ConFido

ConFido demonstrated how service design can address social isolation through a system that is simultaneously inclusive, safe and community-building. The two-package model — app-based for digitally confident users, device-based for those without smartphones — ensured genuine accessibility rather than assumed it. A transferable model for neighbourhood-scale social innovation: leveraging existing community networks to solve problems that institutional services cannot reach.

The service operates across two user types with opposite needs and motivations. The assisted user — typically an elderly person — needs safety, simplicity and the reassurance that someone trustworthy will be there. The volunteer — a dog owner, a student, an active retiree — needs flexibility, a lightweight commitment and a sense of meaningful contribution. The system was designed to serve both simultaneously, without compromising either.

Accessibility was embedded at every level of the interface design. The app follows WCAG AA and AAA guidelines throughout — high contrast, large typography, Verdana for legibility. The Kit Accessibilità+ home device removes the smartphone dependency entirely, enabling users with no digital confidence to access the full service through a simplified physical interface. Prototypes of both physical devices were produced via 3D printing and validated in a service walkthrough video.