Android

Objective

Make an abnormal reading from a smartband lead somewhere, even when the person wearing it cannot answer.

Context

Kshemam reads an elderly person's health through what they wear and what they stand on: a smartband and a smart scale. It serves two people at once, the person being watched and the people who look after them.

The idea of putting connected devices to work for eldercare was there before me. The screens in this chapter are my design, and the app on Google Play today runs on them.

A screen asking Do you feel okay?, naming the readings that triggered it, with a 60-second countdown, a line saying an emergency will be declared automatically if no action is taken, and two buttons: I am okay and I do not feel well — The question comes before the alarm. Sixty seconds to answer, and the screen says plainly what happens if nobody does.

A screen for describing symptoms, with a free-text field and quick actions for chest pain, fainting, lightheadedness, shortness of breath and rapid pulse rate — The second answer. Someone who does not feel well is asked what is wrong, and can answer with one tap.

A circle member's view of a person in risk, with the readings that caused it flagged and a call button at the top of the screen — What the circle sees. The readings that raised the risk are marked, and the call is the first thing on the screen.

The home screen at rest, with a green card that reads You are doing well today — At rest. The card is green, and it says so in words.

The home screen in risk: the card is red and reads You are in risk, listing High heart rate and Low blood oxygen, and the matching reading cards are outlined in red — In risk. The card turns red and lists what caused it, and the readings behind it carry the same red outline.

The user-type screen with two choices, Connect devices and Track my circle health, and the line You still can use Kshemam App to track your circle health — Two ways in. A smartband is one of them, not a condition.

Decision

The app declares the emergency itself

The brief asked for an alert when a reading is abnormal. I proposed something else, that the app declare the emergency itself, and I designed it. An abnormal reading from the device opens one question, “Do you feel okay?”, and names the readings behind it, a heart rate that is high or oxygen that is low. A countdown runs from sixty seconds, and the screen says why: “We will automatically declare a state of emergency if there is no action taken.” There are two answers. “I am okay” steps back from it. “I do not feel well” opens a screen to say what is wrong, in free text or with one tap on chest pain, fainting, lightheadedness, shortness of breath or a rapid pulse rate. This one did not stay in the file. It shipped, and it works in the app on Google Play today.

Decision

The circle hears at once

When the emergency is declared, because nobody answered or because the answer was “I do not feel well”, the user's circle is notified at once. The symptoms reach them in that same moment, and they are kept in the user's Health History as well. The app tells the circle; it does not call emergency services. That decision stays with the user, and “I am okay” lets them step back. A member of the circle sees the person's name followed by “in risk”, with the readings that caused it flagged. A call button sits at the top of the screen.

Decision

The home names the cause

At rest, the home carries one calm green card: “You are doing well today.” In risk, the same card turns red and says “You are in risk”. It does not stop at the warning. It lists the readings behind it, “High heart rate” and “Low blood oxygen”, and those reading cards on the home are outlined in red.

Decision

No device needed

The user-type screen offers two ways in: “Connect devices” or “Track my circle health”. It adds one line: “You still can use Kshemam App to track your circle health.” The app does not split patients from carers. The home has two tabs, Health and Circle, and the same person can be both. Someone without a smartband comes in as a follower.

Result

The app is on Google Play and runs on this design in full; what changed after me was minor, and graphic only. The emergency it declares for itself, the decision that went past the brief, shipped with it and works.