According to the design research, the use of eSticky devices should be easy for our target group, that is, people with memory problems.
Therefore, we selected two types of hardware devices to meet all their needs:
- passive devices, with a single functionality of displaying messages;
- active devices, which can display messages and provide an easy way for primary users to acknowledge them.
The system will be provided in plug and play mode within a package that includes the base station and a variable number of displays depending on the customer’s specific needs.
Hardware components: base station
The base station that we intend to place in homes served by eSticky must have the following features:
- Wireless coverage up to at least 20 meters, even in the presence of walls and doors;
- Preferably working with BLE or Zigbee (or alternatively Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz or 433 MHz Sub-GHz ISM);
- Low cost.
Can be connected to the Internet via LAN cable and, alternatively, via Wi-Fi or through the use of a SIM data card-as an alternative for people who did not have an Internet connection before purchasing eSticky.
Ultimately, the choice of base station will be the result of intensive research and testing aimed at providing a wide range of internet connection solutions.
Passive displays
The choice of display is the result of the decision that the consortium will make regarding the features that eSticky must have, compared with the defined price level.
As for the basic features that cannot be given up, we have:
- Color: Black, white, red (or yellow);
- Size: 4.2 inches – 400*300 pixels – 120,000 pixels – alternatively a larger screen could be selected, such as a 5.8 inch, for which both cost and performance in terms of functionality must be verified);
- Power supply: Battery – battery life of 5 years;
- Viewing angle: 180°;
- Memory: 4 pages;
- Other: Alarm light.
Regarding shape and size, while we prefer the square shape and 4.2-inch size, here are other examples of displays we considered that differ in shape and size:
The exact size and shape will be decided after comparing test users with paper models and deriving our decision from user feedback.
Active displays
As for active displays, in addition to the passive display features, it will have at least one “physical button” with which the primary user can confirm that he or she has read the message. In fact, the possibility of having other buttons could allow for more interaction, although it might cause user confusion-especially considering the fact that the specific target group is elderly people with potentially low digital skills.
Another hypothesis is to have virtual keys, but this would involve a touch screen, which would increase costs so the hypothesis would have to be postponed to a later time. Also, for the time being, it has been assumed that the target group prefers “real” keys. This will be verified during user testing.
In order of importance, these are the additional features we thought of for a higher-performance version of the displays:
- speakers to send audio messages;
- multicolor screen;
- increased resolution to allow photos to be displayed;
- touch screen;
- microphone to provide any feedback to designated secondary users.
The feasibility of including these features has yet to be tested. In particular, it should be noted that any additional functionality tends to reduce battery life, while an important basic feature of eSticky is the ability to attach it anywhere without having to worry about charging it for a long time.