Nile Social Wellness Platform
A digital platform for those experiencing disconnection to meaningfully engage with community members in guided, social-wellness activities at home. Nile takes a new approach to tackling the chief problems of aging: mobility and social isolation
We are living longer than ever before. How can we maintain our health and sociability to harness the gift of human longevity? How can we change the narrative of aging from one of decline to one of growth and prosperity?
As one grows older, there is an increased probability of encountering adverse life events and deteriorating physical ability. These negative circumstances can impede an individual’s ability to socialize, stay active, and explore; they disconnect an individual from the relationships and experiences which give life meaning.
We designed and prototyped a digital platform for seniors and others facing these challenges to meaningfully engage with community members in guided, social wellness activities at home. Instead of attempting to replicate in-person interactions, exercise, or cultural experiences digitally, Nile aims to introduce a novel form of engagement altogether. We harness the power of technology to augment the visual experience, provide more targeted, condition-specific activities and feedback, and dynamically group individuals based on ability, interests, and location. We provide people who have limited opportunities the ability to engage in a platform which helps them playfully build meaningful connections and maintain their wellness.
THE EXPERIENCE
Launch Experience
After launching Nile, the user meets their Concierge via video conference. This step introduces the user to the interactive video conferencing paradigm. Additionally, having a live person set up the user’s profile, take a physical assessment, and create an activity schedule eliminates technological hurdles and potential moments of overwhelming digital interaction for the users. The Concierge improves personalization and is the first moment of community building for the user, which are two key points learned during user research on frustrations with ‘technology for seniors’.
Pre-Activity Experience
From user research and literature reviews, we identified that a common habit for users at community centers and local clubs is to show up early to an activity and stay late. The time before and after an activity is time for socialization. To recreate that within the context of a video based platform, users are able to join an activity 15 minutes prior to the start. As users join, videos will cycle on the screen, much like the previews at a movie. The videos are each class participants’ introduction video pre-recorded from their profile setup with the Concierge. These introductions give users an idea of who they might be partnered with during the activity, as well as potential discussion topics. If a user indicates they like bird watching in their introduction video, their partner might bring that up in the activity if partnered.
When class starts, all class participants will ‘gather’ with the facilitator. The first few minutes of class are used for the facilitator to setup the activity, provide inspiration or discussion topics to be paired with the activity, and answer any questions from participants. Users are then paired together in groups of two. These partnerships can be random, or users can set preferences for their friends. There is the opportunity for groups of three or more if the class size is an odd number or if it is germane to the activity.
Activity Experience
Partners are guided through activities via a voice-over narrator. Supplemental information in the form of visual overlays (timers, instructional silhouettes, etc) are placed on the screen in a stateful manner. While getting people moving in a strategic manner, the overarching goal is of the activity is to provide something for partners to do together and make a connection. Intermittently the facilitator will drop-in to individual pairings to provide guidance and reinforce personalize engagement.
For the activity screen, the partner’s video takes up most of the screen real estate. The activity is intended to feel like an enhanced Skype or Facetime conversation. When the partner’s screen is highlighted, it puts both users on an equal footing and makes them the primary forces in the activity, rather than the instructor or fitness goal. Additional considerations include persistent view of the state of voice and video, and usernames to remind users of the participants in the system and who they are paired with.
Post-Activity Experience
Every activity concludes with a guided discussion session. The purpose of this is to connect what the users are doing in the system to the outside world and make them feel less isolated. Additionally, since some activities are geo-located, this serves as quality relationship building time and eases the transition from meeting over Nile to meeting in person.
Since bandwidth and screen real-estate are primary concerns with video conferencing technology, the post-activity discussion has two formats. If the activity has less than 10 attendees, the discussion will be with the full group and the facilitator live moderating. Instead of showing users’ video feeds, the system will only surface their avatars, and highlight when one person is talking. With a larger group, the discussions will be partner to partner to avoid the chaos of a large group discussion. The instructor will push a prompt to the video screen for the users, and can drop in to help facilitate discussion.
At the conclusion of the activity, there are several prompts that might take place before the user is returns to their home screen. First, to facilitate a closer connection, the user will have the option to add their partner as a friend on the system. Adding a friend unlocks the ability to message that person. Second, to create opportunities for interaction in the real world, invitations to events relevant to the activity, and done in partnership with organizations such as the YMCA, will be pushed to the user. One of the biggest hurdles for users is transportation to and from events. Thus, they will have the option to request a ride from the supported event invitations.
Feature testing
REMOTE CONTROL
Technical Details and Engineering considerations: The design of the remote control for the Nile system was based on findings from the team’s feature testing and conclusions drawn from limitations of existing remote control designs with respect to the older adult audience.
Material considerations: 1) Appropriate material color contrast for our older audience to easily discern between buttons. 2) Easy to read labels, especially in low lighting; 3) Warm and welcoming appearance, rather than the cold, sleek aesthetic employed by most tech devices, which might feel intimidating for less technically savvy users.
Physical Considerations: Key factors in the physical design of the device include: remote control size, button size, and button count. The number of buttons was reduced to a minimum under the guidelines of the Gestalt Principles. These principles refer to the arrangement or structure of information within a display (i.e. button on a remote) such that it is easy to understand. The team found a balance between the total number of buttons and the quick access to certain functions. For example, during the feature testing session, users expressed privacy concerns around the camera and microphone that are part of the Nile console. For this reason, the two most prominent buttons on the remote are the video and audio toggles for users to easily mute audio or video at the touch of a button.
CONSOLE DEVICE
Technical Details and Engineering considerations: The design of the Nile console device was based on the notion that the product had to be approachable in comparison to gaming consoles in the market characterized by sharp edges and mostly black, shiny finishings.
Material considerations: Like the remote control material considerations, the Nile console device had to feel approachable and serve for both form and function. Therefore, the team concluded that in order to fulfill those requirements the casing had to be made out of wood and the speaker cover out of dark grey silicone.
Physical Considerations: Coupled with the material considerations, the team aimed to give the console an easy-to-use look and feel. In order to achieve this goal, the number of buttons on the console was reduced to a bare minimum, just the power button on the front of the device. The one button on the front goes in line with the plug-and-play philosophy of Nile.
Technical Considerations: After researching our required technical specifications, the components needed in the main console are a pair of stereophonic speakers, a 230º microphone, an HD video camera, and an IR camera. These combined components deliver a streamlined and consistent “plug and play” experience across existing entertainment setups. The inclusion of an IR camera allows us to potentially incorporate medical monitoring of heart rate, other vital signs, or precise movements in future Nile iterations.
Digital Technology: Interaction with content and users was mediated via video conferencing technology hosted on the Nile TV platform. The digital design was heavily informed by Material Design guidelines for Android TV, the technological capabilities of video based communication, and user research.
