This is probably relevant to your search for good UX
Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
61–66 of 66 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
#62When people make suggestions for this they underestimate how complicated their suggestion can be from a UX perspective. Sometimes your user is someone who can't text, longs for the days when a telephone rang and the UX was to simply grip the receiver and put it to their ear. Even a traditional tablet can be a pain because the user has to spend time finding the wake button when it's sometimes styled identically to the…
very valid points, even my siblings (in their 50s and 60s I might add) struggle immensely with even already aging tech, if i want to facetime my sister, I must first make a costly international telephone call to alert her to the incoming almost free video call, mostly so she can turn on the device (an iPad)! If she hands that device to my father, in his 90's, then it's a real struggle, as he doesn't relate the voice chat to the video chat, and to be honest he gets so little experience of it, he never will. My Uk resident siblings are a little slow on modern tech, and quite comically to me, believe they are up to the minute.... My brother for the longest time found it easier to send me a "linkedin" message than add my email address to his address book!!!! never mind use the WhatsApp he had all along! Slowly they're catching on....
as for Skype, well they missed that completely I think, yet I use it almost every time I make an international call....
oh yes, one more important thing, as my parents aged, we tried to get them to use a handphone (mobile phone), again, a huge problem, as they would never leave it turned on, and again, never knowing when the batteries had drained, so my father would take it cycling, if he needed help, turn it on (or try to) then try to use it, as far as i am aware, it sat its entire life beside a few similar hand me downs on the living room window sill, next to the coiled up charger, waiting for that time when it may be useful (if only it were charged), I am certain that none were ever used. I suggested an Ipad some years ago when they first appeared, my sibling simply cried that they were too complex, it seems even for them, never mind the parents!
Re: Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
#63When people make suggestions for this they underestimate how complicated their suggestion can be from a UX perspective. Sometimes your user is someone who can't text, longs for the days when a telephone rang and the UX was to simply grip the receiver and put it to their ear. Even a traditional tablet can be a pain because the user has to spend time finding the wake button when it's sometimes styled identically to the…
I'd like to buy you a beer. Where are you located?
Ireland, but I appreciate the offer.
Re: Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
#64When people make suggestions for this they underestimate how complicated their suggestion can be from a UX perspective. Sometimes your user is someone who can't text, longs for the days when a telephone rang and the UX was to simply grip the receiver and put it to their ear. Even a traditional tablet can be a pain because the user has to spend time finding the wake button when it's sometimes styled identically to the…
I don't think it's necessarily fair to assume she "needs" that without further context. My parents (late 70s; mother has severe arthritis) have an iPad that they use for video calling and they have been able to pick it up without issues. The only other thing they use it for is looking at photos we share to them on Google Photos. They were actually fairly tech illiterate (if anything weird happened to the TV or VCR th…
Obviously, OP can give a better answer as it's closer to home.
I'm glad that your folks have taken to it quite well, but I'm just speaking from my own experience.
The thing is, if I can come up with design constraints for folks that struggle in my own experience, chances are, it's probably an easier interface for everyone.
A solution for physical buttons was less of a comment on OP's grandmother's situation, and more as plus point for the fact that physical interfaces trump touchscreens when the amount of total actions you wish to take are limited. It's the same reason I prefer physical knobs and switches when I'm driving as opposed to touchscreens.
I'm pretty tech literate, I work in the industry, and if this screen gives me pause to work out what the heck I want to press on it:
then it's a no go as a general solution for everyone.
Re: Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
#65I FULLY recommend the Claris Companion: https://www.clariscompanion.com/. It keeps things as simple as possible, and they provide tech support. I've used them for over a year now I think and I've been very satisfied. My grandfather is in his 90s and is able to use it in his care home.
The UI takes over the normal android UI to make things very simple. It also provides an email/messaging system which blocks out communication from anyone but the approved contacts, so there's no need to worry about email scams etc.
I'm not sure if they ship to the UK but they have a 4G version. But if you can get a 4G device, you could still use their app.
The key thing is absolute simplicity of interface and use, and this service is great for that.
Sorry this sounds like an ad, but it's seriously provided so much value to me in being able to keep in touch with and see my grandfather from 1000s of kms away.
Re: Ask HN: Best Video Call Solution for Elderly
#66An Echo Show device matches most of your requirements: low configuration, remotely manageable, plus it's voice-managed. Sadly there are no 4G versions, but you could solve it with a small plugged 4G router.
I’m leaning towards this, at least from a hardware standpoint it sounds like an echo show is a good bet (assuming there is WiFi or a hotspot). Can one be set up without a mobile phone number though? I’m reading about them, and that sounds like it might be a sticking point.
I think the Amazon account does need a phone number, but it could be any phone number you have access to, or the phone number used by the hotspot.