Inclusive Design for Aging Parents: A Medication Management Case Study
Inclusive Design for Aging Parents: A Medication Management Case Study
Inclusive Design for Aging Parents: A Medication Management Case Study
Context
Medication Management for Seniors
Medication Management for Seniors
Role & Timeline
Role & Timeline
UX Designer Sept-Dec 2024 10 Weeks
UX Designer Sept-Dec 2024 10 Weeks
Team
Educators Class peers
Tools
Figma FigJam
Context
Medication Management for Seniors
Medication Management for Seniors
Team
Educators Class peers
Educators Class peers
Tools
Figma FigJam
Figma FigJam
Tags
Tags
Health tech
Accessibility
UX Design
UX Design
Project Overview
Project Overview
Having studied occupational therapy, I’ve always been interested in how accessibility and usability impact individuals with diverse needs, including older adults and people with disabilities. While I didn’t pursue a clinical career, I wanted to bring this knowledge into my UX Capstone project, focusing on how aging parents manage their healthcare independently.
Having studied occupational therapy, I’ve always been interested in how accessibility and usability impact individuals with diverse needs, including older adults and people with disabilities. While I didn’t pursue a clinical career, I wanted to bring this knowledge into my UX Capstone project, focusing on how aging parents manage their healthcare independently.
Having studied occupational therapy, I’ve always been interested in how accessibility and usability impact individuals with diverse needs, including older adults and people with disabilities. While I didn’t pursue a clinical career, I wanted to bring this knowledge into my UX Capstone project, focusing on how aging parents manage their healthcare independently.
Aegis is a medication management solution designed to help seniors track their medications confidently while staying connected to family support systems. The project emphasizes accessibility, ease of use, and emotional connection, bridging the gap between independence and support.
Aegis is a medication management solution designed to help seniors track their medications confidently while staying connected to family support systems. The project emphasizes accessibility, ease of use, and emotional connection, bridging the gap between independence and support.
Aegis is a medication management solution designed to help seniors track their medications confidently while staying connected to family support systems. The project emphasizes accessibility, ease of use, and emotional connection, bridging the gap between independence and support.
Problem Space
Designing for Accessibility & Senior Independence
As family support systems become less accessible, many aging parents struggle with managing their healthcare routines. With longer life expectancy, seniors need strategies to stay on top of their health while still feeling supported by family, even from a distance.
As family support systems become less accessible, many aging parents struggle with managing their healthcare routines. With longer life expectancy, seniors need strategies to stay on top of their health while still feeling supported by family, even from a distance.
As family support systems become less accessible, many aging parents struggle with managing their healthcare routines. With longer life expectancy, seniors need strategies to stay on top of their health while still feeling supported by family, even from a distance.
Key Research Insights—Secondary Research & Interviews
Global Population aged 60 years and up
1980
25.5 million
2024
761 million
2050
2.1 billion
Report on Global Aging
by 2050
The global population aged 60 years and older will double, reaching 2.1 billion
Adults aged 65+ report difficulties in managing their healthcare independently
40%
60%
Seniors rely on their adult children for healthcare support, even when living independently
Key Research Insights—Secondary Research & Interviews
Global Population aged 60 years and up
1980
25.5 million
2024
761 million
2050
2.1 billion
Report on Global Aging
by 2050
The global population aged 60 years and older will double, reaching 2.1 billion
Adults aged 65+ report difficulties in managing their healthcare independently
40%
60%
Seniors rely on their adult children for healthcare support, even when living independently
Report on Global Aging
Global Population aged 60 years and up
1980
1980
10.5 million
10.5 million
2024
2024
500 million
500 million
2050
2050
0.0 billion
0.0 billion
Key Research Insights - Secondary Research & Interviews
by 2000
by 2000
The global population aged 60 years and older will double, reaching 2.1 billion
0 %
0 %
Adults aged 65+ report difficulties in managing their healthcare independently
0 %
0 %
Seniors rely on their adult children for healthcare support, even when living independently
User Research & Key Insights
To deeply understand seniors’ pain points, I conducted qualitative research, including user interviews and affinity mapping. These methods helped me gather firsthand insights from aging parents and caregivers.
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Affinity Mapping Process
After conducting my interviews with 4 participants, I gathered insights by identifying pain points, behaviours, and motivations related to their healthcare experiences. I then grouped them into different themes below:
Key Insight: Struggles with Healthcare and Organization
Aging parents often struggle with managing healthcare routines, including keeping track of medications, attending appointments, and navigating complex healthcare systems.
These insights helped define my design priorities:
Simple, high-contrast UI to minimize cognitive load.
Non-intrusive medication reminders that empower rather than nag.
Easy family collaboration features that maintain user autonomy.
Key Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Key Insight 3
Key Insight 4
Key Insight in Focus
Struggles with Healthcare and Organization
Aging parents often struggle with managing healthcare routines, including keeping track of medications, attending appointments, and navigating complex healthcare systems.
Key Insight 1
Key Insight 2
Key Insight 3
Key Insight 4
Key Insight in Focus
Struggles with Healthcare and Organization
Aging parents often struggle with managing healthcare routines, including keeping track of medications, attending appointments, and navigating complex healthcare systems.
How Might We?
How Might We?
How might we empower aging parents to effectively manage their healthcare routines while maintaining autonomy, even as family support becomes less accessible?
How might we empower aging parents to effectively manage their healthcare routines while maintaining autonomy, even as family support becomes less accessible?
Persona & Experience Map Overview
Persona & Experience Map Overview
Key Epic in Focus
Key Epic in Focus
Medication Tracking and Maintenance
Medication Tracking and Maintenance
Medication Tracking and Maintenance
This epic provides aging parents like Melinda with essential tools like reminders, tracking, and easy instructions to safely and independently manage their medications, forming the basis for my task flow.
This epic provides aging parents like Melinda with essential tools like reminders, tracking, and easy instructions to safely and independently manage their medications, forming the basis for my task flow.
This epic provides aging parents like Melinda with essential tools like reminders, tracking, and easy instructions to safely and independently manage their medications, forming the basis for my task flow.
Explore User Stories
As an aging parent, I want a color-coded timeline of my medications so that I can quickly see what to take each day.
As an aging parent, I want a color-coded timeline of my medications so that I can quickly see what to take each day.
As an aging parent, I want to document medication side effects so that I can discuss them with my doctor for adjustments.
As an aging parent, I want to document medication side effects so that I can discuss them with my doctor for adjustments.
As an aging parent, I want clear instructions for new prescriptions so that I can manage them confidently on my own.
As an aging parent, I want clear instructions for new prescriptions so that I can manage them confidently on my own.
As an aging parent, I want reminders to refill prescriptions so that I never run out of essential medications.
As an aging parent, I want reminders to refill prescriptions so that I never run out of essential medications.
As an aging parent, I want alerts for missed doses with instructions so that I can manage my medication safely.
As an aging parent, I want alerts for missed doses with instructions so that I can manage my medication safely.
As an aging parent, I want a log to record each dose I take so that I can track my medication intake accurately.
As an aging parent, I want a log to record each dose I take so that I can track my medication intake accurately.
As an aging parent, I want simple instructions with icons, so that I understand how to take my medications.
As an aging parent, I want simple instructions with icons, so that I understand how to take my medications.
As an aging parent, I want weekly reminders to organize my pillbox so that I can keep my medications in order.
As an aging parent, I want weekly reminders to organize my pillbox so that I can keep my medications in order.
As an aging parent, I want customizable alerts for my family if I miss multiple doses so that they can support me as needed.
As an aging parent, I want customizable alerts for my family if I miss multiple doses so that they can support me as needed.
As an aging parent, I want daily reminders at the same time so that I can build a routine and avoid missing doses.
As an aging parent, I want daily reminders at the same time so that I can build a routine and avoid missing doses.
Task Flow Analysis
I then mapped out a task flow to simplify medication adherence management based on the user stories.
Set up new medication with daily reminders
Receive and respond to a medication reminder
Log a missed dose and follow guidance
View medication history to check adherence
Navigate through the medication screen
Task Flow Analysis
I then mapped out a task flow to simplify medication adherence management based on the user stories.
Set up new medication with daily reminders
Receive and respond to a medication reminder
Log a missed dose and follow guidance
View medication history to check adherence
Navigate through the medication screen
Set up new medication with daily reminders
Receive and respond to a medication reminder
Log a missed dose and follow guidance
View medication history to check adherence
Navigate through the medication screen
Wireframes
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Design Solutions: Accessibility & Simplicity
Iterative Testing & Refinements
Through two rounds of usability testing, I identified key areas for improvement:
Button Sizing & Touch Targets - Seniors found some buttons too small, leading to errors. I increased button padding and touch target size to enhance usability.
Preferred High-Contrast Mode - Participants emphasized the need for high contrast and clear distinctions between elements. While some preferred greyscale, I refined the final UI with a high-contrast colour scheme, incorporating bold yet accessible colours to maintain clarity while ensuring elements were visually distinguishable.
The iterative feedback loop ensured that the final design was not only accessible in theory but also validated through real user interactions.
WCAG Compliance & Accessibility-First Approach
To create an interface that seniors could easily navigate, I designed with accessibility and WCAG 2.2 AA & AAA standards in mind.
Typography: I used ‘Atkinson Hyperlegible’, a typeface designed for visual impairments.
Color Contrast: Ensured text-background contrast ratios met WCAG compliance.
Iconography & UI Elements: Simple, rounded icons with descriptive labels to enhance clarity.
Visual Language
Measuring Success: Did this improve Senior Healthcare Management?
To validate Aegis’ impact, I conducted usability testing with a few seniors and measured:
Task completion rate: 85% of users successfully set up a new medication without assistance. After a few rounds of iteration, the success rate improved further.
Navigation Efficiency: The time to log a missed dose decreased by 30% compared to initial usability tests.
Emotional Response: 4/5 users said they felt more confident managing their medications and would love to use it if it were fully developed.
What I did well
Prioritized accessibility & usability - Seniors easily navigated the interface thanks to large, readable fonts and intuitive layouts.
Designed with empathy in mind - the app’s calming colour palette and personalized medication tracking helped reduce user anxiety.
Refined UI through iterative testing - Adjusted contrast, button placement, and copy based on real senior feedback.
What I would do differently
Explore Family Integration Features - Research showed caregivers want to help, so future iterations could include shared access for family members.
Test with a Broader Audience - Expanding usability testing to Seniors with specific impairments and disabilities would ensure even stronger accessibility.
Final Thoughts
The Aegis Medication Management app was a deeply rewarding experience that allowed me to merge my passion for accessibility, UX design, and healthcare into a user-centered solution. Through two rounds of usability testing and iterative refinements, I gained valuable insights into how seniors interact with digital health solutions and the importance of designing for real-world accessibility challenges.
This project reinforced my belief that inclusive design goes beyond compliance, it requires continuous testing, iteration, and user collaboration. It also highlighted the delicate balance between simplicity, clarity, and emotional reassurance when designing for aging populations. Moving forward, I am excited to continue designing for accessibility and advocating for user-first digital solutions that empower people of all abilities.
