Company

AARP

Role

UX Designer + Researcher

Year

2018

Staying Sharp

“Brain health” isn’t something most people think about day-to-day. While we focus on physical fitness and nutrition, brain health is often overlooked.

AARP’s Staying Sharp program was one of their first digital products, designed to empower members through science-based assessments, brain games, and wellness activities. They asked our team at Cooper to help identify ways to enhance the subscriber experience.

Demo video of Staying Sharp app

Project Story

We began with an alignment workshop to define success, co-create provisional personas, and clarify the type of value-add the client was seeking. From there, we conducted ethnographic research and interviews with AARP members to understand:

  • People’s mental models of brain health

  • How they approach personal and professional goals

  • How they manage everyday challenges like stress, sleep, and focus

These insights revealed clear opportunities: members wanted flexibility in assessments, actionable recommendations, and framing that felt more outcome-driven than abstract “pillars.”

Exploration & Testing

We explored multiple directions, from a chatbot that nudged small lifestyle changes, to a socially engaging daily awareness tool, to a flexible assessment paired with actionable recommendations. Through storyboards and concept testing, users strongly gravitated toward the third option: a science-based assessment that could be taken in modular chunks, paired with clear behavioral outcomes, such as “reduce stress” or “stay active.”

Project Story

We began with an alignment workshop to define success, co-create provisional personas, and clarify the type of value-add the client was seeking. From there, we conducted ethnographic research and interviews with AARP members to understand:

  • People’s mental models of brain health

  • How they approach personal and professional goals

  • How they manage everyday challenges like stress, sleep, and focus

These insights revealed clear opportunities: members wanted flexibility in assessments, actionable recommendations, and framing that felt more outcome-driven than abstract “pillars.”

Exploration & Testing

We explored multiple directions, from a chatbot that nudged small lifestyle changes, to a socially engaging daily awareness tool, to a flexible assessment paired with actionable recommendations. Through storyboards and concept testing, users strongly gravitated toward the third option: a science-based assessment that could be taken in modular chunks, paired with clear behavioral outcomes, such as “reduce stress” or “stay active.”

My Contributions

  • Facilitated alignment workshop to define success, personas, and strategy

  • Conducted ethnographic research and interviews to uncover member needs

  • Created and tested conceptual storyboards across multiple directions

  • Partnered with the science team to balance rigor (single-sit assessments) with usability (modular approach)

  • Advocated for outcome-based framing over abstract health pillars

  • Guided the client team in synthesizing feedback and aligning around the most impactful direction

Challenge 1
Challenge 2
Screenshot of the design file
Screenshot of the design file

Our Impact

The final Staying Sharp experience delivered two key value-adds:

  • A flexible, science-based assessment tailored to members’ needs

  • Actionable recommendations focused on achievable outcomes

This work provided the AARP team with a deeper understanding of their audience and yielded the aspirational solution they were seeking. Staying Sharp launched successfully and remains live today, helping people strengthen their brain health in ways that feel personal, credible, and motivating.

Project Stats

  • 30+ interviews with students, teachers, coordinators, and admins

  • 4 fragmented sites consolidated into 1 unified AP Central

  • “My AP” dashboard created to support 3 main user groups with targeted tools

Sketches of WW explorations

‹ AP Web App Evolution

Wellness Wins ›