprehensive solution, equipped with features that streamline care management and ensure timely health monitoring. For caregivers, it offers a much-needed support system, providing real-time alerts and reminders that ease the stress of multitasking and improve the accuracy of care. This advanced wearable technology becomes a crucial tool in enhancing the safety and well-being of seniors, facilitating quick response to health emergencies and ensuring consistent monitoring of critical health parameters.
For seniors, the 4Life Smartwatch is a beacon of independence and security. It respects their desire for autonomy while offering a continuous connection and peace of mind for both them and their families. The watch’s health monitoring capabilities play a vital role in maintaining their well-being and alerting caregivers to any immediate health concerns. Overall, the 4Life Smartwatch is more than just a piece of technology; it’s a transformative approach to eldercare, combining efficiency, empathy, and empowerment. Our blog post invites readers to explore the intricacies and benefits of this innovative solution, envisioning a future where technology seamlessly integrates into eldercare, elevating the quality of life for seniors and simplifying the complexities of caregiving.
