THIS IS THE WHOLE STORY…
My frustration and anger just disappeared.
Memory loss is sneaky. We get angry with ourselves or each other, searching for keys, purse, wallet. Where’s our car?
I wanted to change that to a different experience.
I invited Pat to a conversation and focused on how to do this differently. She wanted to find a solution as well.
Phones and technology were a non-starter. So, a device she could use to document things to go on her list.
After a few false starts, I designed a Toggle Board. She found it acceptable. But I still needed an app that could generate the list to insert into it.
ONDA LIST is that memory aid for Pat.
As a support person. I wanted the app to address the separate challenges Pat and I faced.
Where to eat out
Taking everything we needed
Remembering faces and names
ONDA LIST makes decisions easier & reduces stress.
The easiest way to make a shopping list is to dictate it.
ONDA LIST allows users to group products in three different ways. Here is one:
Grocery store departments and sections.
Tags for activities or menus. Trips or travel.
Chiclets (images) are graphic memory triggers.
Selecting from 12 products is easier than 250.
How it started…
I go to the grocery store a few times a week, and if Pat’s home, I’ll ask her if she needs anything. Shaking her head, “I’ll text you if I think of something.”
I’m leaving the parking lot on my way home, I get this text, “Please get my prescription,” or cream, or eggs…
We needed to get this sorted. This is a communication issue hidden inside a memory issue. I needed Pat’s help on this. Any solution had to meet both our needs.
Many seniors struggle with technology. In Pat’s case, her phone wouldn’t be much help. She doesn’t always have it nearby when she needs it or thinks of something she needs to remember.
Back to the grocery list, Pat needed something in a reliable location, quick, and easy to use. With ONDA LIST, when something came to mind, she could mark it down without missing a beat.
A few false starts later, we settled on a concept that could live anywhere, on the refrigerator or inside a cabinet door. She could just toggle something to remember what she needed. But what did that look like?
The Toggler finally came into focus. It was easy to produce, adaptable, and modular in design. We could print out the list A-Z, cut the list into segments, and then insert them into the devices: 10 items, 20 items, however many items we needed. But now, how could I get her list?
I needed something to transform her list into something that lived on my phone. What was available in the App Store wasn’t smart enough.
I needed technology - the same technology banks use to read checks. If Pat could send me a picture of her list, my phone could transform it into a shopping list friendly to me
Her part of the solution is a simple, the Toggler. She toggles her list quickly without a pencil or paper She can send me a picture, and with ONDA LIST technology, I get the list.
The journey to develop the ONDA LIST app - took a while. ChatGPT technology helped to code the app and contributed several smart conceptual ideas.
Speech-to-text technology enables users to just dictate the things they need. “toothpaste, shampoo, dental floss.”
Image “chicklets” offer a visual icon to anchor a group of products in different departments like “breakfast stuff,” or “pet stuff,” or “camping gear”. Together with text-based tags for “recipes,” “quarterly,” or “picnic” to group products in ways that are more personal, adaptive, and intuitive.