When a college student’s grandfather moved to Maryland to be closer to family, she noticed that he often sat at home because he didn’t know what activities were available to him in the community, nor how to get to them. She and her team have been developing a user-friendly digital solution.
University of Maryland college senior Marie Brodsky noticed that her grandfather would sit alone at home, watching the news. He didn’t drive, spoke limited English, and didn’t know what opportunities or people were around for him to engage with. She started searching the internet for resources for him.
“I started realizing how fragmented the whole system is, and that there isn’t really a good way to navigate it,” Brodsky explained.
Inspired by this problem, Brodsky and her friend Sonia Warrior applied for the US Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge, a request for mid-sized American cities to pitch ideas for programs that integrate data, application, and technology to move people and goods more quickly.
“Cities don’t only need to get smarter, but need to get wiser with systems that support their aging populations,” Brodsky said.
Start-Up
Soon after pitching the Smart City Challenge, Brodsky and her team were approached by the City of Fairfax, VA to develop a platform for older adults in their city to be connected with services and activities.
“One of their challenges was transportation,” Brodsky said. “Older adults not able to drive or with accessibility needs require support with transportation. So, they just decide to stay home.”
Funded by a grant from Fairfax’s economic development office, Brodsky’s team developed the WISE (Where Innovation Supports Everyone) Cities platform. This online platform, designed specifically for older adults, populates activities, resources, opportunities, and transportation options that are near the user.
To do this, the team started by conducting a background literature review of designing technology for older adults. Apart from standard accessibility guidelines for people who might be visually impaired, for example, the platform features high contrast colors and fonts, and is consistent in design across different devices. The application also has automatic translation tools for users to interact with platform in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and French.
“If someone is using it on a computer at the library one day, and then on their friend’s phone another day, the layout is very similar, so they don’t need to learn a new set up again,” explained Brodsky. “It’s easy to learn and to stick with.”
To identify how to make the platform more intuitive, the team has been testing the user interface with older adults at senior centers. They also work with an advisory board that includes experts from the National Council on Aging.
Partnerships
Currently, WISE Cities is funded by capital from social impact awards, startup pitch competitions, and startup incubator programs. They also recently were awarded a fellowship that includes funding, mentorship, and office space.
When the application launches, they intend to be a subscription-based model for businesses and non-profits that want to be listed on their platform. They also envision opportunities to contract with municipalities to help older adults get access to government services, nearby businesses, and the public transit needed to get there.
Brodsky sees the development of WISE Cities as a research opportunity. “We know that this is a growing population and that their needs are going unaddressed right now,” she explained. “Through the development of the platform on the business side, we are continuing to do interviews to understand from organizations and individuals how information is being conveyed to them. We want to make aging in place a better experience and easier on everyone.”
The team has been building robust university partnerships at the University of Maryland. Undergraduate and graduate students are working on the project as part of their capstone projects on elements of the platform ranging from marketing to human computer interaction.
“Instead of doing their capstone at a huge well-established organization, students are working for a startup that makes them feel like they’re making a big impact. And they are,” said Brodsky.
For more information, go to www.wisecities.us or email contact@wisecities.us.
