Designing digital experiences to stay sharp
AARP platform focuses on brain health
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP advocates for what matters most to more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability, and personal fulfillment.
AARP wanted to become the go-to resource for brain health, not just for its core members but for adults of every age, so Vervint helped build Staying Sharp, a digital platform offering research-backed resources, tools, and community to support brain health.
Reach beyond the core membership
Become the go-to organization for brain health among adults of all ages, not just Americans 50 and older.
Go deeper than brain games
Offer real, research-backed resources people could use to improve brain health through everyday lifestyle choices.
Open a new door into the organization
Use the platform as a new model for outreach and growth among both existing and prospective members.
Asking the right questions
Brain health is a trending topic among adults of all ages, and AARP saw an opportunity to provide resources and expertise while expanding its reputation in adult health more broadly. Vervint’s research revealed real market demand for accurate, specific information on pursuing and maintaining brain health, people are genuinely concerned about decreasing their likelihood of debilitating conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and general cognitive decline, and they were looking for somewhere trustworthy to turn.
More than brain games
Vervint’s research uncovered that people wanted more than “brain games.” They wanted reliable resources to help them impact their brain health through everyday lifestyle choices. The team built and tested prototypes to define a holistic service offering that was both desirable and feasible, and as the platform’s structure evolved, so did the thinking around how the service would fit within AARP’s broader ecosystem, leading to a new model for outreach and growth.
The result, Staying Sharp, blends the latest scientific understanding of brain health with a holistic approach that connects health and social factors, including social networking, recipes, activities, brain challenges, and a brain health assessment tool that benchmarks a user’s memory and reaction time against others in their age group.
With Staying Sharp reaching new audiences well beyond its core membership, AARP is positioned to keep empowering people of every age to protect what matters most to living well: their own mind, for years to come.
