Design a phone for the elderly.

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Design a phone for the elderly.

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PM Team · Answer 1 · 2018-09-26T09:37:37+0000

I am assuming this a mobile phone.

Clarify the scope of the project -> What is the goal of this mobile phone which the current mobile phones don't seem to fuflil and how are people coping with this , are there any special circumstances under which the product is to be used i.e. in extreme heat or extreme cold or people with very weak eye sight
List the user groups and choose the one your are focusing on
- Primary User Groups
  - Old with special needs (understand their educational level, language(comfortable in what languages and preferred language) & tech saviness)
  - Old with normal needs (understand their educational level, language(comfortable in what languages and preferred language) & tech saviness)
- Secondary User groups
  - Caregivers for old with special needs, Children/GrandChildren

List the user for your user group -> Based on the agreed user group , I would understand what the user problems typically are and then go to create personnas

Circumstances	Definition of good mobile phone	Frequency of use	Current Obstacles	Imperfect way of getting around current obstacle	Functional Needs	Social needs	Emotional
Any time when free	Sturdy , good battery life ,more storage so don't have to keep on deleting files, Key pad as well as touch, Provides app in multiple language	At least 4-5 hours a day. Usually doesn't install apps but streams music.	Lack of multi- lingual apps Lack of medical apps to track health and avoid visiting labs for small tests.	Use the apps and use the translation from Native language Bought specialized machines for the same and need to make sure they are accurately configured	Ability to listen music Ability to complete day to day tasks

I am using the persona of RJ. Ideally we should do some more personas to get a union of the needs

Age - 62
Family - Single
Location - New Jersey
Place of Residence - New Jersey Town
Educational Level - College dropout
Interests - Base Ball , Hard Rock and biker
Language known - English , Spanish
Medical Conditions - Diabetes and High Blood Pressure but under control
So the basic user needs I would underscore is
1. Sturdy phone , battery life , Keypad , higher storage
2. Multi-lingual app support ( Mobile phone also means having an good ecosystem of apps)
3. Need of specialized medical apps to avoid labs for smaller tests

Prioritize the user needs. The framework to be used
- Impact to the user
- Reduces the effort to do the tasks
- Can we deliver the wow by undertaking this user need
- Based on this framework , i would say Prio 1 Sturdy phone , battery life , Keypad , higher storage and Multi-lingual app support ( Mobile phone also means having an good ecosystem of apps) and Prio 2 Need of specialized medical apps to avoid labs for smaller tests.
List the solutions
- Provide a case with the mobile phone which absorbs the shock when the mobile falls
- Introduce the key pad
- Deliver a specialized app set and remove non-needed apps to extend the batter life
- Double the storage
- Create a partner eco-system to provide Multi-lingual apps
- Partner with medical companies/tech companies to come up with specialized medical apps
Evaluate your solution -> Framework
- Impact on the Customer Experience
- Frequency of Usage
- Impact on the business
- Time to develop
Summary

Pushkar Anand · Answer 2 · 2020-03-30T23:00:07+0000

Problem Statement : Most of the current phones are designed for the millenials. The idea is to design one for the elderly population without being inferior in any way.

Clarifying questions :

Are we talking about a mobile phone ? yes
Age group 50-70 ? yes
US customers ? yes
Are we planning to modify the software of an existing handset OR create a completely new physical handset ? I assume that for now, we plan to tinker the software ecosystem to target the elderly population. Minor hardware modifications possible.
Do we have plans to market it separately for elderly ? yes
When we say phone, do we mean the accessories along with the phone ? yes
What is our goal - to increase sales OR just to have a +ve feedback from a customer segment ? increase sales
Are we targeting ios phones or android ones ? android for now

Goal : The goal is to create awareness about a product which specifically targets to solve the needs of the elderly without compromising on the specifications in any way. This should lead to increased sales.

User Groups :

Elderly who are retired and leading a sedate lifecycle. They have currently using smartphones to communicate with their children/grandchildren OR to read news OR to set alarms. (A)
Elderly who are still working/leading very active lifestyles. They use smarphones for payments, make video calls, manage their business, keep up with their friends etc. (B)
Elderly who are active and travel a lot. They go on vacations and tours. (C)
Elderly who have an ailment, or have someone to take care of them. They use smartphones to connect with their loved ones, store all the medical info on the phone etc. (D)

For the current exercise, I would take option (C). This is a small segment but a group which could be the early adopters for a new version of the phone.

Pain points for user group (C)

Often while travelling, they are stuck with phones whose batteries have drained off.
They are not often notified when their phone batteries are low.
They rely on the phone for the numbers, but when the battery dies, they are stuck.
In case of international travel, user is not able to find out the embassy number OR some local language to get through a difficult situation.

User Needs :

They need to have good battery backup at all times as they travel a lot.
They need to be able to contact their local POC (point of contact), embassy, kids, travel agent at all times, quickly.

Solutions :

Spare battery charger present in the phone box at the time of purchase - for backup. (M)
Software to indicate by voice if the battery has gone down below 25% (compared to 15% in normal phones).
Provide a phone cover with storage flaps in the phone box. It could be used for storing phone numbers, hotel names, flight numbers, itinerary etc in a paper card. (M)
SOS button on the main screen which automatically detects and calls the emergency number (could be spouse no. OR automatically detecting the embassy)
Option of buying the phone with a power bank. (M)
Phone which notifies the user to create and activate accounts for important apps - useful during travel.
An IOT device which could notify an app on the phone to start beeping - in case the phone is lost or misplaced. (M)
A rocker button to zoom in the screen - useful when fonts in some sites are small.
Voice notifications which tell them their current location, the time and the way to the nearest gas station (configurable).

Evaluating the solutions : The solutions marked as (M) above requires an initial investment by the customers. Considering that they travel a lot, backup battery charger and a cover with storage flaps will be most useful in first iteration.

All the rest are software related which could be provided to them at no extra costs - which would be a delight to them.

Summarize : This new version of the android phone could be marketed in a special manner to attract elderly buyers. We could attract them with the promise of putting new OS features as per the feedback.

Since these phones are bundled under a new version of an existing model, we can easily track the sales across the country. To increase the sales, we can meet with some of the early adopters and publish their delight stories.