Although our research led to many software created for the management and well-being of people in care homes, such as Log My Care[1] and Access Residential Care[2], we did not come across an application that resembled ours. However, the closest existing software that is similar to ours is Eldy Seniors, computer software for the elderly[3].
[3]
Eldy is a free software developed by Eldy NGO, a non-profitable organisation. The software can be run on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It can also run on a TV or a tablet. Some of its useful functionalities are its email service, browsing the web, communicating with other people through chat or video call, text editor, picture management, weather feed, and its own social media with thousands of users[4]. Since the application is for the elderly, it has been designed with big buttons, large text, and simple words to avoid confusing the users.
From this project, we learned the importance of customising objects for elderly users and the difference it can make. We also noticed the features that we can use such as the large texts, the big buttons, the contrasting colour schemes, the simple words, and more. This interface seemed straightforward to implement which encouraged us to start with our application.
[5]
Since our application is providing care home users a platform to perform various functionalities, we believed that it would be more convenient for them to use existing web applications where they have an existing account. So, we looked into integrating these web applications into our application. We also discussed the programming language and the frameworks that could be used to build the GUI.
Different frameworks considered:
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) and UWP (Universal Windows Platform)
Since it was our client’s suggestion to use C# as our programming language, we looked into the two different frameworks that we could use to build our GUI. The main difference was that UWP could not run in any other Windows version apart from Windows 10 while WPF could run on any Windows version up to Windows 10. With this characteristic in mind, the client and our team came to a conclusion to use WPF.
Different web applications considered:
Whatsapp web among other communication platforms
Since WhatsApp is the most known application, we decided to integrate it with our application to chat with other people.
Existing applications for classes
While searching for applications where users can learn, we considered a few such as Coursera, Udemy, and more. However, most of these needed an account to access its contents or a monthly subscription. To avoid both of these factors, we decided on using Youtube since it is free and can be accessed publicly.
In the end, our team decided on:
[1]"Residential care homes", Log my Care, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://logmycare.co.uk/care-home-software/. [Accessed: 06- Apr- 2022]
[2]"Care Homes", Theaccessgroup.com, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/health-social-care/sectors/care-homes/. [Accessed: 06- Apr- 2022]
[3]"Eldy Seniors Computer Software for Elderly", Eldy.eu, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://www.eldy.eu/en/. [Accessed: 06- Apr- 2022]
[4]"What is Eldy | ELDY", Eldy.eu, 2022. [Online]. Available: http://www.eldy.eu/en/about-us/. [Accessed: 06- Apr- 2022]
[5]"Simplified Software for Silver Surfers", Articles.informer.com, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://articles.informer.com/simplified-software-for-silver-surfers.html. [Accessed: 06- Apr- 2022]