SILVER CARE
It is an intuitive platform designed with accessibility and flexibility in mind. It provides a series of experiences that ensure the reintegration of seniors into the community.
project
Branding and Web design
Team project : 2 designers
role & responsibilities
coordinated the research and design team,
collaborated with developers,
Branding,
UX/UI design,
user interviews and competitive research,
wireframing and prototyping,
accounting for accessibility,
iterating on designs,
usability studies.

Project statement

It is well known that we, as a society, are living longer due to improved living conditions and health care. While being able to reach old age is a blessing, it also comes with a set of challenges that seniors struggle to overcome.

Our society is changing dramatically. From a countryside-predominate population, now more than half live in urban areas. If in the countryside we have smaller, more united communities, where everyone has a place and a role, in the big urban areas is a different story. In a society where everything is moving so fast, many of our seniors feel left out, isolated or alone. Studies show that one in four adults over 65 who live in the city feels isolated. This affects their mental health and overall wellbeing.

the problem
With the increasing numbers of elders in Romania and the European population, the stereotypes and social norms for elders don't work out anymore. At 65, most of our elders retire from their jobs. They find themselves alone with not much to do at home, unless they had a really interesting hobby before that will keep them busy now.

They are still energetic, useful humans who are feeling left out of society! They are waiting for a phone call or a visit from their nephews or loved ones, but sometimes those loved ones are too busy with their own jobs and families, and don't forget traffic in big cities!

1

Offer them a way to connect with other seniors

2

Form communities

3

Keep them healthier and more active

4

Give them a sense of belonging

the goal

01/

chapter

Research

USER RESEARCH

summary

We conducted user surveys and user interviews to better understand what users' needs are and how is our target audience.

Who is this for ? Persona

As a result of these interviews, I identified two main user groups.

1

A primary group are seniors that understand technology and know how to use a mobile phone to search on the internet.

2

A secondary group are elders that aren't that good with technology and ask their close ones for help.

user journey map

We made a user journey map after our user interviews to seek opportunities and to improve on our user experience on the platform.

Competitive audit

results

Although the most common features in e-commerce websites are a basic experience catalog with search options, gift cards and maybe a blog, the less common ones offer an opportunity for inspiration and improvement.

These less common features, like Business promises, Reviews, Chat and How it works (walkthrough), are the ones that really make the difference in our users' booking journeys.

02/

chapter

Ideate

SITE MAP

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

In order to figure out the best site map, we did card sorting and got a sense of our mess.

Wireframes

paper wireframes

I started with pen-and-paper mockups to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive analysis. I focused especially on the main screens and ordering an activity flow.

Digital wireframes

After drafting some paper wireframes and keeping our user needs in mind, we created the initial digital design for the website.

03/

chapter

Prototype

Prototype

Next, I built a low-fidelity clickable prototype in Figma that will be used for testing with potential users. I focused on the main flow of ordering a new experience.

04/

chapter

Branding

LOGO, COLORS, typography, business principles

Before moving to hi-fidelity in our mockups, after the research phase and ideation of the low-fidelity prototype, we knew that we needed to go to our branding.

We went back to our business strategy and principles. We knew what the business wanted to be known for and also what our users expected from us, and now we need to find a solution that will inspire all of that.

About the brand.
SilverCare is a platform for e-commerce made for seniors. Their main aim is to give seniors their lives back, to provide activities that they enjoy, and to help them connect with others.

They want to inspire energy, power, trust and also a sense of belonging in their customers.
empower
community
inclusivity
trust
sociability
logo.
The shape of the logo is a merge between the silver medal that symbolizes the reward for reaching this age, the hands that symbolize care, and our elders that represent our users.
typography.
Having the right typography for the brand is crucial because it sets the tone.

Using consistent typography across the brand will make it memorable and recognizable.
logo mark.
It is a simplified version of the logo that can be used in different color combinations from the brand colors.
Title H1
Title H2
Subheading
Body copy
colors.
Red means energy, empowerment, and excitement for new activities. Having an orange undertone inspires confidence and sociability. Red is the preferred color for seniors over 70 years old.
Blue means trust, loyalty, competence, and security. Blue is also preferred by 26% of the seniors over 70 and 28% over 60.
Neutral colors are chosen to complement the main colors of the brand.

05/

chapter

Hi-fi

from Lo to hi

Mockups

responsiveness - web and mobile

Next, I built mock-ups for mobile and web to ensure responsiveness while keeping the discussion with the development team close.

06/

chapter

Hi-fi prototype

Hi-fi prototype

results

The final high-fidelity prototype shows clear flows for all of the website's main sections: EXPERIENCES, ORDERING ONLINE, and PARTNER FORM.

We made prototypes for both the web and mobile. You can choose to see a web or mobile prototype from the Figma panel.

Takeaways

What I learned ?

When I joined the project, the founders, Teo and Stefan, two amazing and ambitious young entrepreneurs, already had a platform partially implemented for SilverCare, and they were participating in a couple of start-up generators.

We discovered from the beginning that the project had some red flags. They had done a little research on the subject, but they were lacking in a lot of places. So we started over! We started the user experience process from the beginning with user research and market research and then moved forward from there.

A major shift was the target user, which moved from the closed ones of our elders to the elders themselves, people over 65. We discovered that many of them are familiar with using technology to some extent and are asking for help just when it is needed. They enjoy the power and opportunity of being independent for as long as possible, and we needed to enhance that.

Next steps

This is an on-going project, so moving forward, we will be doing more testing of the product, and we are working with the development team at the same time to prepare for launching the new version as soon as possible.