The Story of BemVo: Care That Connects
About the Project BemVo is a mobile application prototype focused on solving a universal civic challenge: low adherence to medical treatments among vulnerable populations, especially the elderly.
At its core, the application acts as a bridge of communication and trust between two main user profiles:
The Patient (Elderly): Receives a clean, accessible interface to view their daily medications. With a simple "check," they mark what they have taken, promoting a sense of autonomy and accomplishment.
The Caregiver (Family or Professional): Has a real-time view of the patient's progress. They don't need to call to check up; they can check the app to gain peace of mind that the treatment is being followed.
BemVo directly answers this hackathon's call to "Hack for Good," using technology to strengthen family ties, ensure health, and promote dignity.
The Inspiration: From Checking Up to Checking In
The inspiration was born from observing a daily, global anxiety. All over the world, millions of children, grandchildren, and caregivers carry a constant worry: "Did my father take his medicine on time? Did my grandmother get confused with the schedules?"
This seemingly simple question is a source of stress that strains relationships. The "check-up call" creates friction and strips the elderly of their autonomy, while the lack of information creates anxiety for the caregiver.
I realized that technology, often complex and bloated with features, was excluding the very audience that needed it most. The challenge was clear: how to use technology not as a barrier, but as an enabler of care? The inspiration was to transform "checking up" into "checking in."
How I Built It: Accessibility Design and Agile Tech
The project was developed with a 'design-first' mentality, centered on the user experience (UX) of my primary audience.
- The Design (The Priority) Digital accessibility was not an add-on; it was the core of the development. I knew that if the app wasn't incredibly easy to use, it would fail. This translated into:
Simplified User Journey: Only the essential flows of "add medicine," "check off," and "view progress" were implemented.
High-Contrast Design: Use of colors and fonts that aid readability.
Clear Icons and Large Buttons: Minimizing the chance of mis-clicks.
Profile Division: The most crucial decision was to separate the interfaces. The Patient sees a simple task list; the Caregiver sees a monitoring dashboard.
- The Technology (The Tool) To validate the idea quickly, the functional prototype was developed using React. This choice allowed for the creation of a reactive, modern UI that effectively simulates the mobile experience, proving the solution's technical viability.
Challenges I Faced
The Balance of Simplicity: The biggest UX challenge was resisting the temptation to add "just one more feature." Every screen was questioned: "Is this absolutely essential for the patient?" Keeping the app minimal, yet functional, was my greatest difficulty and my greatest victory.
Time Management: As with any hackathon, time was the most scarce resource. I had to aggressively prioritize the core functional loop: the patient's "check" and the caregiver's "view."
Prototype Focus: Given the limited time, my focus was entirely on creating a robust functional prototype that could be demonstrated on video, validating the main user journey effectively, even without a public deploy.
What I Learned
BemVo reinforced the lesson that innovation does not always mean complexity. Sometimes, the most innovative solution is the one that removes barriers and makes the complex, simple.
This project was a deep exercise in empathy: how to translate the needs of a (often) non-digital-native audience into a clean interface that respects their autonomy while delivering real value to those who care for them?
Technically, it was an excellent practice in rapid prototyping, focused on delivering maximum functional value and impact in the shortest possible time.
What's Next for BemVo
The future for BemVo is promising. The next logical and already-planned step is the implementation of the proactive notification system—alerting the caregiver and the patient only if a medication is missed.
Furthermore, I see immense scalability potential. The solution can grow beyond the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) model and be explored as a B2B (Business-to-Business) tool for clinics, health insurance plans, and nursing homes, amplifying my "Hack for Good" into a lasting and sustainable civic impact.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.