Business Focused User Experience Design
Homecare: Care application enables joyous living
Problem
More than 17 million people in the U.S. are family caregivers of someone age 65 and older, and projected to rise considerably.
Stress
Physical and emotional strain on family as well as caregiver
Communication
Communication inefficiencies
Social Isolation
Loneliness despite caregiver presence
17 million +
people in the US itself
Solution
The mission of Homecare is to provide first-class care service for elderly people in their own homes in a manner characterized by trust, dependability, comfort, & consideration in order to empower the family to live a stress free joyful life.
Product/Service Users
People in the United States who are providers of care to family member at home. This includes hiring a caretaker occasionally or on a daily basis, as well as ancillary services such as meals delivery & chauffeuring.
Role & Process
My role in this project was a combination of UX Researcher, UX Designer, & UI Designer. In this capacity, I conducted user interviews/analysis, task flows, user flows, journey map, wireframing & product structure. My UI role centered around creating a visual identity & prototyping.
Research from publicly available information & personal interviews with survey participants indicates:
Key Impacts on quality of life
Familiar family environment
Companionship
Engagement in Activities
Routine and Stability
User Needs
Caretaker and shared responsibilities = more flexibility & freedom
Safety and privacy
Healthy Social and Cultural interactions
Cost effective and efficient service
Primary Features & Functionalities
Safe & Social
On demand & Flexible schedules
Quality & also,
Care for the wallet
Product User Challenges
Loss of privacy
Fatigue from caretaking
Confusion with caretaker (from miscommunication)
Mood swings of individual being cared for
Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis revealed an old fashioned care model: old age homes & bureaucratic.
In majority of cases, elderly person was admitted to & cared for in an old-age care center
If a daily caretaker employed at home, service expensive and considerable beaurcratic legwork
Unique Features
iOS/Android App: Finds caretaker from within the network's recommendation. Daily to-do-list / calendar / messages(communicator)
iOS/Android App: Calendar (medical information / doctor visits) and video call scheduler
iOS/Android App: On-demand chauffeur to deliver food and take for social / cultural visits
User Persona
Description
Participant is a middle-aged Healthcare professional, living in a large metropolitan area in the US. Married wth children, one of whom lives at home, has a very busy work week, and also an active social calendar. She employs a part-time caretaker for her elderly parents (primarily her mother).
Needs
-
more Control, Efficiency, & Privacy in providing care
-
Technology that helps better balance caretaking
Goals
-
Cultural connection (recipes & films/music), seamless realtime technology for organizing care taking
-
Caterer/parent special diet needs, senior social/cultural activities
Affinity Mapping
to Empathy Maps to User Stories to Solution Ideation
Data themes derived in order to derive user needs
Empathy Maps
User Needs
PAINS: Concern for parents, Loss of privacy, Fatigue of caretaking, Parent mood swings difficult, Periodic confusion with caretaker, Employing caretaker efficient
GAINS (Needs): Caretaker provides flexibility/freedom, Social/Cultural interaction healthy for parent, Shared responsibilities provides flexibility/freedom
HMW
HMW delight family by ensuring elderly parent is safe at all times
HMW ensure family feels empowered by caretaker providing care for parent
HMW delight family by ensuring seamless information access regarding parent health and caretaking
HMW delight family by freeing up time previously occupied by caretaking activities
HMW delight family & elderly parent by ensuring ample social and cultural gratification while minimizing effort
User Stories Matrix
Solution Ideation
Phone Application:
Finds caretaker within networks. Maintains a daily to-do-list from the family to caretaker. Also, maintains calendar pertaining to medicines & doctor appointments
Calendar integrates with relatives & family friends, and maintains & schedules video calls enabling regular contact with friends & family
Integration with pre-selected restaurants & chauffeurs in order to cater for culturally relevant food and social visits
Red Routes
Sketches
Vision
The mission of Homecare is to provide care service for elderly people in their own homes in a manner characterized by trust, dependability, comfort, & consideration in order to empower the family to live a stress free joyful life
Brand Attributes
Vibrant, joyful, bright (colors), trusty, dependable, comfortable
User Tests
Usability testing period: October 2024. Test participants recruited via university network & local mall. Testing done in two iterations, via video call & in-person.
Top Anecdote
"Knowing my loved one is being cared for in my home in a compassionate & tender manner .... feels as if I have a warm security blanket myself"
Prototype
Easy account creation/login via social login
Able to search services vy service type or location
Details about service provide credentials
In app capability for video conferencing with friends/family
Medical info details
In app physician contact (emergencies)
Secure messaging
'To-Do' list & daily tasks
In-app appointments/calender maintainer
Retrospect
Homecare is a successful approach to empowering a demographic used to old-fashioned care. By leveraging technology, networks, and social media, the company is able to increase effective and holistic care, while simultaneously increasing the family's free time and reducing stress.