Let's Ride

For my final project at Ironhack, I designed a mobile app to improve the quality of life of older immigrants and help them feel more connected and active.

Role

UX/UI Design

Project Overview

Background and Context

Older adults are often overlooked by digital products, especially when language, cultural barriers, and unfamiliar technology come into play. For immigrants, these challenges are even greater.

In the 1990s, approximately 60,000 Soviet immigrants arrived in Israel each year. Many are now over 60 and continue to face social and practical difficulties. Motivated by experiences in my own family and community, I spoke with both acquaintances and strangers to better understand their day-to-day challenges and unmet needs.

My Role

Led UX and UI design from concept to prototype, including user research, custom illustrations, and accessibility-focused flows in Russian.

Business Objective

UX Approach

Accelerate client conversion

🎯 Immediate insights & value through landing pages & visualizations

Reduce training costs

🎯 Simplified workflows & streamlined navigation

Enhance sales demo effectiveness

🎯 Improved data visualizations to showcase sustainability insights

Ensure frustration-free user flows

🎯 Task-oriented design for a smoother, intuitive experience

Outcomes

Built a fully localized, intuitive prototype that tested successfully with older immigrants. Many participants said they’d love to use an app like this, validating the need for inclusive, age-friendly digital services.

Inclusive Design

Designed for older adults with clear text, big touch targets, and minimal steps.

Visual Comfort

Used warm visuals and custom illustrations to create a welcoming feel.

Positive Feedback

Participants expressed strong interest in using the app.

Social Connection

Encouraged independence and helped users feel more connected and active.

This is a walkthrough of the core passenger flow. (The original app was designed in Russian to match the needs of the target audience.)

Research Methods

Secondary research:
Explored older adults’ relationship with technology, and reviewed demographic and behavioral data on older immigrants in Israel.
User interviews:
Conducted 7 in-depth interviews with older immigrants, as well as informal conversations with family members and caregivers, to understand day-to-day struggles and coping strategies.
Survey:
Collected additional input through an online survey and posts in relevant Facebook groups, which helped validate early ideas and reveal recurring challenges.

Insights

Social Isolation & Emotional Needs

Many older immigrants live alone or rarely see family.
Users said they were “fine,” but family shared signs of loneliness.
Language and culture barriers made it hard to form new connections.

Digital Friction in Daily Life

Tasks like banking or appointments caused stress.
Unfamiliar flows, language, and app design led to frustration.
Often relied on family for everyday digital tasks.

Technology Habits & Accessibility

Most used familiar Russian apps like Odnoklassniki or WhatsApp.
Vision and memory changes required large text and step-by-step flows.
Designed with A11Y standards to support users who engage more effectively when guided clearly.

Insights were grouped using an affinity diagram to reveal core themes.

Persona and User Journey Highlights

Tatyana, 72

Tatyana immigrated from Russia with her children 30 years ago. While her family still lives in Israel, she now lives alone. She stays connected with them through WhatsApp and familiar Russian-language apps, but often finds unfamiliar digital services confusing. Independent by nature, she’s hesitant to ask for help.

Defining the Problem

Older immigrants want to stay active and socially engaged, but face barriers like limited finances, a shrinking social circle, and unfamiliar technology. Many hesitate to ask for help, even when they feel isolated.

How might we help them enjoy social activities without financial strain - while expanding their social circle in a gentle, unobtrusive way?

Ideation

After exploring several directions, I chose to design a free car-sharing app in the users’ native language.

The following insights, combined with the unique transportation challenges in Israel, shaped the concept:

Public transport in Israel is inactive on weekends, leaving many dependent on private vehicles.
The Russian-speaking community tends to be conservative; many older women don’t drive. Often divorced and living alone, they lack affordable transport options.
The app could provide an affordable, volunteer-based, practical tool - and perhaps, through shared rides, quietly help foster community and connection.

Early Exploration

I explored key flows and microcopy in Russian, focusing on welcoming and human tone and clarity for older users. These quick sketches helped define screen content and build confidence before wireframing.

Wireframes

I created user flows and wireframes for two key user paths: offering a ride and finding a ride - ensuring both were intuitive and accessible for older adults.

Two parallel paths: offering a ride and finding one

Final UI screens designed in Russian to reflect the language and needs of the target audience.

Welcome Screen

Invites users to explore the app with a warm illustration and clear value proposition.

Role selection

Allows users to choose whether they are a passenger or a driver before starting.

Search overview

Prompts users to enter destination details with gentle guidance from the character.

Typing in address

Allows users to search for specific destinations with auto-suggested results.

Destination & date selected

Confirms selected origin, destination, and date with a clear CTA to find rides.

Available rides

Displays matching ride options with times, profiles, and the ability to review the details.

Ride details

Shows selected ride route, available seats, and group chat preview for coordination.

Booking request confirmation

Celebrates successful booking and reassures users that the driver will be notified.

My rides

Displays upcoming and past rides, with clear status indicators and entry points.

My rides: empty state

Displays an inviting empty state when no rides are planned, encouraging next steps.

Visual Direction

To support older users, I developed a warm, friendly interface that balances clarity with approachability. The goal was to create a sense of trust and simplicity, while still feeling modern and intuitive.

Color Palette

I chose muted blues and soft neutrals for their calming effect and strong legibility. The darker contrast ensures readability for users with vision changes, while warm accent colors add a friendly, human touch that softens the interface and guides attention.

Typography

A round, sans-serif typeface communicates clarity and friendliness, and larger font sizes with strong line height for readability across visual abilities.

Iconography

Icons are simple and universal, always accompanied by text to reduce ambiguity.

Illustration Style

Illustrations add warmth and a personal touch. I designed a character that is like a helpful neighbor, rather than a system prompt — a comforting presence for users who may feel overwhelmed.

Animated Character Styles

Learnings

Designing for older adults challenged me to prioritize clarity, empathy, and accessibility: lessons that have reshaped how I think about product design.

Designing for clarity

Designing for older adults taught me how important it is to reduce friction: details like font size and wording make a difference. I also learned that emotional comfort matters just as much as usability.

Extracting honest insights

User interviews often revealed indirect or understated feedback. I learned to listen between the lines and ask deeper questions to uncover real challenges that users didn’t always verbalize.

A human-first interface

Warm visuals, conversational tone, and a helpful character helped reduce intimidation. I explored how visual language can make a product feel like a companion, not a tool, especially for hesitant or isolated users.

Next Steps

Further usability testing with older adults to validate flows and uncover friction.
Custom experiences for passengers and drivers, addressing their unique needs.
Safety enhancements, such as emergency contact sharing or ride verification.
Onboarding refinements to better support new users navigating the app for the first time.