As the population ages, it's becoming increasingly important to create products that are accessible, user-friendly, and effective for older adults. This is particularly important when it comes to two-way communication tools, which provide critical connection to friends, family, and the community. 

If the technology older adults need to stay connected is too complex or difficult to use, it can lead to social isolation and feeling left out of important conversations with family and friends. For most older adults, hesitancy to use technology for communication isn’t because they don't want to stay connected, it's because the technology doesn’t meet their needs.

As with most complex problems, there is no easy solution here: Designing products for older adults is no simple task. There is nuance and a wide spectrum of considerations, but there are a few key design principles too keep in mind when creating products for older adults.

Keep It Simple

One of the most important principles to consider when designing products for older adults is simplicity. Older adults often prefer clear and easy-to-understand designs, with large text, simple icons, and minimal clutter. They are less likely to be interested in technology with too many options, so it's important to focus on the most essential features and make them easy to access.

Simplicity is core to the Caavo experience for seniors. For starters, seniors don’t have to face the usual stress that comes with learning a new device because everything is on the already-familiar TV. 

Video Calling with Caavo is another example of simplicity in action. Many seniors lost interest in the idea of video chatting with their friends and family during the pandemic, especially if they had to schedule time with staff to help get them up and running. 

Caavo gives older adults a second chance at video calling independently by bringing the entire experience to their television screen. Family members call the resident from their Caavo app on their phone, tablet or laptop, the call rings on the senior’s TV and they only need to use their remote to answer. 

With a camera propped up on the TV, family members can get a great wide angle view of the senior, while the senior can see their loved ones on their big TV screen and hear everything loud and clear via their TV speakers. The conversation can flow smoothly with no concerns about bad angles, accidental muting, or flipping the camera view from front to back.

All Are Welcome Here

Accessibility is another key principle when designing for older adults. This includes ensuring that the experience is accessible for people with limited mobility, visual, or auditory impairments. Things like high-contrast colors and large icons and buttons can help make technology more accessible for older adults with visual impairments. Likewise, alternative text or audio descriptions can help support older adults with auditory impairments.

Caavo uses a simple user interface, which removes all the but most important information. Large tiles on the Caavo home screen are easy to navigate and understand. Similarly, TV Favorites remove all the visual clutter or a typical TV guide and focus on only the channels and streaming services that the older adults uses regularly.

Caavo makes chat messaging accessible as well. The typical phone or tablet-based texting experience involves small fonts and small buttons on a tiny screen. With Caavo, loved ones can send chat messages to the TV. All residents have to do is hold down the Microphone button on their Caavo remote and speak their response. No more getting left out of the latest family group chat news!

Stay Flexible

Flexibility goes hand-in-hand with accessibility. Older adults have a wide range of abilities and preferences, so it's important to design products that can be adapted to different users. This includes creating products that can be used in different environments, such as in the home or in assisted living facilities, and making sure the product can be easily adjusted to the user's preferences.

With Caavo, for example, seniors can use their remote control to navigate the screen if they’d like, alternatively voice control is a great option for users with limited mobility or visual impairments.

Caavo was designed to consider communication needs for older adults in a variety of settings – from aging-in-place, as well as Indepedent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care settings. For those in communities, there are communication features such as 311, which brings non-emergency requests to the TV. When a resident requests assistance, staff can stop by to provide support, or pop open a chat and start a conversation with the resident, providing updates and checking in. Even for standard morning check-ins, staff can use Caavo to send a Care Check through the TV and get notified if the resident hasn’t responded so they can follow-up.

The Future is Now

Thanks to the simplicity of TV-based communication, seniors can be more connected than ever to their friends, family, and senior living staff. Equipped with only a Caavo remote in hand, residents not only gain their autonomy back, they also reactivate their voice in the world – and that’s powerful!