Sonder
Individual | App Design | UX
Project: Identify and issue unique to retirees that an app you design could help solve. I identified an app to connect retired women with their communities in order to mitigate the loneliness that retirement creates.
Sonder – n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
37% of women over 60 live alone, spending on average 8.5 hours alone every day. This is largely due to the longer life-expectancy for women and a higher rates of widowhood, but this independence is also a personal choice many women are embracing.
A survey done by SixtyAndMe.com showed that 95% of their users actually preferred to live alone. Retired women are increasingly independent, but finding an outlet for this adventurous energy and meeting new people without a communal workplace is tough. Many women I interviewed also mentioned the desire to travel, but feeling unsafe to do so without friends.
That’s where Sonder comes in– an app designed to connect retired women together for every adventure, big and small.
Our Users
The Homebody
In her older age, the Homebody doesn’t have the energy or resources to adventure too far from her hometown and family. But she loves to spend time with the other people in her community playing games and telling stories.
The Adventurer
By contrast, the Adventurer needs to be out and about as much as possible. Driving around town, taking the dog out camping, and even traveling out of the country. The only problem is going out alone is dangerous, and having a group to go out with is more fun anyway.
Onboarding
Our onboarding process is what makes Sonder unique from other social media platforms. It immediately has you fill out a short personality quiz that it will use to algorithmically both connect the user with like-minded people and get them out of their comfort zone.
Dashboard
Here is the main hub of activity on Sonder. Users will be able to scroll through both classic text and photo social media posts, as well as see events as they get posted in real time.
It’s important for Sonder to have the usual social media functionalities because it’s both intuitive for many retirees and it fosters the idea of getting to know your neighbors.
Profile
The user’s profile contains all the information a potential friend would want to see– their recent posts, the results of their personality quiz, and the event they’ve posted.
Here, users can get to know others at a glance and learn things about them to start conversations. Almost like a dating app!
What’s next?
I’d like to continue refining the Sonder brand and app assets to create a more cohesive picture.
More testing of the app’s functions on real retirees.
Extend the brand beyond the digital atmosphere with perhaps branded events, apparel, and more.