How might we… help older adults newly diagnosed with chronic conditions understand their benefits, manage daily care tasks, and feel supported throughout their long-term health journey without the cognitive or emotional burden?

Solving this allows us to focus on a connection-centered design:

This year’s theme is Designing Chronic Care that Connects, and challenges participants to explore how design can improve access, empathy, and continuity in chronic care and prevention.

1. By 2043, one in four Canadians will be over 65.

2. While older adults make up less than 20% of plan members, they account for over 40% of drug claims.

3. Diabetes spending alone increased 30% in three years.

Source: Sun Life ‘Designed For Health’ report, 2023

Ruth isn’t resistant to technology, she’s concerned about losing confidence and independence while using it.

Behind these numbers are real people, like Ruth, struggling to manage their health in a system that’s fragmented, impersonal, and hard to navigate. Now imagine Ruth is your mother. Your aunt. Or maybe, one day, she’s you.

You’re 67 years old, and diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. You’ve always been independent, but now your world feels scary and unfamiliar.

Suddenly, your days are filled with confusing paperwork, medication schedules, doctor appointments, and you don’t know where to start.

That’s where Lumi comes in.

Our design should provide support to these challenges with a virtual and accessible caregiver

• Engaging virtual caregiver that helps manage daily health management
• This should connect them to real life services notifications + reminders (i.e. tracking transportation, taking medication)
• Navigation should be accessible and easy to understand

• Complex language and text heavy screens
• Voice-only navigation
• Bad contrast colour schemes

This project was completed within the context of the University of Waterloo × Sun Life Design Jam, which meant limited time for primary research. Despite that, we were able to contact two of our teammate’s family members with this condition to gain personal insight into the day-to-day struggles.

To ground design decisions in real-world constraints, we also relied on secondary research, expert materials, and system-level data provided by Sun Life, alongside rapid synthesis exercises during team whiteboarding sessions.

Our research sources included: Sun Life’s Chronic Conditions and the Connection to Insurance presentation, Sun Life claims data and care program documentation, Design Jam personas and healthcare system framing materials, as well as team whiteboarding and journey mapping exercises

Sun Life data highlights a growing mismatch between how healthcare systems are structured and how chronic care is actually experienced:

1. By 2043, one in four Canadians will be over 65, and older adults already represent a disproportionate share of drug claims, despite being a smaller portion of plan members.
(Source: Sun Life ‘Designed For Health’ report, 2023)

2. Diabetes and hypertension are among the fastest-growing drivers of healthcare spend, with diabetes-related spending increasing by roughly 30% in just three years.
(Source: Sun Life ‘Designed For Health’ report, 2023)

3. Ontario’s healthcare system remains largely reactive and acute-care focused, resulting in fragmented experiences for patients managing long-term conditions. This includes insufficient primary care access, long wait times for specialists and more.
(Source: University of Waterloo x Sun Life report, 2025)

These findings revealed a core tension:
Patients are expected to self-manage complex, lifelong conditions in systems that are not designed to support continuity, clarity, or confidence.

Through synthesis and whiteboarding, we distilled our research into four guiding insights:

1. Diagnosis is a moment of vulnerability: Introducing technology without human support can increase anxiety rather than empowerment.

2. Fragmentation amplifies cognitive load: Multiple portals, providers, and instructions lead to missed care tasks and disengagement.

3. Independence and support are not opposites: Patients welcome help when it preserves dignity and autonomy.

4. Care coordination is as valuable as care delivery: Helping patients navigate what already exists can be as impactful as adding new services.

Early concept mapping of Lumi’s core functions based on patient and system needs.

We explored structure before designing the screens since this was a crucial step. All the features are grouped by user needs, not app sections. And we made sure that the integration with Sun Life and hospitals is intentional, not cosmetic.

We mapped out the onboarding and early-use experience to reduce overwhelm at the point of diagnosis.

This end-to-end user flow highlights key decision points in the onboarding experience, such as whether a patient connects a trusted contact or receives support from a volunteer. It also intentionally surfaces human touchpoints before and after app usage, ensuring patients are supported beyond the digital interface.

Optional paths, including printed materials and follow-up support, reflect a service design approach that prioritizes flexibility, accessibility, and continuity of care.

Exploring our character Ruth, her challenges as well as narrowing down important functions of the app.

Lumi begins with a hospital referral and a dedicated onboarding specialist who guides patients through their first steps, starting with a personalized, in-person consultation before introducing any technology.

A new diagnosis is a vulnerable moment, and introducing technology too early can increase stress. Human-first onboarding builds trust and emotional safety before asking patients to engage digitally.

By leading with human connection instead of screens, Lumi reframes technology as a companion, reducing fear and increasing willingness to engage.

Once the patient feels ready, the onboarding specialist helps them download Lumi using a hospital-provided QR code that securely connects their medical records, profile, and insurance information.

Traditional onboarding often involves complex forms and repeated data entry, which can feel overwhelming for older adults. A QR-based setup removes friction and minimizes errors.

This approach allows seniors to access digital care without needing technical knowledge, making setup feel effortless rather than burdensome.

Lumi allows patients to connect a trusted contact such as a family member or caregiver who can receive relevant health updates and reminders.

Managing chronic care can feel isolating, and it’s easy to forget instructions or appointments. Trusted contacts provide reassurance, accountability, and emotional support.

By extending care beyond the individual user, Lumi supports seniors without making them feel monitored or dependent on technology alone.

Lumi’s home screen organizes essential information like appointments, daily checklists, and reminders into a single, easy-to-navigate dashboard.

For older adults, having everything in one place isn’t just convenient, it’s essential for reducing confusion and missed care tasks.

Clear visual hierarchy and minimal interactions help seniors stay oriented, making digital health management feel manageable and predictable.

Lumi tracks medications, schedules reminders, syncs prescriptions through Sun Life, and sends refill alerts when needed.

Medication adherence is critical in chronic care, yet complex schedules and refills are a common source of stress and error.

By automating reminders and integrating insurance coverage, Lumi reduces mental effort while reinforcing confidence in managing daily health tasks.

Lumi helps patients schedule appointments and connects them to reliable transportation options when needed.

Transportation and logistics are major barriers for seniors, often leading to missed appointments and delayed care.

By handling both scheduling and transportation in one flow, Lumi removes practical barriers that often prevent seniors from engaging with care.

Lumi connects patients to nearby medical professionals, community organizations, and support services tailored to their location.

Chronic care extends beyond hospitals, and many seniors are unaware of local resources available to support them.

By surfacing relevant services at the right time, Lumi turns technology into a connector, linking seniors to real-world help.

At any point, users can access Lumi through a voice assistant or simple search to find information or features quickly.

Small text, complex menus, and unfamiliar navigation patterns can discourage older users from engaging with apps.

Voice-first and search-based interactions allow seniors to use Lumi in ways that feel natural and forgiving, reducing reliance on fine motor skills or technical literacy.

After onboarding, Lumi’s team remains available to provide hands-on support. Patients receive an information brochure either digitally or in print for review at their own pace.

Learning doesn’t stop after setup, and seniors benefit from repetition and multiple formats when building confidence.

By offering continuous human support and non-digital options, Lumi ensures technology adapts to seniors, not the other way around. For Ruth, Lumi isn’t just an app. It’s peace of mind, connection, and confidence. By combining human care with accessible technology, Lumi bridges the gap between seniors and digital health in a way that feels supportive, dignified, and empowering.