Elisa Do — 點點通

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點點通

Digital skills learning app for Chinese-speaking older adults

In progressPersonal project

點點通 welcome screen with dim sum mascots and an Enter button

Overview

Digital technologies can offer many benefits from basic communication with friends and family to health monitoring, educational materials, and entertainment.
However, I noticed a problem happening around me: many older adults struggle to use technology to their full potential. Oftentimes, they don’t know who to turn to for support in using digital devices.

Initial research

I reached out to my family, friends, and the family of friends to learn about their struggles with learning digital skills.
Like me, many of my friends also help their family with using digital devices. Cross-generational support is a huge part of teaching older adults digital skills. However, this requires a lot of ongoing support, time, and patience.

The problem

Chinese-speaking older adults are not only struggling with the rapid advancement of technologies, but are also encountering language barriers and a lack of support to experience hands-on, practical learning.

What is 點點通 and who is it for?

An easy-to-navigate digital skills learning app for Chinese-speaking older adults.

Design approach

Bilingual Mandarin and Cantonese audio throughout the app

Choice of simplified or traditional Chinese text

Accessible contrast with dark and light mode

Large text (with options to change text size)

Mascot guidance throughout the learning

“Explain-the-answer” button on each page

Screens

Language selection screen offering Mandarin or Cantonese — Choose a language

Script selection screen offering simplified or traditional Chinese — Choose a script

Name entry screen with a text field and Confirm button — Enter your name

Phone selection screen offering Apple or Android — Choose your phone

Learning path screen showing lesson 1-1 Phone Basics with three steps — Learning path

Quiz screen asking where the phone's power button is — Find the power button

Quiz screen asking which icon is the camera — Find the camera

Status

This design is in its early stages. I am working on creating more mockups.
Further user research will be done with the high-fi mockups/prototype to continue enhancing the design.
I would also like to conduct more user research when possible with community members by connecting with local digital literacy classes.