How we helped seniors find new friends

Background and ProcessIn this project, our team of 5 UX designers embarked on a mission to empower seniors in finding meaningful social connections. Using the Design Thinking process, we delved into the challenges and needs of our target audience, identifying opportunities to bridge the gap between technology and intergenerational relationships. This case study showcases our collaborative approach to design, as we worked together to craft a user-centered solution that prioritizes empathy, simplicity, and social impact.

The Design Thinking process is usually composed of the following parts:

Empathize ~ Define

The first part of our Design Thinking process was about finding empathy and defining a set of user needs. We started by brainstorming important questions to explore further, including "Why is it hard for adults to find friends? Is it cultural? Is it about confidence? Is it social structure? Time? Economy? Habits?" This inquiry led us to define a user group: women and men (60-70 years old) transitioning to retirement in Sweden.We then established research goals to guide our investigation: to discover how newly retired people socialize, investigate how they find new friends, research their satisfaction with their social life, and understand the needs, behaviors, and feelings of this demographic.

To gain insights into our target group's needs, we conducted interviews with 4 individuals. Due to time constraints and logistical challenges, two of these interviews were done in-person, while the other two were remote.This experience was invaluable for me, as I learned how to set up and facilitate interviews with seniors, as well as create effective surveys. Our goal was to design engaging questions that would elicit meaningful responses.The collected data was analyzed and categorized into user need statements, which took the following forms:

Ideate ~ Wireframe

Time for ideation! We employed brainstorming techniques, such as crazy eights, to generate creative ideas addressing user problems. The goal was not to find the perfect solution but rather to surface potential concepts.The team presented and voted on ideas using the four categories method, ultimately selecting two solutions that merged into one final concept: Fiklaklubben! Next, each team member created lo-fi wireframes to bring our idea to life.

The platform connects retirees from the onset of retirement, presenting a user-friendly website format to avoid being perceived as a dating service. The simple layout and easy navigation ensure effortless usage. To establish trust, users are verified through BankId/Email authentication. In-person events are prioritized, with email/SMS notifications reminding users about nearby fika gatherings and upcoming events. The familiar concept of "fika" helps break the ice, while connections based on shared interests foster confidence. Members can also initiate their own fika events.

Test ~ Iterate

The User Testing phase kicked off with establishing clear objectives based on our user needs statements. These goals served as a roadmap when crafting test tasks.Objective #1:
Determine if users comprehend the concept and whether it satisfies their needs.Objective #2:
Identify pain points associated with using this solution/product. Can users easily find the event, and what factors make it challenging?Objective #3:
Examine how users navigate through pages, focusing on understanding and usability.

We conducted usability testing with four users to test our Fika klubben website prototype, focusing on user goals and pain points to improve design. The testing included three tasks: discovering the site's purpose, exploring an event as a logged-in user, and finding more information about the website's creation. We analyzed results by task and user comments/behaviors/feelings, identifying patterns and themes to inform design improvements.

IterateOur user testing revealed valuable insights, prompting us to revisit and refine our prototype to better meet the needs of newly retired users. We prioritized accessibility, considering the unique characteristics of this age group.Key takeaways from our testing results:* Keep it Simple: Design a website with clear language, avoiding technical jargon.
* Scaling Up: Ensure text and buttons are enlarged for easy reading and clicking.
* Gradual Information: Introduce content gradually to prevent information overload.
* Speak Their Language: Use terminology that resonates with our target audience.
* Color Contrast: Increase color contrast on websites for enhanced readability.
* Gesture-Sensitive Design: Avoid complex gestures requiring both hands or multiple fingers.LearningsResearch beforehand about the user group to avoid "surprises" in testing, which might cause delays or negative bias. Conducting remote testing with an older user group, some with little digital experience, can affect results if the prototype creates challenges for even taking the test. A scripted rehearsal is key to an organic interview flow and follow-up questions.

Ekvi - User flows

BackgroundFor women, Endometriosis is the biggest health care issue of our time. Ekvi a technology company from Oslo aims to empower women trough their app, making it possible for them to track their symptoms, pain and period for better insights regarding their health. As well as guidance when seeking professional help from doctors.Our team’s goal was to improve a current User flow regarding some pain points discovered from research and testing. Users were experiencing difficulties distinguishing prescribed medication from acute painkiller when tracking, this also made it confusing for the doctors. They also found tracking the daily prescribed painkillers irritating when having to repeatedly add the same information everyday. But also they missed being able to track all their current medications and not just the painkillers.

ProcessWe began with deep diving in research, gaining more knowledge about Endometriosis, other current competitors on the market, and benchmarking. This gave us insight about similar design solutions, bringing us more ideas during brainstorming. After sketching on ideas individually we presented suggestions and decided that our main focus should be creating a more clear User flow for tracking medication.To enhance usability we redesigned the flow, dividing medication in several categories, specifying them as prescribed and non prescribed but also giving the user an option to pre-save medication and adding reminders while tracking (in a separate User flow). Additionally we wanted to increase user delight by motivating the users to maintain tracking on a daily basis, creating better insights for both the user and doctors.Next we created our User flow into hi-fi wireframes better visualizing our suggested improvements of the flow.

A crucial step to improving the flow is mapping out the process to make it more understandable and easier to grasp potential mis-directions. We managed to find a way where the user does not need to repeat a big part of the process unless necessary.

LearningsThere are many way’s to solve a singular problem. Knowing which one to go for should always be based on the user in mind and with focus on keeping the design intuitive and as accessible as possible.Exercising creating User flows has been a real eye-opener regarding how small changes can affect the user experience on a higher level. Teamwork is essential to see new perspectives, combining ideas in a lucrative way and to avoid biases as much as possible.

Visual Redesign Project - ECAS.org

BackgroundThe assignment was to re-design a website based on visual-design principles. Our team chose Ecas.org. The European Action service, which is a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting and defending citizens rights. They are co-founded by the European Union and offers legal advice in different topics.

existing landing design

ProcessFirst we conducted research to get a better understanding of Ecas and their organization. What are their Business goals, who are they're users and what are their main focus areas? Additional to this we also gained more knowledge while doing benchmarking, research on color theory and tone of voice. From our analyze of the website we identified several pain points and aspects that affected the usability of the page. The website contains a lot of information but as a user it is hard to navigate trough it all with bad hierarchy, creating low efficiency when trying to look for the help-services they offer, as an example. By creating wireframes with Hierarchy, spacing, the typography and color theory in mind we wanted to keep the websites original trustworthy impression but to enhance to user experience by giving it a design with a more easy and friendlier tone while also maintaining the professional feeling.

LearningsThe user goal should always be the guideline when recreating visual design. Therefore taking time to understand your client and their business goals is of big importance. A carefully executed research with analyze of a site’s accesibility and usability is key, the interface should be intuitve to create a seamless user experience.