SENIOR USER INTERFACE: TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

Technical Overview

Designed to the highest accessibility specifications, this interface is a dedicated, voice-first therapeutic endpoint for the senior user. The application will be fully operable via voice commands, removing reliance on visual cues or touch interactions, making it highly accessible to blind or low-vision users. While high-contrast visual prompts are provided to reduce cognitive load for those with remaining vision, the primary user experience is audio-driven. All complex management functions are segregated into the separate Caregiver Portal.

The minimalist frontend masks a sophisticated backend architecture designed to overcome key barriers in geriatric voice-AI interaction.

1. Fluid Dialogue (Accessibility)

The most critical accessibility barrier we are solving is the "press-to-talk" friction common in standard voice assistants. Seniors with motor challenges or cognitive delay often struggle to time button presses correctly.

User Experience: As shown by the prominent "LISTENING..." indicator in the screenshots, the channel is open. The senior simply speaks naturally. They can pause to think, stammer, or interrupt, and the AI handles the flow conversationally.

Under the Hood: This is enabled by our Phase 4 implementation of Voice Activity Detection (VAD), moving away from rigid turn-taking to a continuous listening model during active therapeutic sessions.

reminiscence

2. Deep Contextual Reminiscence (The "Biographer" Engine)

A therapeutic companion fails if it has "amnesia" and asks the same questions repeatedly. The prompts shown in the screenshots—asking specifically about "Woolworths sweets" or "grandmother's chicken soup"—are not generic scripts. They are dynamically generated based on a deep understanding of the user's history.

User Experience: The senior feels deeply "heard" and remembered, which is essential for building the trust required for effective Reminiscence Therapy.

Under the Hood: This personalized empathetic dialogue is powered by the "Biographer Engine" and Firestore Vector Search. The system doesn't just log text; it embeds the meaning of past conversations, allowing the AI to semantically retrieve relevant memories from months ago (e.g., connecting a current feeling of nostalgia to a previously mentioned favorite childhood sweet).

3. Cognitive Safety and Clarity

The visual design is ruthlessly stripped of distractions to reduce cognitive load.

User Experience: There are no confusing menus, advertisements, or complex settings on this screen. The sole focus is the current conversational prompt, presented in large, high-contrast typography for aging eyes. The large red button provides immediate, clear agency to end the session, reinforcing psychological safety.

Under the Hood: This screen is the therapeutic endpoint. All complex management functions, privacy controls, and historical reviews are deliberately segregated into the separate "Caregiver View," ensuring the senior's experience remains pure and uncomplicated. Users may select their preferred voice sound.

How MemorableLife Works

The User Experience: Voice-First and Hands-Free

The entire app experience is engineered to be voice-first, minimizing the cognitive load and complexity often found in tech for seniors.

Activation

The senior initiates the experience completely hands-free by using the Pixel's native capability: simply saying, "Hey Google, talk to..."

Conversation

The AI companion begins an empathetic, non-judgmental dialogue, focusing on activating long-term memories via personalized cultural touchstones.

Accessibility

The app is intentionally designed to be fully compatible with Android's accessibility features (such as TalkBack and Voice Access). This ensures that elderly and visually impaired users can control and engage with the app entirely through verbal commands.

Security

The microphone is only active when the app is actively engaged in conversation (not constantly listening), ensuring user privacy and conserving battery life.

Primary Device

The application is optimized for the Google Pixel phones (such as the Pixel 10). The Pixel's advanced Tensor chip and superior microphone quality are critical for accurate speech-to-text conversion and low-latency voice interaction, ensuring the conversation feels snappy and natural.