Amulyte is a Tracking and Emergency Response System for your elderly loved ones. The system consists of a wearable pendant and web & mobile apps to connect seniors with their friends, family and caregivers, while offering peace of mind to their family members.
I was contacted by the Amulyte founders to lead their design as they participated in the 2013 Y Combinator cohort in Mountain View, California. The project consisted of developing an initial prototype device (to be used in beta testing with selected caregiver partners) in addition to the design of their first generation consumer product offering.
The process consisted of navigating and exploring several design directions through sketching, prototyping, 3D printing, and testing. This iterative methodology allowed us to validate our design decisions quickly, and arrive to a final solution in good time - and under budget.
With such a complex electronic device it was necessary to develop a working prototype to properly validate system functionality and integration. The main challenge when creating these prototypes was to bake-in all of the expected functionality (including water-proofing) while only producing a low quantity run of 75 devices in a cost effective way.
Our research and testing suggested that there is a significant amount of “stigma” associated with wearing an emergency and personal activity tracker. It was clear that we needed to find a balance between monitoring a user’s activity and location without disturbing their sense of fashion, not to mention personal space and privacy.
With this insight in mind we set out to design a device that would change the perception of an emergency aid into an object that seniors would be confident wearing.
The pendant design and functionality is based on:
• Creating an iconic overall shape that would be attractive and differentiate Amulyte in a crowded market.
• The use of subtle curvatures create a friendly and approachable design that users feel comfortable wearing.
• A single centred button provides a clear and intuitive way of interacting with the device.
• Enabling users with dexterity difficulties to charge the pendant without the need to connect it by simply placing it on the charging dock.
To complement the physical device, a mobile application was designed to allow caregivers instant access to information in case of an emergency or a scheduled doctor’s appointment. It would track the user’s location and activity levels, and act as a record for their important medical patient information, like a digital medic-alert bracelet.
Once the design and prototyping stages were completed, the Amulyte team dedicated their efforts to secure funding to continue development. Unfortunately the project didn’t receive enough traction - and the founders decided to close the company and pursue other interests.