Mobility, designed for care.

I was the founding product designer at Onward, where I helped bring a deeply human ride service to life for older adults and their families. We created rider and driver apps designed to reduce confusion, build trust, and deliver independence.

Client

Onward

Industry

Mobility / Silver Generation Tech

Project Type

Mobile Apps, UX Strategy, Brand

Role

Founding Product Designer (2021–2022)

at a Glance

Mobility Platform | Aging Tech | Pre-seed Startup

Role:
Founding Product Designer

Team:
3-person core team (cofounders + myself), advisors from gerontechnology space
‍
Scope:
Rider and driver experience, brand, marketing, and platform UX across mobile and web

Impact:
• Took product from idea to branded, multi-app MVP in under 6 months
• Led rapid iteration across multiple versions of rider and driver apps
• Increased rider booking success through UI improvements to scheduling and communication
• Built trust-based features for families (status updates, preferences, friendly driver profiles)
• Created brand + onboarding flows tailored to older adults and caregivers
• Pivoted from “buddies for seniors” to mobility-as-service based on research and early usage data

CHALLENGE

Millions of older adults face mobility challenges — not because they can't physically get somewhere, but because the systems built to help them are not designed for their needs.

We saw families juggling multiple tools to book rides, coordinate with drivers, and keep aging parents informed. Existing services were either too technical, too impersonal, or too inaccessible.

Our challenge was to design a ride experience that felt personal, simple, and trustworthy — not just for the rider, but for the people supporting them.

What I Led
  • Defined initial product scope and value proposition in partnership with founder
  • Built design system and visual brand across web, app, and social
  • Created MVP flows for riders and drivers — scheduling, notifications, onboarding
  • Led user interviews with caregivers, older adults, and prospective drivers
  • Translated early findings into UI patterns specific to our audience
  • Conducted usability tests and iterative adjustments across several beta versions
"We just want to know our mom is safe and that the driver is kind."
‍‍— Caregiver interview
DESIGN DECISIONS
Starting with One Slice (Vertical MVP)
We scoped a narrow but high-value starting point: scheduled rides. This let us validate behavior, uncover edge cases, and build real trust before expanding.
Trust-Building UX Decisions
We added friendly driver bios, caregiver status alerts, and rider preferences to foster emotional safety and a sense of control.
Scaling with Empathy
As we grew, we kept new features rooted in lived experience — like designing for users with pets, walkers, or communication challenges.
Outcome

We built and launched rider and driver apps in under six months — starting with a focused MVP and growing through rapid, user-informed iteration. The product gained early traction with caregiving families, validating demand and usability. What began as a buddy program for older adults evolved into a mobility platform designed for trust, clarity, and ease. The Onward experience was later featured in gerontechnology publications and used as the foundation for broader platform development.

More Case Studies

Look Book

Ease