Svastha: transforming mealtime management for seniors
After observing a challenge in senior citizen homes, I designed this app as a personal project, addressing the need for a more efficient and user-friendly mealtime management solution.
Summary
Mission
Svastha aimed to make mealtime easier, healthier, and stress-free for senior citizens. The app helps users track calories, check menus, get allergy alerts, and even order meals to their rooms without hassle. With simple features like real-time updates on favorite dishes and easy-to-read notifications, Svastha empowers seniors to take control of their nutrition and enjoy their meals with confidence and comfort.
My Contributions
As a designer, I aimed to create a solution that truly makes a difference. Given that my target audience was individuals over 60+, I focused on crafting a solution that prioritizes simplicity and accessibility. I designed an interface that simplifies navigation, has clear visuals, and minimizes steps to ensure a hassle-free user experience. My goal was to transform mealtime into a streamlined, health-conscious experience, ensuring senior citizens stay informed, safe, and in control of their nutrition.
Platform
Mobile
Tools Used
Figma
What I did
User Interface Design
User Experience Design
User Research & User Flows
Wireframing
Prototyping
Web design
But, why do we need Svastha?
Svastha addresses critical needs identified in my research at Serene Adinath, a senior citizen home in Chennai, India. Currently, residents rely on outdated methods like receiving meal images or visiting the kitchen directly to check menus, which are inconvenient and inefficient. Moreover, despite facing challenges in managing their food consumption, none of the senior citizens use dietary monitoring apps.
The Design Process
I wanted to:
My design approach:
01
Research & Understand User Needs
02
Design a Solution for Better Mealtime Management
RESEARCH
User Research
DEFINE
User Persona
Business Goals
Problem Definition
Challenges
DESIGN
User Flow
Wireframes
Mockups
Prototyping
TEST & HANDOFF
Final Touches
Research Steps
02
To understand the current barriers and enablers in menu viewing for senior citizens.
03
To explore the acceptability of manual engagement with an application among senior citizens to improve health outcomes.
Key Findings
04
To understand the dietary habits of senior citizens - learn about how they currently track their food intake and identify gaps in their existing methods.
01
To study existing apps, products, or other solutions that assist senior citizens in monitoring their calorie and food intake effectively.
01
Few meal apps are specifically designed with senior citizens as the targeted audience.
02
The most significant challenge is accessing the daily menu.
03
Senior citizens are willing to adopt better practices to monitor their health.
While conducting a competitive analysis, I discovered a significant lack of apps specifically catering to senior citizen homes.
Senior Citizen Demographics in India
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India currently houses the world’s second-largest elderly population, with 140 million individuals aged 60+ as of 2021. This number is expected to more than double to 346 million by 2050.
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The senior living sector is projected to grow by 300% by 2030, driven by the rising demand for specialized housing solutions for seniors.
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The number of senior living units in India is expected to increase from 1.02 million in 2022 to 2.27 million by 2030, showcasing significant expansion in this sector.
Data Source: JLL India, India's senior living housing sector to skyrocket over 300% by 2030, November 14, 2024.
The Big Question
How can we make mealtime easier, healthier, and hassle-free for seniors in care homes?
User Personas
The research conducted helped identify common themes and patterns, leading to the creation of the following user persona.
Photo by Shashank Thapa on Unsplash
Photo by Manoj Kulkarni on Unsplash
Brainstorming
Main goals to achieve
Goal 01 - Users can find the information they require with ease.
Goal 02 - Interactive elements to increase user engagement.
Goal 03 - Users can confidently navigate to completion without client moderation.
Goal 04 - Reduce support emails received by the client overall.
MOTOR
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Placing primary buttons in the left panel to prevent moving around the screen.
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Having multiple ways to navigate through course items.
MEMORY
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Providing easy access for users to identify their progress in the course.
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Labeling all buttons to reduce memorization of functionality and save time.
INTELLECTUAL
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Having major buttons organized in one area so the user does not have to think much on where to look.
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Efficiently colored CTA buttons for clear emphasis.
VISUAL
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Reduce visual clutter by streamlining major buttons to the left panel.
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Use spaced-out cards to hold individual questions.
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Ensuring main content occupies the majority of screen space.
Design Concepts - The VIMM Model
Designing stage
User flow
Paper wireframes
Digital wireframes
Mockups
