Coffee Klatch is a coffee warmer that is connected with an app on your smart phone. You can share any moment of your life in the online community, from activities you are doing to stories behind an old photo. At the same time, you are also able to send voice messages to your loved ones or start a group call with them.
As the baby boomer generation is getting older, the lives of the elderly are getting more and more attention. Although seniors really wish to live in their own homes, they might have to move to assisted living facilities because of many mobility and emotional reasons.
Our team believe that the elderly home tech is a very promising area. Because everyone gets old, the market is always there and even growing. And since the pandemic, people are spending more time at home, so we think it’s valuable to help seniors better live at their home.
How might we help seniors who are away from their loved ones better live independently in their homes?
To better understand the challenges seniors are facing and help them to better live in their homes, we immersed ourselves in the context of their lives. We did some online research, interviewed seniors and stakeholders, and also visited places such as senior centers, target, and game stores.
Seniors need to stay connected with their loved ones.
“I have a different mug for each person I know who lives in a faraway place. When I open my cupboard in the morning, I pick the mug for the person I want to have coffee with today.”
We brainstormed many ideas and narrowed down them through an impact-effort matrix. Finally, we landed on the coffee warmer idea.
We chose the morning coffee moment as that would be a perfect timing when people relax and seek communications. Then we tested the prototype with several users to get feedback.
Based on the feedback we received, we updated the app features, modeled the physical product, as well as 3D printed the coffee warmer.
Coffee Klatch Website