IOANNA: AAL Project for Senior Navigation & Social Participation
What Is IOANNA?
IOANNA (Integration Of All stores Network & Navigation Assistant) is a European AAL (Active & Assisted Living) project designed to empower older adults. Its goal is to bring together a wide variety of services — many already proven — into a single, intuitive platform for seniors.
The core idea: make day-to-day life easier, safer, and more socially engaging, using ICT tools (smartphone or tablet).
Key Objectives
- Integrated Service Platform: IOANNA combines multiple functionalities — location-based services, navigation help, a directory of stores, and special offers — all in one place, tailored for older users.
- Promoting Social Inclusion: It helps seniors remain active community members by allowing them to discover local jobs, volunteering opportunities, or community service roles.
- Safety & Independence: If something happens — like a fall or emergency — the app notifies caregivers automatically.
- User-Friendly Design: The platform is built for ease-of-use, with a clean interface suited to older adults, making it more likely to get used regularly.
Impact & Benefits
- Empowers Seniors
By giving older adults access to navigation tools and local information, IOANNA helps them feel confident going out again, whether it’s shopping, socializing, or running errands.- Reduces Caregiver Anxiety
Loved ones and caregivers gain peace of mind: the platform’s alerting mechanism ensures they’ll be notified if something unusual happens. - Boosts Local Business Engagement
IOANNA connects seniors with local shops and services, potentially increasing store visits and contributing to community economic activity. - User-Centric Co-creation
The project used detailed user needs analysis: older adults’ feedback guided the development of features and interface design.
Consortium & Partners
The IOANNA project brought together a cross-European team:
- GeoImaging Ltd (Cyprus) — project coordinator
- Ideable Solutions (Spain)
- Ana Aslan International Foundation (Romania)
- EasyLife (Italy)
- ESKILARA S. Koop. Txikia (Spain)
- AGECARE (Cyprus) — end-user organization
- SingularLogic Romania — large industry partner
Project duration: 30 months, starting on 01 April 2018.
Total budget: €1.52 million (with €0.94 million from public funding).
Results & Legacy
- According to the dissemination report, the project ran multiple activities to promote its impact, raising awareness in senior communities and among local businesses.
- Through user testing and real-world feedback, IOANNA demonstrated that older adults are open to using mobile platforms — if the design is appropriate to their needs.
- The platform’s dual benefit — helping seniors navigate daily life and connecting local shops with older consumers — positions IOANNA as a smart social-urban innovation.
Why IOANNA Matters
- It addresses mobility and social isolation, two key challenges for older adults.
- By enabling aging in place, IOANNA supports independence, while keeping caregivers connected.
- It is a model for how to integrate digital tools into everyday life for seniors, not just for health but also social and economic engagement.