about
Boomerang is an accessible communication product designed to help older adults reduce loneliness, share stories and build stronger cross-generational relationships. The concept combines video calling, online communities, social media and storytelling into a simplified home communication hub with tactile controls, soft materials and an interface designed around older users.
Developed through research, industrial design, prototyping, UX/UI design and product visualisation, the project explores how technology can feel less intimidating and more human. Boomerang reframes digital connection as a familiar, physical and emotionally engaging experience — creating a product that supports independence, community and everyday communication for older generations.
credits
Project Coordination
Mike Chan
Insight-led opportunity
Boomerang began with a clear social and behavioural insight: technology has the potential to reduce isolation, but for many older users it can also create anxiety, confusion and a fear of doing something wrong. The project therefore was not simply about creating another digital device, but about lowering the emotional barrier to technology.
Research highlighted a growing older population, increasing loneliness, and a lack of products that feel genuinely designed around older users. Existing accessibility products often felt expensive, outdated or patronising, while mainstream devices were typically built around younger, more digitally confident users.
A second-hand device route was explored as a more affordable way to improve access to communication technology. However, primary research showed that the target users were less interested in inheriting another screen-based device and responded more positively to analogue, physical and familiar interactions. This shifted the project direction away from simply reusing existing technology and toward creating a dedicated home communication system that felt more approachable, tactile and emotionally supportive.
Product strategy and design response
The final concept reframed digital communication as a more physical, guided and human experience. Boomerang was developed as a home communication system built around storytelling, community and intergenerational connection, rather than productivity or generic social media use.
The system combined a main hub, detachable camera module, AI-assisted gimbal, magnetic stand, accessible UI and friendly brand identity. Each element was designed to reduce friction for the older user: clearer navigation, larger buttons, high contrast, playful colour, guided prompts and hands-free support.
The design language intentionally sits between digital and analogue. It introduces modern technology, but packages it through physical interactions such as docking, holding, placing, recording and returning the camera module. This helped make the experience feel less intimidating and more familiar, encouraging users to capture stories, share memories and stay connected without feeling inadequate.
Boomerang’s strength is that it does not treat older users as incapable. Instead, it creates a more supportive bridge into technology — one that respects their habits, reduces digital pressure and turns communication into a more tangible everyday ritual.
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