With 22% of America's population being 60 years of age or older (as of January 2022), that 22% of the population is known to be a difficult market to target with new digital experiences due to a lack of experience or familiarity with the media.
The conceptual app experience Securology bridges that gap by providing a simple and effective educational tool to teach users how to navigate our digital world.
Kenneth Smith
- Plans his day out to guarantee he gets everything done
- Works a family-owned farm with his brother
- Uses Facebook to keep up with family, but had to have his daughter help set up the account
I conducted a user survey of the target audience to gather specific wants and needs from the user group, which helped me construct the experience to tailor to those needs.
Combining what I learned from the user persona and the survey, I was able to identify 3 key user needs that the Securology app must address.
Accessibility
With a user base that is using a digital experience to learn about digital experiences, it's imperative that the interface uses whatever tools possible to make the interface simple and easy to navigate.
When constructing the interface, I ensured that there was a high level of contrast on any important elements, such as text and buttons.
In addition, menu contents contain both an icon and text label to clarify their meaning for users not familiar with the visual jargon digital interfaces tend to use.
The settings have accessibility tools right at the top, prioritizing user comfort with the app above all else.
Concerned with Security
Using a competitive audit to analyze online security and security education brands, I was able to establish a better grasp on ways to ensure users felt safe using Securology.
One thing both the CFPB and SafeWise use that I found to be a very helpful tool for users was the prominence of tools to stay updated on recent information and tools for keeping yourself safe.
To make users more comfortable signing up with Securology, the app only requires the bare minimum of information required to create an account with the app.
The news section offers recent articles posted about new tech and security. This keeps users informed about recent events in tech to keep them knowledgeable and safe.
This pairs well with the up-to-date lessons of the app.
Something Routine
Having a “resume where you left off” feature on the home page makes continuous use of the app more desirable by making progress easy to accumulate and eliminating any unnecessary extra steps.
Since our user persona spends most of their time off of their phone, it's important that we use reminders in the form of notifications to meet their need for routine and foster continuous use.
Eager to Learn
Using research of some best practices in educational apps, in this case Duolingo, one major factor in making learning fun and easy they used was the gamification of the learning process.
I brought the gamification found in other learning apps to Securology through visual progress trackers for courses and skills.
This gives users a clear and achievable goal with each step of the learning process. Goals can be separated into small goals, such as completing a lesson or a course, and large goals, such as reaching the highest level in a certain skill area. These visual goal markers encourage users to use the app more frequently and benefit from their eagerness to learn.
Next Steps
Becoming Tangible
With the main digital touchpoint handled and achieving the goal of being an accessible and functional app, adding some tangible artifacts of the brand for users would make it a more compelling experience. Things such as practical tools for data security like RFID-protected wallets and purses, or rewards for completing courses, would make the experience more engaging and memorable for the user, and memorability is important when it comes to education.