A Proposal to Increase the Use of Insta-
shop Applications Among Seniors and
Children
Submitted to
Prof. Sara Fayed
Submitted by
Youssef Khaled - 245609
Zeyad Ahmed - 239924
Omar Turky - 247960
Youssef Mamdouh - 230706
BUE 2024
Dear Professor Sarah,
I hope this email finds you well. My team and I are willing to propose a suggested
solution for a challenging issue for elders and people in need of help, which is the inability of
people to physically shop or buy house needs. Our proposal is including an overview of the issue
concerning the nature of life including aging people and children. My team and I decided to
propose a couple of apps to ease and maintain the physical disabilities of mentioned audience.
Our proposed solution is to provide several apps that is specialized in online home and personal
supplies. As a team we have come to suggesting these apps: Instashop and Talabat.
Our team would be delighted to meet and propose in a detailed discussion. I look forward to
your response.
Best regards,
Youssef Mamdouh
Zeyad Ahmed
Youssef Khaled
Omar Turky
Introduction
1.1 overview:
Online grocery shopping and fast-food delivery apps have become one of the most
important tools that helps everyone ranging from young aged children all the way to elder
people. Our topic shines the light on a problem that everyone faces which is buying their
daily needs starting from their medical supplies all the way to grocery shopping. Teens and
adults usually don’t face this type of problem, but our topic shines the light on old people,
young children and people with disabilities.
Online grocery shopping and fast-food delivery apps has increased significantly over the
years which shows the importance of these apps; online shopping apps doesn’t only provide
food & groceries it also has pharmacy, stationary & pet/vets. Our target audience, for them,
these apps provide convenience and ease it helps them order food, medicine, groceries
allowing them to order their needs without leaving their homes. This graph shows the
significant increase of online shopping over the last 4 years.
Figure: showing the significant increase of online shopping over the past 4 years.
The increase of reliance on online shopping apps has made life easier for a lot of people but
still remains a slight challenge among for a certain group of people such as people with sight
disability or elder people, teens and adults usually navigate through online platforms with ease
while elder people have limited digital knowledge ,poor eye sight, complicated steps for buying
their products same goes for young audience complicated vocabulary, complicated steps could
be a huge barrier for them. Thankfully most common used online apps doesn’t have
complicated steps nor restrictions that’s why online apps has increased significantly over the
years.
1.2 Related work:
Solutions regarding the mentioned issue are many, grocery shops and shopping
environments in general helps elder and disabled people in several ways. By exploring these
ways, it is found that the shopping environments offers the targeted people a companion
with them while shopping, these companions assist the people with carrying their groceries
and needs, elaborating the product details if needed, and they can also help them choosing
their products. Another solution regarding the issue is arranging specialized cars and
transportation facilities in order to ease access to the targeted people. Moving to
pharmacies, the pharmacy could be able to arrange the medical prescriptions for the
customers in order to save them waiting time.
1.3 Analysis of work:
There is no doubt that the mentioned solutions are effective and can ease the process of
shopping to the elder and people with disabilities. On the other side, each of the discussed
solutions may face challenges and dissatisfaction to the audience, it is not surely guaranteed
that shopping groceries and personal assistance will not include problems. In addition,
providing these solutions might not be strict and organized as it should be; for example, the
shopping companions, these companions are not always focused and delegated in their
work as it is in our human nature and happens to all workers, they can sometimes feel tired
and out of mood so it will affect their work, specially that they are communicating with
elder people, which in most cases a challenge.
By proposing familiar helpful solutions, it will not be 100 percent suitable for our audience.
Therefore, the most realistic and easier solutions can be found and proposed concerning the
issue regarding the elder and people with desperate need of help.
[Link]:
In modern society the ability to easily access essential goods like groceries and medicine
is taken for granted by many however vulnerable individuals like elderly, children and disabled
people often face significant challenges when it comes to buying their daily needs these
challenges include:
Mobility: Elderly and people with disability may struggle to walk long distances or
stand for long period of time while carrying heavy items also Transportation and lack
of access to reliable transportation or depending on other people for transportation can
make buying stuff daily difficult.
Health: Elderly and young individuals are at higher risk of infection making trips to
public places like grocery stores dangerous especially during flu season, pandemic.
Time: for caregivers such as parents finding time while managing other responsibilities
could be challenging
2.1 Significance and context
The problem on first glance may not seem as serious as you would think it is, however,
on reality this problem affects many people on daily basis. People who don’t have access to
car or disabled people are forced to rely on the help of their friends and families which
causes their self-respect to decrease and have a low self-image as they view themselves as a
parasite needing daily help in such an easy task. By the end of the proposal we would like to
thank you for your patience
[Link]
Our main objective and aim is to solve all the mentioned problems and ease the life of
those people in need. In Egypt – according to statistics – there is shocking a total of 7 million
senior citizen which equates to 6.6 percent of the total population of the country. Such a
proposed solution by the usage of the app can ease the life of more than 57% of these 7
million senior citizens, if they are helped and educated to use such an app properly.
To achieve such a goal the process is by:
raising awareness on the problem to teens and adults to help children and seniors of
the society by teaching them how to properly use and understand these apps.
App developers should focus on creating easy to use apps for children -by using
simple vocabulary and simple steps without always having to ask for credit
information before ordering as these steps are harder for children- in case the
children need to suffice their needs while their parents are away or at work.
App development should be directed towards having “older people mode”. Such a
mode can be turned on when older people are using it. This mode can make the font
larger for them as most old people have sight problems when reading. Such a mode
should also make the app have a different theme to be more appealing to them.
Apps should be faster and more accessible as many people feel repelled to use these
apps knowing well it will take multiple hours to be delivered to them.
[Link] work
4.1 Introduction to the proposed solution
Creating easy to use apps for elderly citizens and children at the same time is a big
challenge because of the wide age range. Convincing seniors to use modern apps needs effort
and time. However, the use of well-created apps after gaining the needed skills will be more
effective than depending on others. Not only that, it will save time and will provide a solution
for lack of transportation. For seniors, proper apps will provide a sense of independency which
maintains self-dignity and respect. These apps will, also, provide safety for children as well as
those disabled, sick, or seniors with low immunity.
4.2. Analysis on proposed work
In our opinion, the effectiveness of the proposed solution will over-exceed the benefits
of the currently used ways and methods such as involving a family member or a guide. On the
other hand, this will backfire by reducing communication and social exposure which is of great
need for the elderly.
4.3 Work plan for phase 2
Conducting a survey for needs assessments by asking the users for their feedback to be
able to properly plan the next steps.
Doing researches to identify the available apps and how to upgrade them.
Contacting the app developers to discuss the possible and available methods to be used.
Evaluation of cost effectiveness of app development taking in consideration the software
and hardware needed and man power involved.