Sage
User Research, UX Design
What is Sage?
Tech Support for Older Adults to Improve Social Connectedness
Timeline: Fall 2021 - 4 moths
My Role: Research, Design, Test
Tools: Figma, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator
Team: Austin, Hana, Sharvari, Yiting
The problem
Multiple existing platforms allow these seniors to remain social with their loved ones, but a lack of technical acumen often acts as a barrier. These platforms are not designed with seniors in mind, and as such, there are often usability gaps for this population.
The goal
To bridge these gaps, we designed Sage, a senior-centric tech support application that provides one-on-one help to seniors for using platforms like Facebook, Zoom, and WhatsApp. The goal of Sage is to help the older population navigate a society deeply embedded in digital, social experiences.
The solution
Understanding User Needs
01. Virtual meeting
COVID-19 pandemic made it harder for seniors to connect their families and community. Virtual meetings come with a variety of obstacles for seniors.
02. User Interface
Current user interfaces are not designed with seniors in mind, such as small text and button size. Some products have complicated procedures to achieve the goal.
03. Privacy
Seniors are concerned about their privacy on the internet as many social media are public and online products tend to ask for personal information from them.
User Persona
Storyboard
Competitive analysis
We conducted a competitive analysis against similar tools. This process gives us a better understanding of what tools are currently on the market, which factors of these tools are viable in different contexts, and what interfaces can be used with our target audience. We were able to gain insights into which aspects of the elderly population needed to be addressed.
User flow
Starting the design
Given our research findings, we came up with two divergent design ideas that tackled the problem space - live support from technology assistant and categorized video tutorials that made for seniors.
Paper sketches
We started designing screens on paper based on the initial user flow. We later tested paper wireframes and made a few changes based on user feedback. We had inspiration from other senior platforms such as Grandpad and OATS when we were exploring tech-support patterns. This led us to settle on live chat and video call that felt the most intuitive and friendly for our target users.
Usability testing - round 1
Our group tested the paper prototype with 5 participants, who unfortunately were not part of our target group. However the feedback we received was valuable and informative to possible design solutions. Throughout the whole usability testing, we concluded 5 aspects of primary usability defects.
unclear terminology
redundant language choosing screen
unfriendly traditional log-in/sign-up method
video tutorial screen layout issues
uncommon calendar feature for seniors.
Digital wireframes
Usability testing - round 2
Our group tested the low-fi prototype with 8 participants - 6 who were part of our target group, one who was slightly younger than the target range, and one who was a UX professional.
Overall, we found that many of the features we had envisioned, which had been clear to the younger generation but not apparent or usable to real seniors. Additionally, we gained some interesting feedback related to the general narrative components of our application, such that we needed to make it more welcoming and inclusive. Valuable feedback was received for both the overall information architecture of Sage, as well as stylistic considerations.
Refining the design
High-fi Prototype
Final Prototype
Going forward
Future directions for Sage include improving the accessibility of the application, and also extending the service to different platforms so that seniors may access Sage on tablets or through a website. Additionally, we need to develop a volunteer-facing interface for the Sage assistants. This interface would enable Sage assistants to receive the appropriate information they need to volunteer, and help match them with seniors who have concerns that are suited for the skill level of the volunteer.