New service helps the elderly during covid19 pandemic
Three clicks to keep in touch with loved ones during isolation
New service helps the elderly during covid19 pandemic
After two weeks of intensive work, Dataprata has been launched. The new digital service helps any elderly people, in isolation due to Covid-19, remotely keep in touch with loved ones. www.dataprata.se has been specifically designed for those with little or no experience of video calling. It recognises the available tools on a phone, tablet or computer and gives instructions on how to open them up and call friends and family.
According to the Swedish Public Health Authority, old age is the main risk factor for succumbing to Covid-19. Those over 70 are being encouraged to self-isolate for the coming months and the general public have been advised to refrain from visiting elderly relatives. This is particularly tough on the elderly, an age group that often already feels lonely.
In a collaboration with digital solutions provider Gibon, we used our digital and UX expertise to launch a new service to help the elderly keep in touch with their friends and families. With time being a critical factor, we set ourselves the goal of launching an MVP service within two weeks.
“To fully understand the users’ needs, we interviewed older people over the phone – a tool that everyone in that the age group is very comfortable with,” says David Furendal, Daresay Head of Innovation. “We’ve approached the challenge like any other assignment, in that we begin by understanding the users’ needs, then develop concepts, and define a prototype that can be built and launched quickly, and further developed over time. In this instance, we are working to get a product out within a fortnight, so it’s not dissimilar from the Design Sprints we do on a regular basis with clients.”
The Daresay and Gibon team have, like so many others, worked from home to solve the challenge, using both traditional and remote meeting tools to gain user insights, share ideas and develop a solution. To get the service ready for launch, the teams have worked around the clock. The initiative is part of #vitecherupp a collaboration among IT and telecom companies designed to highlight how digital services can support society during the corona pandemic.
Talking about the service, Mia Åslander, CEO of Gibon Sweden says, “We want to use our capabilities to help the elderly, especially those with little experience from using tech. With Dataprata we’re making it easier for them to keep in touch. Our digital solution knowhow combined with Daresay’s user experience expertise has made this possible. We are now encouraging people to help us translate www.dataprata.se into as many languages as possible and share the service.”
Dataprata is built with open source code so that anyone who wants to can help improve it. The tool, which has initially been developed for use in Sweden, is available for use around the world.
Please share it and help the elderly through these difficult times. www.dataprata.se