In March 2021, consumer electronics company Best Buy joined the ranks of senior app vendors launching the Lively app for Apple Watch. The app offers health and safety services; most notably, it detects emergency situations and offers help. For example, if a person falls, the app detects it, asks if the user is OK, and automatically calls an ambulance and notifies users’ family members.
This launch is an indication that companies have started to realize the immense potential of investing in mobile apps for senior adults. As the world population ages, the number of customers over 60 in need of digital healthcare, delivery, and banking services also increases. In this article, we will focus on mobile apps meeting the needs of the senior population. But first, let’s explore why the future looks so bright for the senior citizens’ app market.
Apps for Senior Citizens: Exploring an Untapped Potential
Although it may seem that 60+ are not especially tech-savvy, surveys have revealed, that over 73% of US seniors aged over 65 are Internet users, and as much as 53% of them now own smartphones. The average percentage of daily screen time among citizens has also increased, compared to a decade ago. As the middle-aged population gradually transits into the elderly category, these figures are set to increase.
Modern seniors in the developed countries are financially secure, have more free time and fewer responsibilities than younger people. They are also opening up to education and travel opportunities, apart from the demand for healthcare services. Boomers now frequently use the internet for communication, shopping, staying informed, making healthcare appointments and travel reservations.
On top of that, it looks like seniors are going to be increasingly dependent on technology: in 2050, the number of elderly people over 80 will exceed the number of potential caregivers. Here’s when telehealth, robotics, smart home systems, and wearables could offer a helping hand.
Apps for Older Citizens: Examples
Let’s now take a closer look at the already available app solutions, targeting the needs of the older citizens.
Medisafe
This free mobile app helps older citizens manage their medication intake. Older people often have to take several prescription meds during the day. Medisafe reminds them to take their medications and warns them about potentially dangerous medication interactions that may take place. The visual schedule with pictures and timely refill alerts are other Medisafe features that truly help people spend more time living their lives than worrying about their medications.
This app detects a fall through smartphone sensors and reports a predefined contact through SMS or email. The app also uses geolocation to send details about where exactly the fall has occurred.
Eyereader
Eyereader comes in handy whenever seniors need a magnifying glass to read small fonts. Helpful, when a person needs to read a newspaper or a menu. The app also lights up the text for more clarity.
Medical ID
This app is pre-installed on the iPhone via a Health app and can be accessed even if the screen is locked in case of an emergency. The app contains information about a person’s emergency contacts, as well as medical history and blood type.
Vizwiz
This app is for visually impaired seniors who need to obtain quick information about their surroundings. The users take a picture with their smartphone and record a question. The answer comes either from image recognition software or from designated workers who can respond back.
iBP Blood Pressure
This is a blood pressure monitor app available for iOS and Android. It aggregates the data on blood pressure changes and displays it in a convenient visual format.
Economic Checkup
This fintech solution for seniors is provided by the National Council on Ageing, enables citizens to input information about their current state of financial affairs and get advice on improving their situation. More specifically, it can help users plan when to retire, and how to plan their budget for lifelong financial security.
GoGoGrandparent
This is a service available to seniors both with or without smartphones. The concierge team offers transportation and delivery services and helps seniors with grocery shopping, doctor visits, and medication delivery.
As you can see, the range of apps for seniors is quite diverse. Apart from the healthcare services, a large segment is targeted at the adaptation of seniors with age-related impairments as well as concierge, travel, and financial services.
Telehealth is an app segment that is currently on the rise, especially, due to the COVID-19 pandemics. In this regard, investing in building telemedicine and embedded solutions for the elderly, also has huge ROI potential.
The app examples above should give you some ideas as to which app development niche you could focus on. There are, however, some things you should consider when building mobile apps for the elderly.
What to Consider When Building Apps for Senior Citizens
Because of their mental and physical conditions, people in their golden years have certain limitations. Here’s what you should focus on when developing apps for elderly users.
Readability: Ensure that the fonts are easy to read and large enough for seniors with poor eyesight. High-contrasting fonts and backgrounds will help you make your text more visually vivid.
Interactivity: The interactive elements should be large enough so that the users could easily navigate them. While younger generations are comfortable with touch screens, older people may find finger scrolling and swiping confusing. Consider integrating speech recognition, if possible.
Ease of use: The simpler, the better; reduce the number of scenarios used to fill out the forms or enter personal details to a minimum. Also, keep in mind that seniors are slower to adopt new smartphone versions.
Surely, there are other specifics of building apps for senior citizens that fall beyond the scope of this article: the features, the UI, security protection, and the monetization models should all be relevant to the appropriate age group. A reliable tech partner, with the proven expertise in building custom mobile apps, should help you define the optimal requirements for your senior citizens’ application.
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