PROJECT BRIEF
Future-looking new travel experience aim to craft a happy & healthy aging experience for senior and their families.
TOOLS
DURATION
FIGMA
Sep - Nov 2023
ROLE
UIUX Designer
METHODS
TEAM
Affinitization
UXR + Interation Designer
Utility testing
Persona
PM + Visual Designer
UXR Researcher
Customer Journey map
Market Research
wireframes
THE PROBLEM
Health issues are the primary factors affecting the travel satisfaction of seniors, and diabetic seniors face more complex health issues, such as diet, injections, and mental well-being, while society and existing designs often pay little attention to and meet their needs.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Diabetes is common in elderly
Due to age-related factors like insulin resistance and pancreatic function decline, along with lifestyle factors such as reduced physical activity and unhealthy diets.
94.9%
of seniors have at least 1 chronic non-communicable disease
Diabetes
Hypertension, hyperlipidemia are often coexisting, each requires a combination of medications
33%
Seniors with Diabetes
48.8%
Seniors with Pre-Diabetes
According to the 2022 National Diabetes Statistics Report from the CDC, an estimated 33% of adults aged 65+ have diabetes, 26.4 million people aged 65+(48.8%) have pre-diabetes
PRIMARY RESEARCH
9
Questionnaire Interviews
5
In-depth Interviews
100+
Data points from diabetes seniors & caregivers
What Did Our Interviewees Say?
Many restaurants caters to those with gluten-free dietary needs but struggle to accommodate meals for diabetics, leaving me feeling neglected and distressed.
Emotional Changes
For long-term diabetes patients, medication reminders may not be necessary. Yet, during unstable travels, adhering to precise blood sugar testing and medication routine can be difficult
Disease Monitoring
“I always feel concerned about burdening others and my own health, especially when injecting in public spaces“
Medication Use
“Prepare a range of medications and medical devices for travel is complex”
Medication Preparation
“I always feel concerned about burdening others and my own health, especially when injecting in public spaces“
Emotional Changes
PERSONAS
A 62 YEAR OLD INDIVIDUAL, TYPE 2 DIABETES
JANET
“As we grow older, we often face physical challenges, but I'm hopeful about keeping my health in check. I make sure to follow my doctor's advice, maintain a healthy diet, and stay active. A positive attitude is vital as we age, which is why I enjoy traveling and spending quality time with my family”
PAINS
-
Pack and organize all these tools and medication for the travel.
-
I feel depressed, guilty sad and worried.
GOALS
-
I want to travel with fewer frustrations and limitations.
-
I want to feel young, happy and healthy again.
Diabetes Habits
-
Need injection and medication
-
Takes walks every day to keep body in shape
-
Healthy diet and sugar control
Travel Preferences
-
Travels three times a year
-
Duration is around one week per trip
-
Prefers driving by car over taking the train or plane
-
Typically travels with friends and family
INSIGHTS
Through primary and secondary research, we gathered 100 data points from 50+ sources.
Utilising data synthesis, we identified four key insight directions:
-
Routine
-
Physical Health
-
Privacy
-
Community.
Routine
-
Travel disrupts daily medication routines
-
Daily medications are scheduled at specific times.
-
Long-term diabetic patients often remember their medication and injection schedules
-
Medication/injections time vary based on individual health conditions.
Privacy
-
Injecting in public during outings is unavoidable.
-
Seniors with mobility issues may require designated injection areas
-
Stigmatisation
-
Concerns about public injections can affect their daily injection routines
Physical Health
-
Elderly diabetics prioritize a balanced diet.
-
People's sugar responses vary, leading to diverse food choices
-
Exercise is encouraged
-
Multiple medications are usually carried
Community
-
Diabetes communities are crucial for self-healing
-
Patients willingly contribute
-
Offering emotional support, self-monitoring channels, and avenues for clarifying doubts
Based on these directions, we generated five "How Might We" (HMW) statements...
HOW MIGHT WE...
01.
Assist diabetic seniors in discreet injections during travel, so that they can ensure timely medication for health maintenance.
02.
Help diabetic seniors stick to their medication schedule during travel, so that they feel less anxious and improve overall health?
03.
Help diabetic seniors access better medical support for a relaxed journey?
04.
Help diabetic seniors travel without diabetes stigmatisation, so that they can experience a stress-free journey?
05.
Support diabetic seniors with tailored dietary needs to maintain energy levels?
Finalised HMW
How might we support diabetic seniors during travel by discreetly assisting with injections, ensuring timely medication, providing access to better medical support, and addressing tailored dietary needs for maintaining energy levels, while mitigating diabetes stigmatization for a stress-free journey.
PAIN POINTS
OPPORTUNITIES
01.
Feel judged by others and receive uncomfortable glances when injecting insulin discreetly in public.
There is NO product designed to create a comfortable, shame-free space for diabetic seniors to administer insulin injections.
02.
Diabetic seniors find it hard to search a diabetes friendly restaurant.
There is NO product designed to help diabetic seniors find suitable restaurants.
03.
Diabetic seniors have to take their medication on time even when they have irregular meals during travel.
There is NO product designed to remind diabetic seniors to take medications on time based on irregular meal times.
SOLUTION
Lighthouse
Lighthouse consists of a private injection space with a multifunctional vending machine and a Diabetes-Friendly Map APP Plugin, offering travel support for diabetic seniors.
User Flow
We've spent a lot of time figuring out the timing of diabetic individual medication before and after meals. This is a very important part of the architecture infrastructure, ensuring the order of our reminders and other functions in the app.
Information Architecture
LO-FI WIREFRAMES
IDEATION SKETCHES - LIGHTHOUSE SPACE
1
2
3
4
USABILITY TEST
We designed 4 functional test tasks and invited 6 diabetic patients and their caregivers, ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s, to perform user tests on the app and the lighthouse to get feedback on improvements.
USABILITY FINDINGS - Lighthouse Mobile APP
Highlights
-
Lightchat need a more understandable icon
-
The alarm icon was a emergency button
-
The rating, nearby a bit confusing
-
Difficult to read white sentences on the light grey background, because of low contrasts
-
It is difficult for there to read green and red colors
Function
-
All users find it difficult to recognize the lighthouse location, restaurant and my location icon.
-
Most of users had trouble with understand what is “DF Restaurant”.
-
50% of users expect the interface to show the route on the lighthouse page.
-
50% of users couldn’t understand the word 'contribute'.
-
50% of users experience difficulties in viewing the icons due to the tone combinations
IMPROVEMENTS
-
Explain the definition of DF Restaurants on the onboarding page
-
Increase color contrast and use the orange color for the main design
-
Change the Lightchat icon to something more understandable
USABILITY FINDINGS - Lighthouse space
Highlights
-
Not sure about the using condition of injection room.
-
Add a mirror inside the room so users can examine their appearance before leaving.
Function
-
Half of Users wants a place to dispose their needles even with a disposable bag.
-
Most of users like design 4 the most because it separates the vending machine and the injection room.
-
Less of users suggests to provide not only sugar free, but also low sugar and regular snacks in the vending machine.
IMPROVEMENTS
-
Add a trash bin for needles
-
Add a mirror for checking appearance
-
Use a button to automatically open the door
-
Provide sugar free, low sugar and regular snacks in the vending machine
-
Put a light on the door to show the using condition for injection room
FINAL DESIGN
We designed 4 functional test tasks and invited 6 diabetic patients and their caregivers, ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s, to perform user tests to get feedback on improvements.
00. ONBOARDING
These are our onboarding interfaces, which including interfaces on apple store, login and onboarding.
We utilized the bright yellow and the our logo on for the design of these interfaces. For clarification, we explained what is “DF Restaurants” on the onboarding interface.
01. INJECTION NAVIGATION SPACE
Injection Reminder
User opens Google Maps with the Lighthouse plugin and starts searching for restaurants. With a quick search, they can directly see nearby diabetes-friendly restaurants, Lighthouses, and pharmacies.
Users can choose restaurants based on filters, save DF restaurants to the collect list, navigation, and view reviews.
Users can save their favorite DF restaurants and lighthouses to two lists generated by the App, making it more convenient for future reference.
Check Restaurant
Save to List
02. DIABETIC FRIENDLY COMMUNITY REVIEW & CONTRIBUTE
Users can rate this location, write a review, and upload photos or videos. Using voice-to-text input is a more efficient way to complete the review.
After the user clicks on "submit ," App will display a popup to thank the user for their contribution. Users can find their own reviews first in the "Newest" and "Diabetic friendly" sections of the location's comments. Topics related to diabetes-friendly features will automatically be tagged with a badge icon.
03. DIABETIC FRIENDLY COMMUNITY MEDICATION REMINDER
User opens Google Maps with the Lighthouse plugin and starts searching for restaurants.
With a quick search, they can directly see nearby diabetes-friendly restaurants, Lighthouses, and pharmacies.Users can choose restaurants based on filters, save DF restaurants to the collect list, navigation, and view reviews.
Users can save their favourite DF restaurants and lighthouses to two lists generated by the APP, making it more convenient for future reference.
Lighthouse
Hanger
Foldable Table
Foldable Seat
LED Light
Minor
Medical Waste bin
Push to enter
Expanded injection space
Injection space button
Medication kits included:
Alcohol Disinfectant Cotton Pad
Displacement Needle
Medical Waste Disposal Bag
Low-Sugar Snacks
Fast-Acting Sugar
Spring Water
Injection Space
Vending Machine
DESIGN PRINCIPLE
Readability guildlindes for seniors
16pt minimum font size
Avoid using green-red colors
High contrast
STYLE GUIDE
Business Plan
Takeaways
"Lighthouse" was my first group project in UX design, involving collaboration with designers from diverse backgrounds. It proved to be a valuable learning experience, enabling me to refine my research and interface design skills. The primary challenge we faced was recruiting willing participants, particularly elderly individuals with diabetes, for testing their user experiences. Despite the difficulty, I recognized the importance of persistence.
As the person in charge of designing the UI, we ensured its senior-friendliness by avoiding the use of red or green colors, as some color-blind individuals may have difficulty distinguishing them. Instead, we opted for a yellowish-orange hue.In addition to color considerations, we paid close attention to the size of fonts and buttons to ensure accessibility for elderly users.