Ria: Preserving stories. Supporting care. Strengthening connection.

Overview

RiA is a family-centred mobile application designed to help older adults preserve their life stories, stay connected to loved ones, and receive gentle, dignified support in everyday life.

The product combines voice-based storytelling, identity-based care, and shared caregiving coordination into a single, emotionally intelligent platform. RiA is not a clinical tool; it is a companion designed to reduce loneliness, preserve legacy, and support independence.

My role:
Lead Product Designer (UX, UI, IA, accessibility, and interaction design)
Platform: iOS & Android (MVP)

Goals

  • Reduce friction for elderly users with low–moderate digital literacy

  • Design for accessibility first (vision, cognition, dexterity)

  • Enable multi-role family accounts with clear permissions

  • Balance emotional storytelling with practical caregiving tools

  • Ensure trust, privacy, and transparency across generations

Objective

Design an intuitive, emotionally resonant product that enables older adults to:

  • Record and preserve personal memories using voice

  • Stay socially connected without technical complexity

  • Receive gentle reminders for health and daily tasks

  • Retain autonomy, dignity, and control over personal data

Whilst enabling families and caregivers to:

  • Feel reassured about well-being

  • Coordinate care collaboratively

  • Engage meaningfully through shared stories

Design Challenges

Designing RiA required solving several complex, competing challenges:

  • Cognitive & sensory decline: Small text, hidden navigation, and abstract icons are major barriers for older users

  • Emotional sensitivity: Stories are deeply personal and often vulnerable

  • Multi-user complexity: One account serves users, admins, network members, and future caregivers

  • Trust & privacy: Stories, health data, and permissions must be clearly understood and controlled

  • Avoiding “medicalised” UX: The product needed warmth, not clinical coldness

Research & Insights

Research into elderly mobile UX consistently highlighted that simplicity, clarity, and emotional reassurance matter more than feature richness.

Key insights that shaped the design:

  • Voice interaction dramatically lowers barriers to entry

  • Large tap targets, high contrast, and visible navigation outperform modern “hidden” UI patterns

  • Step-by-step flows reduce cognitive load

  • Clear confirmation and feedback reduce anxiety

  • Warm, companion-like language increases trust and engagement

These insights directly informed RiA’s interaction patterns, typography, spacing, and tone of voice

Design Approach

1. Voice-First Interaction

RiA can be navigated and used primarily through voice, allowing users to:

  • Record stories hands-free

  • Receive spoken prompts and reminders

  • Engage without relying on small touch targets

2. Progressive Disclosure

Complex functionality (permissions, tasks, portraits) is layered:

  • Simple default experiences for users

  • Advanced controls handled by Admins

  • Clear role-based access throughout

3. Identity-Based Care

Beyond tasks and reminders, RiA introduces a “Portrait”:

  • Preferences, routines, dislikes, and personality traits

  • Shared (with consent) to ensure the person is seen, not just the patient

Key Flows & Screens

Story Recording & Prompts

  • One-tap voice recording from the home screen

  • AI-assisted transcription and categorisation

  • Family prompts via photos or voice notes

  • Linked story threads create multi-generational dialogue

Access Control & Trust

  • Stories can be marked private, shared, or viewable after death

  • Clear visibility into who can access what

  • Safeguards for sensitive content

Task Manager & Reminders

  • Shared calendar for appointments and care tasks

  • Network members can volunteer support

  • AI nudges ensure tasks are not forgotten or duplicated

Video Calls

  • Automatically scheduled calls

  • No complex setup or login flows

  • Designed for emotional reassurance, not productivity

Information Architecture & Roles

RiA operates on a family-account model with clearly defined roles:

  • User: The elderly person – full control over their stories

  • Admin: Trusted family member managing setup and permissions

  • Network Member: Friends, relatives, informal carers

  • Power of Attorney: Full access upon legal trigger

This structure ensures clarity, safety, and scalability from MVP to future care integrations

Visual & Interaction Design

High-contrast colour palette optimised for ageing vision

  • Minimum 16–18px base font size

  • Large, clearly labelled touch targets

  • No hidden navigation or gesture-only interactions

  • Calm, warm tone of voice – never clinical or condescending

The UI intentionally prioritises legibility and reassurance over visual density.

Outcome

RiA delivers a product experience that:

  • Makes storytelling accessible to users who might otherwise be excluded

  • Strengthens emotional bonds across distance and generations

  • Reduces caregiver stress through transparency and shared responsibility

  • Preserves dignity, autonomy, and identity in ageing

The design establishes a strong foundation for future expansion into healthcare, professional caregiving, and AI-assisted wellbeing – without compromising humanity.

Reflection

Designing RiA reinforced a core belief in my product practice:

Good UX is not about making things faster – it’s about making people feel safe, seen, and capable.

RiA is a complex system disguised as a simple, human experience – and that balance is where thoughtful product design creates real impact.