Beacon
Helping older adults build confidence online and giving their caregivers time back
As the sole designer, I took Beacon from an early idea for a safer AI browser to a digital literacy platform that places each person at the right level and teaches through real scenarios.
View prototype
Year
2026
Role
UX Designer, solo
Context
Designlab UX Academy
Tools
Figma, FigJam
The Problem
When older adults get stuck online, a family member becomes their tech support
The Solution
From a safer browser to a place to learn
Early concepts were an AI browser with safety icons on every tab. But the older adults I talked to already used regular web browsers for email, bills and everyday tasks, and they would keep using them. What they were missing was a safe place to build their skills and a way to reach someone they trust when they get stuck. So I made Beacon one place to do both.
Early sketch: a browser with safety icons on each tab
Final: one place to learn and get help
Background
Older adults rely on the internet for bills, email and health portals
$4.9B
lost to online fraud by people 60 and older in 2024, up 43% from the year before
FBI Internet Crime Report, 2024
26%
of internet users 65 and older feel very confident using their devices
Pew Research Center, 2015
3 in 4
need someone to set up a new device or show them how to use it
Pew Research Center, 2015
Research
Confidence, not skill, was the barrier
I interviewed 3 older adults (ages 55 to 82) and 3 caregivers (ages 24 to 33). Most of my affinity map notes landed under confidence.
Interviews
One older adult had her email taken over by a scammer who asked her contacts for money, and she's been cautious ever since. A Spanish-speaking mother avoided anything in English, especially forms. Their caregivers were stepping in constantly.
Card sort
I ran a card sort with 4 people (ages 24 to 82). When a category was unclear, people were unsure where things belonged. One participant put screen sharing under Settings because she did not recognize it.
A gap in other apps
When older adults turn on large text, many apps break or cut off buttons.
"She won't even try, she just freezes."
Caregiver, about her mom
Define
Personas built from what I heard
Design
4 decisions that shaped Beacon
01
Place people before they start
A short assessment sets their level before they create an account. No tester felt embarrassed by where they landed.
02
Teach safety through real scenarios
In a card sort, all 4 participants grouped the safety features together. So safety lives in every lesson instead of one menu.
03
Introduce AI gently instead of hiding it
My mentor worried an AI label would intimidate older users. In testing, a helper suggested the opposite: name it AI so they get comfortable with it. I did both. The assistant is called Beacon Assistant, "your guide inside Beacon," and a "What can Beacon AI do?" page explains it in plain words. Lessons like "What is AI?" and "Safe AI use at home" teach the rest.
04
Name every kind of help clearly
Testers mixed up who they would be contacting, so each option now says what it is: Beacon Assistant (AI), your helper (family or friend) and Beacon support (the company).
Testing
The words mattered more than the layout
Before testing, I set success measures for completion, errors, confidence, trust and willingness to ask for help. I tested a clickable prototype with 3 older adults and 2 helpers.
Completion was high, errors were low and everyone loved the zoom button. I sorted about 30 fixes into high, medium and low priority based on how much each one affected trust. These were some of the top fixes:
01
Password rules stay on screen
Password rules were at the bottom of the sign-up page, so people did not see them until after they typed a password. A checklist of the rules now stays on screen while they type.
02
A tour on the real homepage
The welcome tour was on separate screens, so some people could not tell if they were in the tour or the actual product. It now shows short pop-up tips on top of the real homepage.
03
Clear lesson labels
Progress was first shown only with colored circles, which made it hard for people to tell where they were. Lessons now have labels like Current, Completed and Up next.
Before: the Support Center didn't explain who the helper was
After: each way to get help says who you'll reach
Before: the tour was on separate screens
After: tips appear on top of the real homepage
I also flagged risks: AI examples that promised too much, mixed wording like "click" vs "tap," and lessons that let people move on after a wrong answer.
Visual Refresh
After testing, I refreshed the visual design
I wanted Beacon to feel more modern, like the apps and software people already use every day, while still feeling calm. Older adults already use phones and tablets, so a familiar look may help them trust Beacon faster. I changed the main color from teal to a dark plum and added soft gradient backgrounds in light blue, pink and lavender. The lighter colors make it feel brighter and more approachable.
The screens in this case study show the refreshed version, which has not been tested with users yet.
Tested version in teal
Refreshed version in plum, not yet tested
Results
Most participants finished tasks on their own, and confidence grew after the first lesson
Final Thoughts
What I learned and what's next
Going into testing, I expected the biggest issues to be visual. But small details, like the words on a button, had just as much impact on how confident people felt.
Next, I would
Test the refreshed visual design with older adults
Visit 2 homes to watch people use their own devices
Build and test a Spanish version with Spanish-speaking participants
Design and test a mobile view for helpers, who are often on the go
Run a second round of testing to measure the fixes, like how many people are still confused by "helper"
Ask for a 1 to 5 confidence rating at the start and end of each session