Simply Connect

Recent studies explore the power of technology to shape reality and create new unforeseen possibilities. Simply Connect is a platform to address the issue of social isolation and loneliness found in the majority of older adults as a simple and intuitive interface to tailor to the specific needs of older adults. We aim to bridge the intergenerational communication gap by making digital connections feel natural and empowering. Simply Connect focuses on clarity, ease of use, and emotional relevance to reimagine how older adults can build and maintain meaningful relationships in our increasingly digital world.

Human Computer Interaction

#1 Contextual Inquiries and Secondary Research

We began by exploring a key challenge: many older adults want to stay in touch with loved ones, but find digital platforms confusing or inaccessible.

Through contextual inquiries and secondary research, we saw how emotional needs for connection are often unmet due to usability barriers.

#2 Affinity Diagram

Dream it

#2 Affinity Diagram Dream it

We organized our data from contexual inquiries and secondary research into an affinity diagram. By grouping similar comments and observations, we were able to spot recurring themes, including digital interfaces and overwhelm, privacy and security concerns, loneliness and isolation, dependency on others, and limited motivation to share content. These clusters helped us identify areas where our design could have the most impact.

#3 Journey Map

Next, we constructed 3 different journey maps to outline a step-by-step account of how older adults interact with social media. This approach helped us capture not only the sequence of actions (e.g., signing up, posting updates) but also the emotional responses and technical stumbling blocks at each stage. Journey mapping revealed moments where connection could happen but didn’t, often because older adults didn’t know how to engage.

The problem this design hill attempts to solve is that technology cannot solve the feelings of loneliness and isolation that many older adults experience if the technology is not designed in an accessible and usable way.

#4 Storyboard

We translated the core challenges identified in our user research into a series of storyboards exploring how Simply Connect could support older adults in key social contexts. These scenarios focused on three central themes: emotional connection, trust, and inclusion.

#5 Research Questions

  1. What design features help bridge the digital divide between older and younger generations?

  2. How can we design a platform that’s intuitive for older adults?

#6 Low-Fi Prototype

  • Signup & Login

    Sign Up & Login

  • Feed

    Feed

  • Post

    Post

  • My Friends

    My Friends

  • Profiles

    Profiles

#7 Hi-Fi Prototype

  • Sign Up & Login

    Sign Up & Login

  • Feed

    Feed

  • Post

    Post

  • Profiles

    Profiles

  • Activity

    Activity

#8 Key Design Feature

Unlike typical social platforms, Simply Connect has no likes, comments, or in-app messaging. Instead, we chose to route all communication through users’ default messaging platforms like iMessage or WhatsApp in order to spark direct and personal connection. This choice was based on our insights that older adults value familiarity and simplicity.

We didn’t want to create another platform that competes for users’ attention or adds complexity. Rather, our platform is meant to act as a visual and emotional prompt for connection using photos to encourage real communication through familiar paths. This approach informed our focus on large text, minimal interface elements, and a clean design that keeps the photo at the center of the user’s experience.

The problem this design hill attempts to solve is that technology cannot solve the feelings of loneliness and isolation that many older adults experience if the technology is not designed in an accessible and usable way.

#9 Usefulness Testing: Wizard of Oz Study

We translated the core challenges identified in our user research into a series of storyboards exploring how Simply Connect could support older adults in key social contexts. These scenarios focused on three central themes: emotional connection, trust, and inclusion.

COMING SOON...

COMING SOON...

Evaluation, usefulness testing, usability testing, conclusion and contributions coming soon…