YEAR
DURATION
TYPE
SOFTWARE
SKILLSETS
Designed in 2023
4 week
RSA Competition
Solidworks, Keyshot, Adobe Suite
Research, CAD,UX, & Visualization
Loneliness In Older People
40% of +75 Year Olds Don’t Use The Internet
12% Elderly Feel Trapped In Their Own Homes
There Are 3.8 mil. +65 Year Olds In The UK ​​
28-30% Of Whom Are ‘Mildly’ to ‘Intensely Lonely’.
James - 77
He’s tried going to a few computer support classes but can’t keep up. He usually relies, on his family for tech. and social support but feels guilty about bothering them too often.
His Daughter - 55
​​
She knows he values his independence, but she worries he may get lonely or have a fall. He holds back from calling her, worried he might be interrupting.
Nursing Home - Nurse Manager
“The biggest problem is when older people don’t have access to their support system. They lose independence and confidence, increasing the risk to their health.”
Connecting The Dots
Make online communications more familiar and tangible and therefore less intimidating, meaning so they can overcome immobility and engage with support networks from the comfort of their own homes.
Familiar Object
Tactile Action
Integrated Mechanism
​Fully Tactile Controls
The entire experience can be controlled from the smart TV remote to avoid confusion.
Familiar
Inspired by address books,
the design has a familiar feel for older people.
Opportunity
The funnel-shaped slots, inspired by Rolodex cards are easily pulled on and off.
Connection
Made Simple
Pickup a card and see a Friendly face
How It Works
The elderly person is feeling lonely, but is not sure if his daughter is free to talk.
Flips through stack to find his daughter’s contact.
Contact card is placed in wireless receiver.
The option to message or call her is displayed on the TV.
He's directed to leave a message for her by pressing the mic. button.
She responds ‘Yes’ so he can navigate to the call button, to trigger a video call with her.
Visual Feedback
LEDs are complementary to the tactile feedback of placing the card on the dish.
RFID Cards
These can be read by the receiver dish and are associated with a specific contact.
PAT
+
The product is integrated into existing Smart TV ecosystems, with features such as built in microphones and messaging apps.
Setup
Place a blank card on the reader. (A family member could help initiate this process).
Choose messaging app or enter phone number to create new contact and add a photo.
Add a personal touch by getting the new contact to draw and write on them.
‘‘The contact cards are great, visual aids are so helpful and will certainly make things easier for older people. It seems very user-friendly and I can imagine most of my patients being able to use it’’.
Nursing Home | Nurse Manager (16 Year’s experience)
Potential For Education
and Connectivity
PAT could also be helpful in connecting older people to essential services and resources to learn more about the potential of the internet.
Companies could sponsor guided or education versions of their apps and connect older people to online services while gaining access to a whole new user group.