Product Design: Adapting Google Nest Smart Speakers and Displays for Older Adults

Design a version of Google's Nest and Home smart home products for an older person. ```hint Two users, one device The person who lives with the device and the relative who buys it, or worries about them, often want different things. Decide whose problem comes first and where the two conflict. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should I work within today's Nest speakers, smart displays and Google Home app, or can I propose new hardware? - Does the older person live alone, with a partner or with family, and how comfortable are they with technology? - Is the buyer the older person or an adult child setting it up for them, and should I design for both? - Are safety features such as detecting a fall in scope, given that health claims can raise medical-device questions? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear goal and a chosen segment within "elderly", defined by age, health, living situation and comfort with technology - Pain points rooted in aging (hearing, vision, dexterity, memory, isolation, safety) and in family caregivers' worries - Prioritized solutions that use what speakers, displays and home sensors can realistically do - Consent, privacy and dignity for anything that monitors the person or alerts their family - Success metrics with guardrails, and failure modes such as false alarms or a power or Wi-Fi outage ### Follow-up Questions - In the first month, the help feature misses one real emergency and sends a family three false alarms. How do you respond to each, and what launch criteria would you set? - How would you get an 85-year-old who has no smartphone through setup? - What changes if the person develops memory loss and can no longer meaningfully consent to what is shared with family?