Main ideas

[TheRefraction]

The main goal is to make an app which will allow elders to have some kind of medical monitoring, especially for treatments, drugs and prescriptions. Thus design and accessibility should be a main focus in this project.

[TheRefraction]

First draft

Please refer to #5 for more information on the subject.

Structure & App's operation

In this part, we need to describes how the app will be organized, and how it should work. A UML diagram can and should be dropped in this section.

Main

There should be two access points to the app, either as a user or as medical staff or admin. This app will also be using an Internet connection!

Out of box experience

A doctor should help the elder to install and configure this app, as it might be harmful if the latter gets access to some information (wrong drugs or posology for instance).
For example, there can be a first-use only code that the doctor must enter on their phone to remotely configure data about the patient.

Reminders

It is very important to track whether an elder has taken their drugs or not, whence reminders. We can either have notifications that are persistent, or may be take the whole screen (like when someone calls us, or an alarm goes off), to display the reminder.

Database Design

TBA, although keep in mind whether the DB is local or accessed remotely (what about elders without an Internet connection?). Maybe have a local database (XML or JSON) with encrypted data about the user (prescriptions, medication, ...) and fetch updates every 5 or 10 minutes

UI Design

The UI design will be a very important aspect of this project as it must enable elders to be able to use the app without any kind of trouble. For example, we need to keep in mind that a majority of old people does not know how to use a phone thus may have trouble with clicking, scrolling and/or swiping. Accessibility should also be a main focus as some may not be able to see or hear properly.

Here are a few ideas or aspects that are good to consider:

• Constrat: A light background with dark elements on top
• Colors: Differences between colors should be clear enough to allow colorblind people to see
• Simplicity:
  • There shouldn't be too many colors or useless elements, only what's essential for the patient
  • No fast movement or flashing lights/colors as this may trigger seizures to some
• "Senior" design: For instance, big buttons that are user-friendly
• Audio:
  • Be able to choose the notification sound as well as the volume level
  • For deaf people, this does not work, thus maybe either through vibration or using visual signals such as the flashlight or the screen

Sensors

What sensors can we use and how?

• Fingerprint reader
  • Unlock app or access to sensitive information
• GPS
  • Allow the end user to locate nearby drugstores, so that they can refill their prescription(s)
  • Maybe to locate patients with dementia that are lost ?
• Camera
  • Scan QR or barcodes to view data on a specific drug (use case, dosage, and so on), or to add a prescription to the end user's space/database
  • Use a text scanner API, maybe AI, to automatically read any written note from the doctor. This may be out of scope and thus not feasible.
• Heartbeat reader
  • Using a medical monitoring device that may be paired to a phone, we can query values for heart rate or oxygen level in blood
  • This may be hard to test in real life as we do not possess such equipments. However, it may be a good idea, even if not fully implemented, to take that into account when designing the UML diagram or database

Actuators

Components that are technically not sensors, but that may be good to use for this project.

• Flashlight
• Vibration
• Speakers

[TheRefraction]

Some feedback about the first draft (#1 (comment))

Use a text scanner API, maybe AI, to automatically read any written note from the doctor. This may be out of scope and thus not feasible.

Using a text scanner API or AI is not a good idea as it may pose security threats to the health data that is being processed. Also, the user may struggle to scan the document, or the software may mistake a drug for another, and therefore give wrong info. Finally depending on the API used, fees may be required, which is not adequate for that kind of application (putting ads in there is also not appropriate).

Heartbeat reader

• Using a medical monitoring device that may be paired to a phone, we can query values for heart rate or oxygen level in blood
• This may be hard to test in real life as we do not possess such equipments. However, it may be a good idea, even if not fully implemented, to take that into account when designing the UML diagram or database

This idea can be put aside as it will be too complicated to use for the end user.

[Geemiinii]

Recap: Lab Session (TP) – March 31, 2026
We defined the project objectives and identified several key questions/constraints regarding the database and accessibility:
Database Location: Should the database be hosted locally or remotely?
User/Device Constraints: Is a "one user per device" limitation acceptable for this scope?
Web Integration: Is accessing the database via a web interface considered within the project's scope, or would it be off-topic?