AgeTech Accessibility Ongoing Research University of Waterloo

Cognitively Accessible Workplace Task Management

A mobile-first task management concept shaped through participatory research, designed to support independence, reduce cognitive load, and fit within the broader realities of workplace communication and coordination.

Overview

This project explores how workplace tools can better support employees experiencing memory, attention, and task management challenges. Rather than treating task completion as an isolated interface problem, I approached it as a systems problem shaped by cognitive needs, job demands, social dynamics, organizational expectations, and existing workflows.

The result was a mobile-first task management concept designed not only to help people remember tasks, but to better support how work is documented, communicated, and carried through across a workday.

Problem Statement

Most workplace tools are built for speed, multitasking, and high cognitive stamina. For employees living with MCI or early-onset dementia, this can make routine work difficult to track, organize, and complete with confidence. The challenge was not simply to make tasks visible, but to understand where breakdowns happen across the larger system of work.

Key Challenges

  • Designing for fluctuating cognitive capacity without reducing users to a narrow definition of impairment
  • Balancing individual support needs with the collaborative and organizational realities of workplace systems

Research Process

Step 01
System framing through interviews and co-design
Through interviews and co-design sessions with people living with MCI or early-onset dementia, I explored where challenges emerged across task planning, recall, handoff, communication, and follow-through.
Step 02
Mapping surrounding system conditions
I looked beyond direct user needs to understand workplace expectations, existing tools, and coordination patterns. This helped reframe the design problem from "how might we help someone remember?" to "how might we reduce failure points across the flow of work?"
Step 03
Market analysis and competitive landscape
I assessed how existing task tools handled reminders, structure, collaboration, and flexibility, and where they fell short for cognitively diverse users.
Step 04
Feature prioritization and concept development
I translated broad research findings into design principles and product requirements, streamlining 100+ possible features into a smaller, more coherent concept.
Step 05
Prototype development and validation
The resulting prototype was designed as a mobile-first system for documenting, managing, and sharing tasks in ways that support memory and fit more naturally into workplace routines.

Impact

Feature Consolidation

Streamlined 100+ possible features into a validated prototype grounded in user needs and system constraints.

Real-World Adoption

Secured 3 pilot partners by translating research into a concept with clear real-world relevance and practical potential for implementation.