Voice Aid, a reality test of human centered design

Initial Ideas being discussed

In the context of the course “Social Issues, Social Innovation and Corporate Responsibility”, what we first analyzed through workshops and creative brainstorming was who our target users were. Who were the specific people that we wanted to help the most, within the framework of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No 10: Reduced Inequalities. The idea was to assist the elderly and people with disabilities to do all the essential transactions with the public sector and other services, as easy as possible, even in the worst case scenario, that they had limited computer knowledge as well as limited internet access.

After selecting the exact idea to prototype, we created an experience map, including storyboards and visual design samples to enhance the realization of our primary thoughts around the idea. As initial research with key prospect users had already begun, knowledge started to grow up around the project. Therefore we moved to the process of visualizing the users in the next session and finally we discussed the key moments of this stage. We shared the insights of the interviews, which gave valuable information on a subject that we were not really accustomed with.

Antonis Rellas: Member of the Movement of Artists with Disabilities

“It is common ground that disabled people often need the help of others to even use their smartphones”

and

“After 2020 all services will be obliged by EU legislation to be totally accessible by people with disabilities”

Panagiotis Markostamos: Organizing Secretary of Blind Greek Association

“Public services must be accessible to all citizens. Also I realize that no one comes first to us to co-design policies for disabled people or applications and programs, in order to detect and bear in mind our actual needs”

Therefore by focusing on all the difficulties stated by the users, emphasis was given to key features of the Voice Aid Application, meaning that we wanted an understandable layout of the screens, big buttons not to be missed, large fonts and vivid colors to make the application aesthetically appealing. We took under consideration that we should enlarge the duration of every step used by the prospect users, in order to give them enough time to consider and reconsider their choices. All tasks were designed to be executed with the latest voice-to-text and vice versa technological possibilities.

After conducting a series of interviews with elders along with disabled people, our team recognized the need for a safety button connected to a mobile number of the user’s choice, a relative, or the Civil Ambulance Center number, in order to enhance the sense of security in cases of emergency. We also discussed all the basic needs and concerns of the specified groups and after co-designing with the users at meetings, we concluded to the basic layout of our application.

Voice Aid Project Communication Strategy

The communication strategy targets users’ engagement, motivation and interaction and includes word of mouth, the launch of the project’s website which has a structure suitable to include all current and progressively developed information regarding the Voice Aid application and a video summarizing the core of our project. In parallel we are working on a social media campaign including a Facebook Group, open to questions and information around the project, along with an Instagram account targeting younger users, such as caretakers and prospect volunteers. We are participating in an ongoing conversation with the users and their representatives, in order to maintain human centered design as the creative approach to detect flaws, solve potential problems and take improvement steps for Voice Aid. This is the method of human centered design to test in real life a prototype, by digging deeper in the project using cooperation and brainstorming.

What we have learned so far

We learned that following all the steps of human centered design thinking process, from the idea to the implementation, is the main key to a possible success. Any fail to implement a stage, was analyzed in order to gain useful insights for any next step taken. Before we started designing our idea we addressed our target community as they are our prospect users and know better than anyone their own needs. Feedback is an ongoing process showing all the weaknesses of a project, pointing the good parts and guiding us to the right direction. We always take into consideration the concerns and doubts of prospective users trying to find the ideal solutions. It took us a long time to address their concerns about the safety of internet transactions and where they should pay attention. Another example was the design of the emergency button and the parameter of long time elapsing from one step to another. We will also plan to improve and adjust our project according to the feedback from new users, along with any social, legal and technological changes occurring in society.

What’s next on Voice Aid Program

As a start we are in discussions to cooperate with partners who will undertake the final design and the implementation of the application. Given the possibility the application to be successful, we could also add news services, as long as supermarket shopping, or even a service for cash delivery, which is clearly the main concern for the users, as stated in the interviews. That could be feasible of course with the partnership of a financial institution. Another idea is to recruit and activate a volunteer network, training and assisting elderly and people with disabilities to be familiarized with the application. If all gone well, successively comes the time to a worldwide promotion for the application by extending our communication strategy.

With Voice Aid we ensure the inclusion of seniors and disabled people in digital public services thanks to the development of a user friendly interface, using plain voice orders, to do all major paperwork and arrange health appointments, based on the use of open government data. For us this is a major contribution to their self-reliance and autonomy, which concludes in the raise of their self-esteem as equal citizens. That is a desirable result, which makes us happy and our efforts socially worthwhile.

The Voice Aid is a project by Christina Baltouna and Aikaterini Emmanouil under the supervision of Betty Tsakarestou Associate Professor and Head of Advertising and Public Relations Lab, Panteion University.

https://medium.com/@christinabaltouna/voice-aid-how-the-journey-started-64579de0f012

For more information you can visit the Voice Aid site: http://project1036530.tilda.ws/