VitalMonitor: designing health tech older adults trust

Existing solutions felt clinical and cold, with small text and complicated navigation. The goal was an app older patients could use on their own, with confidence.

Testing with 15 participants over 65 surfaced three clear problems:

• Tremors: standard buttons were too small to tap accurately.
• Confusion: icons like hamburger menus and gears meant nothing.
• Anxiety: people were afraid of deleting something by accident.

“I don't want to break it. I just want to tell the doctor my blood pressure.”

Accessibility first

• Typography: 18px base size and 7:1 contrast.
• Touch targets: at least 60×60px, beyond the 48px standard.
• Navigation: clear text labels like "Home" and "My health" instead of abstract icons.

Password-free onboarding

Passwords are a major barrier, so sign-in uses Face ID or Touch ID, with a magic link by email as the fallback.

Older users often can't tell whether a tap registered. Gentle haptic feedback confirms every successful entry, and subtle depth makes buttons look pressable and distinct from text.

• 85% onboarding success for users over 70.
• Daily logging adherence up 40%.
• 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, with reviews praising how easy it is to read.