Smart Village Solution

Aged care providers have a very unique set of problems - they have to sell new inventory like any business, but they also need to help their residents keep their emotional ties strong, seeking new interests, attending new events and enjoying an important stage of life. Then they also need to communicate this to family members feeling anxious about their loved one. Their village democratic processes, the provision of care and services at varying individual stages of need, their ability to integrate new residents into an existing social framework. Then keep a high level of customer experience across all of it.

From the outset is was very clear to all providers that there was no working example to look to in creation of this platform. It needed to be a lifestyle assistant to the able and adventurous in the village, a services directory for those who needed help at various stages and way of optimising as much of the customer experience as possible, making retirement and aged care facilities as attractive and joyful as possible - and we were trying a first out in on-boarding people who mightn't use smart phones confidently. Take up rates of 70% and continued of 100%. Nailed!

Round 1 of the build was all about making sure that the providers and staff had a good hold over the sandbox tools we were handing them, to make their villages bright, connected, optimised and optimistic if they weren't already. Those charged with making village life enjoyable had to be able to confidently wield the Admin Panel for their residents app, able to send out messages to far flung family members, and have easier ways for residents to vote on important issues then massive mail out, collection and reviewing of forms drives. This has all been achieved.

Our software and design team came from working on micro-environment apps for music festivals and university campuses. Fun little fast moving "Here's what's up next" apps that felt personalised. The invitation we received to build that for the retirement industry was far more exciting for us than they might have believed when they asked. We for instance new that the villages often had overflowing social calendars, wanted more access for the local community including schools, and had skill sets and stories held within that most up and comers would bend over backwards to access. Here is a living micro-democracy that can be assisted by all of the forms of technical advancements in a smart phone, but who typically think that technology is a killer of face to face communication. Our entire deign philosophy is the best use of technology is as an experience compass, and a new-friend finder. We were the perfect team to deliver this product, the listening designers that new that the first battle was helping those who currently use Google Maps or their text messaging, that they are already familiar app users. And that the great news is that all apps are being built for them now!