Side by Side

Inspiration

During the COVID lockdowns, many people have felt lonely and disconnected. Although the CDC encourages us to get outside and walk to maintain health, older people especially may not feel safe walking alone. Social isolation and lack of activity are part of a vicious cycle that results in decreased cognitive and physical function and increased healthcare costs across the population.

Something as simple as a phone call can make someone’s day--and provide motivation for physical activity. If you know your walking buddy is going to be waiting for you to join them, you’re that much less likely to skip out on your exercise. Pairing walking and talking with a friend helps re-create a sense of social connectedness that COVID lockdowns, along with other realities of life, take away.

What it does

Side By Side matches up trained volunteers with users looking for virtual walking partners: somebody who’ll be on the other side of the phone to chat with them, motivate them, and have their back in case of emergency. Hobbies, favorite sports teams, and other interests are all used to find potential partners, and the user has the final say in who they want to talk to.

Users can schedule walks with volunteers, or simply find one who’s available right away. The SOS feature allows users to call emergency services, and the Check-in feature allows volunteers who are concerned that something’s gone wrong to see if their buddy is okay, and if necessary, use the app to reach an emergency contact.

Another optional feature of the app allows users to embark on a virtual journey--you can track your progress along a famous historical trail like El Camino de Santiago, a fantastical trek like the path from Hobbiton to the Lonely Mountain, or just to a desired target distance. It maps where you are on your quest, and after your walk tells you about landmarks you reached on the way.

How we built it

We did a deep dive into creating the user flow and functions that we wanted to see in the app, relying on proto.io to draft the interface that we want to see. We based our initial design on feedback from one of our members who is in our target demographic, and included user-friendly elements such as readable font and clear iconography.

Meanwhile, we did preliminary market research via a survey sent out to our networks. We asked questions such as whether people have felt socially isolated during the past few months and if they would volunteer to walk virtually with a stranger. A full 75% are willing to chat with a stranger during a walk, and even more said they would recommend this app to a friend.

These survey responses created additional guidelines for the application by giving us an idea of what the end user might want. Some of these answers, such as question prompts and customizable details, went directly into our drafted design.

Challenges we ran into

None of our team members are experienced app developers, so we decided to focus on designing the user experience and nailing down the features and functions the app should have. A major challenge came up when considering user safety and liability. No one in the team had legal knowledge of this area, but we did research on comparable tech companies and how they handle their terms of service with users. This allowed us to have a clearer understanding of the expectations of the application and the consumers.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Despite not having the technical skills to code the full program, we were able to work with proto.io to create a layout and wire framework of what the application would look like. Our time was efficiently spent looking at all aspects of the application rather than trying to debug issues with an unfamiliar coding language. The design of the application lays groundwork for future app developers to have an understanding of what is needed and what will align with end users.

What we learned

One of the most important things we learned is to have the end user in mind throughout the process of product development. From decisions such as the size of font to a name that would clearly communicate the purpose of the application, we made sure to have the consumer’s best interest in mind so they could enjoy the application. We also learned the importance of iteration, since one person’s idea can change the course of the original proposal.

What's next for Side by Side

As with all applications with just a design format, there are many future steps to follow.

One of the most imperative is to reach out to Blue Label Labs, a company that can help ensure our application complies with HIPAA laws. Since our application includes an emergency call service in case your walking buddy is hurt, and users can include health information, we want to ensure we are abiding by the rules in place. We’d also like to meet with technology company lawyers to curate agreements for users as well as the Terms of Service. These will create guidelines for the future of the application, so it’s necessary to do this early in the process.

We’ll continue our market research by reaching out to a larger audience to survey their attitudes towards this app, and ensure that we are aligning well with our target demographic. We’ll also reach out to experts and other stakeholders, such as senior centers and community health organizations.

There will be training in place for volunteers. We need to design and develop this virtual training, which is intended to support volunteers so that they feel comfortable acting as the safety net for our users and know when action is necessary. To become a volunteer, they’ll need to pass a subject-matter test and a background check.

Finally, we’ll also work on translating our team’s coding experience in other areas into app development skills, and meet with more seasoned devs who can help us bring this application to life.