Search my Mind - Designed for older adults with memory impairment
Project Overview
SearchMyMind is a speculative memory aid that combines smart wearable glasses and an AI-powered mobile app to help elderly users with memory impairments easily record, organise, and retrieve everyday memories without adding cognitive strain. This system provides lightweight, personalised support that promotes autonomy, emotional connection, and safety in daily life.
Problem
Many older adults with memory impairments such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early-stage dementia struggle with remembering names, appointments, or daily events.Most existing tech solutions are either too complex, not personalised, or simply not designed for this user group. This often leads to frustration, reduced independence, and emotional distress.
My Contributions
Within this project, I :
- Led the overall effort from start to finish.
- Defined the vision and UX strategy for the entire system.
- Framed the research questions and oversaw the end-to-end design process.
- Led user research in care home environments, including surveys, interviews, and experimental role-play with elderly participants.
- Coordinated the prototyping phase, from low-fidelity wireframes to final UI mockups and 3D renderings.
- Facilitated usability testing with both older users and caregivers, and translated feedback into actionable design decisions.
Overview of the Project
Understanding User Needs
- Conducted in-depth research in care homes
- Identified challenges related to memory loss, emotional distress, and technology adaptation
- Gathered insights through user feedback, surveys, and a voice-based roleplay experiment
Designing the Technical Solution
- Integrated smart glasses for hands-free recording
- Developed an AI-powered app for memory organization, voice search, and facial recognition
- Ensured low cognitive load and simple onboarding
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Prototyping & Iterative Testing
- Built low-fidelity sketches and wireframes
- Conducted usability testing with elderly participants and caregivers
- Used feedback to improve layout, reduce navigation friction, and simplify interactions
Ideation
The ideation phase was driven by a combination of field research, literature review, and competitive analysis. We began by conducting interviews and observational studies in care home environments to better understand the day-to-day challenges of elderly users with memory impairments.
In parallel, we conducted a literature review focusing on cognitive decline, autonomy in ageing, and assistive technology, highlighting a clear gap in existing solutions that offer intuitive, proactive memory support tailored to real user needs. A competitive review further confirmed that most current tools were either too passive, too complex, or not designed with older adults in mind.
It was through synthesising these research findings that a compelling idea emerged:
What if users could literally search through their own minds?
This led to the concept behind SearchMyMind, a system powered by smart glasses and an AI-integrated app that allows users to record, organise, and retrieve personal memories naturally. Every design decision in this phase was informed by real user feedback, ensuring that the final concept was both innovative and meaningfully
user-centred.
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How it works
Smart Wearable Glasses
- Automatically record daily activities with built-in camera & mic
- Tag memories with time, location, and facial recognition
AI Integration
- Sorts memories by context: people, time, place, activity
- Enables natural voice commands (e.g., “Where was I yesterday afternoon?”)
- Returns contextual results with video recording screenshots
Mobile App
- Central hub for memory search, organization, and reminders
- Search by filters (date, people, places, activity)
- Includes calendar management, voice input, and memory tagging
Smart Glasses 3D rendering
