Elderly shopping made easy- A product design case study
The case study aims to address the unique challenges faced by elderly individuals when it comes to shopping by creating a user-friendly mobile application that utilizes voice commands for an effortless and enjoyable shopping experience.
Do you currently reside with an elderly family member
If yes, have they ever required your assistance with their day-to-day shopping tasks?
Problem Statement:
Most of the elderly people in India feels confused and lost and faces challenges while purchasing online. The aim of the case study is to re-create inclusive and accessible shopping experience for elderly people.
Problem context:
Who : Elderly Individuals ( Target audience )
What : Creating an accessible shopping experience
Where : India
Why : To ensure elderly individuals feels convenient in their shopping
Deep Diving into the Problem Statement
I started breaking down the problem statement by conducting Secondary Research. I began by looking for answers to the following questions :
In this process, I tried to be as open-ended as possible to collect more and more data so that I can widen my scope of exploration.
The Elderly and Their Attitudes Toward the Internet:
The elderly in India have a different attitude towards the internet and online shopping. Some elderly people are very comfortable using the internet and shopping online, while others are more hesitant.
A study by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) found that only 19% of Indians aged 60 and above use the internet. However, the study also found that older adults who are more educated and have higher incomes are more likely to use the internet.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the elderly’s mixed attitudes towards the internet and online shopping. Some of the most common challenges faced by elderly shoppers include:
Lack of access to computers and the internet
Lack of technical skills
Lack of trust in online retailers
Fear of fraud and scams
Concerns about privacy and security
Why Online shopping for Elderly is important ?
Convenience: Elderly people may have difficulty getting to and from stores, especially if they have mobility issues. Online shopping allows them to shop from the comfort of their own home.
Accessibility: Elderly people may live in rural areas or have difficulty finding transportation. Online shopping gives them access to a wider range of products and services than they might be able to find in their local communities.
Choice: Online shopping offers a wider selection of products at lower prices than traditional stores. This is especially important for elderly people on a fixed income.
Information: Online shoppers can easily compare prices, read reviews, and learn about products before they buy them. This is especially important for elderly people who may have difficulty making decisions or who may be concerned about getting scammed.
My Findings
After that I moved to field research to meet actual elderly shoppers to know their behaviour and take 1:1 interview with them
Understanding the problem correctly is the first step toward the solution
- What is your age?
2. Have you ever shop online ?
3. How often do you shop online (daily, weekly, monthly, rarely)?
4. What types of products do you usually shop for online (e.g., groceries, clothing, electronics, etc.)?
5. What online platforms or websites do you prefer for shopping, if any?
6. What are the biggest challenges you face when shopping online?
7. Are there any concerns about online shopping that you’d like to share, such as security, scams, or privacy issues?
8. Did the COVID-19 pandemic influence your online shopping habits? If so, how?
9. Do you shop online by your own or you take help of somebody ?
10. Can you describe your online shopping experience? What do you like about it?
11. Is there anything else you’d like to share regarding your experiences with
Online shopping.
1. Where do you prefer to shop offline?
2. Do you face any difficulties when shopping in physical stores due to your age?
3. How often do you shop with friends or family members in physical stores?
4. Please share any other thoughts or experiences related to offline shopping that you’d like to share.
During my primary research I got the real insights of the elderly people about their shopping which help me decide my users goals and challenges.
user thoughts:
User 1 - He tries to do online shopping but he find challenges in navigate different apps
— Mr. Gulshan sharma ji
User 2- She wants to examine the products before purchase.
— Mrs. Sudesh ji
User 3- He always goes to trusted local shops to buy different products.
— Rai Das ji
User 4- She finds difficulty in reading small details on the product on physical store.
— Mrs. Asha ji
User 5- She said, she is afraid of online shopping
— Mrs. Rani ji
User 6- He is always worried about scams and frauds by fake websites
— Mr. Jassi singh
My Findings
Now, that I had all the information that I needed , I moved on to framing a user persona, which was the culmination of all the research that I had done prior to this step. It helped me provide clarity about the problem and guided my design decisions.
💡 Ideation
After identifying the above user goals and challenges, I was ready to ideate. So, I have come up with my different “How Might WE”
How might we make online shopping in India an easy experience for seniors, so they can find and buy what they want without any trouble?
How might we provide a assistance which help elderly people in their shopping?
How might we designed a solution which help the elderly people to fill a gap between offline and online shopping?
How might we promote and support local and small businesses, as preferred online shopping options for elderly individuals, acknowledging their community and personal preferences?
How might we provide an intuitive step-by-step guide for elderly users new to online shopping and create a personalise shopping experience for them
Final How Might We
How Might we design inclusive digital shopping platform that allows elderly individuals to shop with local trusted shops
Initial brainstorming for ideation
Final Ideation
Specially designer Mobile app for elderly
Why I am choosing this ideation ?
Story Boarding
Information Architecture
Onboarding
The onboarding process familiarizes users with essential features, making it easier to use the app and encouraging active participation of elderly individuals.
How can you present information to users in a way that gives elderly people a good idea of the product and what sets it apart from others?
How can you address user pain points and make the flow easy and intuitive?
How can you make the onboarding process as smooth as possible for elderly people?
My Approach to Designing Onboarding Screens
- the app’s value and unique features in simple, friendly language. Show what users will gain from the app and what makes it different from others. Use images to demonstrate how the app works
- Address user pain points by simplifying the onboarding flow and making it intuitive.
- To make the interface calming to the eyes for elderly individuals.
Home page and other main user flows:
My Approach
- To provide the information easily through with large text and CTA’s , so that elderly individuals may visualize it better.
- To highlight the important information using banners.
- To hoghlight local shops stories, to connect with the nostalgia felling of elderly people.
- To make the interface intuitive.
- To provide vioce command navigation to the elderly users.
Usability Testing
tasks:
Search for a Specific Product
why — Tell me how easy or difficult it is to do this, and if there are any issues, please describe them.
Browsing for Products
why — Share your experience regarding the app’s ability to understand your request and the results provided.
Placing an Order
why — Share your experience regarding the app’s ability to understand your request and the results provided.
Now, please use voice commands to place an order for the items on your list
Setting Up a Voice Profile
Share your thoughts on the setup process and whether it was straightforward or challenging.
My Learning
- How to design for trust-studying various application on how to build a relationship between technology and elderly individual
- How to create a UI that would convey the theme and context with being efficient
- Making Research plan
Assumptions:
- Elderly people with limited financial resources may not use the app
- “Elderly individuals who may not be tech-savvy and prefer getting help from their family and friends” may not use the app.
And that’s a Wrap!
Hope you enjoyed reading the case study. I had a great time working on it!
If you have any feedback, feel free to drop it in the comments, and I will surely look into it.
Thank you for your patience and time.
