TendeeAI Pod
Instructor
Daniel Johnston
(NYU ITP faculty, accessibility researcher)
Topics
#Usability #Technology
#Accessibility #Connectivity
#Assistive Technology #Seniors
Team Member
Nananqi Wang, Nicole Lucero-Huerta, Xiaoya Sun
Model: Ellen Zheng
Photographer: Fiona Szeto
THE “TECHNOLOGY RIFT”
With the advancement of technology, it’s become common for olderly to struggle with using electronic device and often require guidance from children or friends to use them smoothly which, reducing their independence.
About three-quarters of Americans aged 65 and older say, “When I get a new electronic device, I usually need someone to set it up or teach me how to use it.”
DESIGN GOAL
My design goal is to create a solution that simplifies technology for seniors, enhancing their independence and quality of life while helping them connect with the digital world.
CONCEPT LOGIC
The concept is to create AI hardware that enables the elderly to easily switch between different AI assistants/modes, giving them a sense of control over the technology. The first iteration features sliders—when users want the AI to respond in a different manner, they can intuitively adjust the sliders, and the AI will adapt its tone accordingly.
TECHNOLOGY MAP
Circuit Diagram
Sliding to change AI tone
PROTOTYPE 1
01
Adjustable tones enable clearer communication for the elderly.
02
Voice features help elderly users with poor keyboard skills or vision communicate better.
03
Simple controls and physical buttons reduce learning costs for the elderly.
Ai Prompt
Each point on the diagram corresponds to an AI prompt that creates a different agent. Below is the example.
With the advancement of technology, it’s become common for olderly to struggle with using electronic device and often require guidance from children or friends to use them smoothly which, reducing their independence.
About three-quarters of Americans aged 65 and older say, “When I get a new electronic device, I usually need someone to set it up or teach me how to use it.”
PROTOTYPE 2
“We abandoned the unintuitive slider solution and switched to a single knob, which is way more intuitive.”
SYSTEM MAP
FINAL SOLUTION
The design and communication style of TendeeAi Pod are carefully tailored to align with the cognitive patterns and language habits of senior users.
TendeeAl pod significantly reduced the challenges of elders adapting to modern
Al systems.
The TendeeAi Pod is equipped with only two knobs, designed to simplify the interaction process for elderly users to the greatest extent. The first knob allows seamless switching between five AI personas, enabling users to quickly switch to alternative solutions if unsatisfied with the current response. The second knob scrolls through screen content, allowing users to easily navigate conversations.
