Inspiration
Covid-19 pandemic has not been easy for anyone. It has limited and changed the way we interact with each other. Social distancing restrictions might also likely increase the feeling of loneliness, anxiety and other mental health risks. Senior citizens are both the most vulnerable to disease and most affected by isolation. Modern technologies can help alleviate loneliness and reconnect people with their communities. However, very few technologies are designed to tear toward the elders.
A study conducted by UC San Diego in 2018 showed that older adults feel frustrated with new technology and unmotivated to even try. The authors of the study also wrote. “However, a “top-down” design process creates mismatches between technologies and older adults’ needs.” The authors believed that to effectively engage older adults in new technologies, developers will need to “prioritize the needs and wishes of older adults, the general acceptance of potential users, and suitable preconditions for its adoption”
Therefore, our team aimed to build an app to help seniors cope with loneliness and isolation during the pandemic through an easy-to-use and senior-friendly video chat app.
Try the app out here! https://890dbc53391a.ngrok.io/
What it does
SeniorChat has a web interface. The website allows users to quickly call family and friends by clicking on their profile pictures. Users can simply log in to the website using Google accounts. Users can also create groups(e.g. Family, Friends, Kids, etc.) and call everyone in the groups simultaneously. When a call is not received, users can choose to send a voice message To add contacts, users can simply search email addresses (we ask new users to register an account with their email addresses) and add the contacts to the contact list in the home page.
How we built it
SeniorChat has a simple application architecture supporting the needs of our target user-base. Utilizing Twilio's API, we offer video & text-based communication, and by using Google's Firebase we provide a uniform sign-in method. The app implements RESTful API endpoints for the frontend to call.
Challenges we ran into
Twilio API
Connecting the front-end and backend (CORS)
Designing a good mock for UI
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Built it!
What we learned
Everything React, Python, GCP and Firebase, SQL
What's next for SeniorChat
We’d love to develop our app to engage more audiences with our project. We wish to connect senior citizens with their family, friends and communities during this difficult time in a simple and engaging way.
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