Activate.io is a digital service that enables senior citizens to establish social connections through learning and exploring shared interests. The service adds a layer to educational television programs, allowing the user to save programs they are interested in watching later.
The saved programs are then sent to Activate.io’s web interface, where the user is invited to join other locals in group activities and meet-ups related to the program.
The interfaces are designed to give the user a maximum degree of control over and understanding of the service. For instance, menus are abstracted to the most basic actions users can take, and the interface evolves dynamically and comprehensively instead of switching suddenly from one state to another. Items give visual feedback and shrink and grow on screen instead of vanishing, always remaining accessible. Additionally, the font is specifically designed for readers with sight impairments. These design choices make Activate.io accessible, friendly, simple, and empowering.
The aging population is a growing one, and is continuously underserved in the area of digital services. Through the interviews we conducted, we found that many seniors are looking for ways to maintain mobility and connect with others, but current social networks aren’t tailored to their needs. We created the service to work on platforms that are common in senior citizens’ everyday lives, such as TV.
In this six-day project, we were tasked with creating a digital learning service. We started out by defining our target audience, senior citizens, and interviewing potential users. We discovered what their needs were and started brainstorming solutions to address them. We iterated a number of times over the brainstorming process, each time developing our ideas a little further through storyboarding, scenario creation, and paper prototyping.
Designed with: Simon Herzog, Paula Te, Arunima Singh
My role: co-desing of the wireframes and visual interfaces, video prototyping
Project Duration: 1 week