Client Overview
Client: Selfhelp Community Services
Product: Virtual Senior Center (VSC)
Industry: Non-profit Senior Care / Healthcare
Location: New York, USA
Technologies: .NET (Azure Cloud), Angular, Flutter, SQL, Kubernetes
With a mission to help adults age with independence and dignity, Selfhelp created the Virtual Senior Center (VSC), a pioneering online community platform providing interactive classes, engaging video chats, and inspiring virtual events for homebound and isolated older adults. VSC is powered by enliveo, a modern, modular platform developed to support multi-organizational, scalable, and accessible engagement for users of all ages. With full multi-tenant support, enliveo allows each organization to manage its own branding, content, help pages, and administrative structure, while ensuring strict logical data separation.
The platform was initially built on legacy technology that had become outdated, costly to maintain, and unable to scale with growing demand. As usage expanded (especially during the pandemic), the limitations of the legacy app became clear: it was inefficient, prone to errors, and lacked modern features needed to support thousands of users and new services. The client recognized that to achieve their vision of combating social isolation among older adults, they needed to modernize their platform from the ground up.
Key Challenges and Goals
The organization identified several strategic goals to transform their technology-driven program:
- Modern, Accessible User Experience: Redesign the interface to be intuitive for adults with limited computer skills and meet WCAG AAA accessibility standards, so that even those with visual or motor impairments can easily connect and increase their social interactions.
- Operational Efficiency: Optimize and automate administrative workflows – moving away from time-consuming, error-prone manual processes (such as class scheduling, user onboarding, and tech support) to streamlined digital workflows.
- Scalability and Performance: Migrate off the legacy codebase to a reliable, cloud-based architecture that can easily scale to meet growing usage, ensuring smooth performance during live classes and online/hybrid events.
- Data Monitoring & Insights: Create robust monitoring, tracking, and data management solutions, including real-time analytics of user engagement and health outcomes, and comprehensive reporting mechanisms for different stakeholders (staff, management, partner organizations).
- Multi-Community Support: Develop the platform into a multi-tenant solution that allows external organizations to host their own private communities on the platform. This required flexible content sharing, customized sub-communities, and centralized user identity management across different client organizations.
- Enhanced Security: Improve security controls at all levels, from data privacy for personal information to secure video conferencing, ensuring HIPAA compliance where applicable and protecting against vulnerabilities. This included implementing single sign-on, role-based access, and regular security audits.
Solution and Approach
Softray partnered with Selfhelpin a full-cycle, multi-year engagement to redesign and rebuild the Virtual Senior Center as a modern web platform. Over the course of the engagement, our team delivered an end-to-end solution – from initial UX/UI design through development, cloud deployment, and maintenance – to meet the Selfhelp’s transformation goals.
– User-Centered Design: We began with a refined, user-centric design process. Softray’s UX/UI designers worked closely with older adult end-users and stakeholders to mock up advanced interactions and workflows, ensuring the interface remained accessible to all. We created interactive prototypes to simulate key user journeys (joining a class, starting a video chat, browsing events) and conducted rounds of user testing with older adults, iterating on feedback. This process validated usability and accessibility features before development.
- Accessibility-Driven Design Decisions from Real User Testing
User testing with older adults revealed specific accessibility challenges that directly influenced our design decisions for the Virtual Senior Center. Our team used iterative prototyping and real-time feedback from older adults to ensure the interface was welcoming, clear, and highly usable.
Key changes included:
- Text legibility and font sizing
Many users struggled with small or thin fonts. We adopted a minimum 16–18 pt base font, used high-weight sans-serif typefaces, and ensured all text could be resized without breaking layout. Line spacing and paragraph padding were increased to support easier reading. - High contrast and color choices
We applied WCAG AAA contrast ratios, avoided low-contrast palettes, and used solid backgrounds to enhance text visibility. Call-to-action buttons were color-coded with distinct hues and paired with large, recognizable icons. - Button size and placement
To accommodate fine motor limitations, all interactive elements were designed with a minimum of 48×48 px touch targets and generous spacing. Primary actions were placed consistently to reduce visual scanning effort. - Simplified navigation and predictable layouts
We reduced menu layers, kept navigation visible at all times, and replaced ambiguous icons with clear labels (e.g., “Video Call” instead of just a camera icon), making the system intuitive for users unfamiliar with digital tools. - Feedback and error prevention
Confirmation dialogs, visual feedback indicators, and error prevention techniques were added to help users feel confident that their actions were registered by the system.
This process blended best practices from WCAG 2.1 compliance with hands-on co-design sessions and prototype observations conducted alongside the VSC team. The result: an interface tailored for accessibility, confidence, and comfort across a diverse older user base.
– Agile Development & Modern Tech Stack: Once the visual design and specifications were approved, Softray’s engineering and delivery team implemented the solution using a modern tech stack: .NET Core on Azure for a secure, scalable backend, Angular for the web frontend, Development was managed within an Agile framework, supported by a fully implemented CI/CD pipeline using Azure DevOps and Azure Pipelines for automated testing and deployment.
– Architecture for Scale & Reliability: The new platform was architected as a cloud-native solution on Microsoft Azure, embracing microservices and containerization. We configured a highly available infrastructure using Azure Kubernetes Service and Azure SQL Database, allowing the system to scale up dynamically based on load. This means as more older adults join popular classes or when new partner organizations come on board, the platform can handle the traffic without performance degradation. We also set up health monitoring and diagnostics using Azure Monitor and custom dashboards, giving real-time visibility into system performance and user activity. The result is a platform that has virtually zero downtime and can support tens of thousands of users on demand.
– Integrated Video Conferencing: To support live interactive classes, Softray integrated a robust, self-hosted video conferencing solution. Built on Jitsi Meet with JWT authentication, the platform supports secure, encrypted calls. VSC members can join sessions with a single click, no external apps needed, via embedded or native video options. Features like tile view, screen sharing, chat moderation, and ‘Join Now’ logic ensure a smooth, accessible experience. Hosting the solution internally gives the client full control over data, security, and reliability.
– Advanced Features and Enhancements:The development included multiple custom-made features tailored to the client’s needs:
- A multi-language interface, allowing diverse users to engage in their native language
- Multi-time zone scheduling, so class times automatically adjust based on users’ locations
- A flexible system design that enables content customization and sharing across users and sub-communities.
- Rich user engagement tracking, capturing attendance, participation, and interaction data, all visualized through integrated Power BI dashboards for actionable insights
- A configurable, role-based notifications system keeps participants, caregivers, facilitators, and administrators informed in real time, via in-app, and push. Notifications include automated reminders for upcoming classes, chat invitations, and important platform activity, with timing and delivery customized per user role and preference.
- A robust permissions framework supporting six user roles, each with fine-grained access control across key modules like Programs, Chats, Promotions, and Announcements.
- Rich content ecosystem support, from livestreamed classes and on-demand videos to group-specific news feeds, digital games, and curated web resources, all personalized by user language, content categories, and group assignment.
– Flexible Monetization Capabilities: The platform includes a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) module, enabling users to purchase an annual subscription for themselves or a family member. New users can receive an invite link to explore a limited version of the platform and upgrade to full access through an easy subscription flow. This monetization feature demonstrates the platform’s flexibility to support both nonprofit and revenue-driven models.
– Process Improvements: Softray’s product team didn’t just write code, we also helped the client establish stable operational processes. We delivered comprehensive documentation, from architecture diagrams to admin manuals, and set up procedures for content management and user support. On the infrastructure side, we designed minimal deployment downtime and risk mitigation using blue-green deployment strategies, automated backups for production databases, and Infrastructure-as-Code to replicate environments reliably.
– Security was a top priority: the new platform introduced centralized identity management, regular vulnerability scans, and compliance checks. Automated scripts routinely check for infrastructure drift or open ports, and all data-in-transit is encrypted. Jitsi is tightly integrated via Azure-hosted infrastructure, with restricted mobile access for security and performance consistency. These measures ensured the platform met or exceeded the client’s security requirements and protected sensitive user information.
Results and Benefits
Partnership with Softray empowered Selfhelp to digitally transform their Virtual Senior Center and achieve significant growth and impact. The new platform successfully met all key objectives:
- Massive User Growth
The platform’s improvements led to a 400% increase in the user base (a fivefold growth of active participants). Homebound older adults across the region (and beyond) embraced the virtual community now that it was more accessible and reliable. In fact, the number of live programs offered grew to over 7,000 classes per year, accommodating thousands of concurrent users during peak times without issues. This dramatic growth was possible because the modernized platform scales effortlessly, whereas the old system would crash under a fraction of this load. - Exponential Engagement Increase
By introducing a user-friendly UI and richer features, the platform saw exponential growth in engagement. VSC members are now attending more classes and events than ever before. The revamped platform has led to record-high class attendance and participation rates. The streamlined experience (e.g., easy class discovery and one-click join) and new content offerings resulted in users spending significantly more time in the community. - Operational Efficiency & Flexibility
The organization’s processes are now optimized and largely automated, which has saved countless hours of manual work. Administrative tasks that used to take days (or were prone to human error) – such as compiling class schedules, sending reminders, tracking attendance, or generating reports – are now handled by the system in seconds. This optimized workflow means staff can focus on expanding content and supporting users instead of fighting technology.
Additionally, the platform’s flexibility has opened new possibilities: external partners (like senior centers or health organizations) can onboard quickly and create their own virtual communities using the VSC platform, thanks to the multi-tenant architecture. This extended reach was demonstrated when the New York State Office for the Aging partnered with Selfhelp to roll out the Virtual Senior Center to older adults across NYS – a testament to the platform’s scalability and value as a statewide solution to prevent social isolation among older adults. - Improved Security and Reliability
The new platform dramatically improved security, protecting user data and ensuring privacy for sensitive health-related discussions. With Azure’s cloud resilience and our infrastructure design, the system achieved near-100% uptime, eliminating the frequent outages of the legacy system. Regular security audits and robust backup strategies mean the client can trust the platform for mission-critical operations. These improvements also instilled confidence in partner organizations and users who are entrusting the platform with their information and participation. - Measurable Impact on Older Adults’ Well-being
Most importantly, the modernized Virtual Senior Center has tangibly improved the lives of its users. An independent evaluation by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine found that, with the new platform supporting an expanded program, VSC members reported remarkable benefits:
– 97% of participants said that the platform improved the quality of their life, highlighting how critical this virtual community became for them.
– 80% of VSC members experienced reduced loneliness. By regularly attending virtual classes and social events, they felt less isolated in their daily lives.
– 60% of participants felt more connected to other people and their community – many formed new friendships online that extend beyond the classes.
– 51% of users self-reported an improvement in their overall health and well-being, attributing it to the engaging activities and social interaction the platform offers
To support and validate these outcomes, the platform integrates research-backed surveys such as the UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale and automated post-program feedback forms. These tools help monitor user sentiment, emotional well-being, and program effectiveness in real time, providing actionable insights to continuously improve the platform experience.
These outcomes underscore that a simple, accessible UI and reliable technology can lead to meaningful human connections that enrich and change lives.
“Every member who benefits from this platform is part of our extended family. We’re changing lives and health outcomes at a scale that wasn’t possible before,” noted Selfhelp’s COO, reflecting on the platform’s transformative impact.
Awards and Recognition
The success of the Virtual Senior Center has been recognized with multiple industry awards and honors.
- Within the first year of launch, the platform won the Home Care Association of New York State’s Quality & Innovation Award for delivering vital services to older adults in a safe, online format during the pandemic.
- Around the same time, Selfhelp’s VSC was honored with the Consumer Technology Association Foundation’s “John & Jane Shalam Award to Combat Social Isolation” – a national award recognizing innovative tech solutions for isolation.
- The accolades didn’t stop there: the project earned a Gold Award in the “Building Bridges” category of the McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards, highlighting how the platform improved connections in senior living.
- The VSC initiative was also a finalist or runner-up in several innovation challenges (e.g., an AARP Innovation Labs Social Connections Challenge), showcasing its cutting-edge approach to addressing a pressing social issue.
Each award and recognition reinforces that the collaborative work between Selfhelp and Softray not only achieved technical success but also made a meaningful social impact.
Fully designed and developed by Softray, the Virtual Senior Center’s web application has become a flagship example of digital transformation in healthcare and aging services. The platform’s ongoing success is evident as it continues to expand its user base and feature set, and it stands as an award-winning solution in the fight against social isolation among older adults.
User Testimonials
The following testimonials are shared directly from the Virtual Senior Center (VSC) website and YouTube channel, where members describe in their own words how the platform has enriched their lives and helped them stay connected.
About Client
Selfhelp Community Services is committed to delivering compassionate, trusted, and innovative care that honors the life experiences of every individual. The organization’s unique approach is shaped by its longstanding work with Holocaust survivors, providing the insight and sensitivity needed to respond to a wide range of aging-related challenges. At the heart of its mission is the belief that every person deserves to age with dignity and independence.
Today, Selfhelp supports more than 25,000 older adults through affordable housing, home care, and community-based services. Its Virtual Senior Center offers a dynamic online community where older and homebound adults can connect and participate in virtual and hybrid classes—reducing social isolation by fostering meaningful social networks.
Learn more: www.selfhelp.net, vscm.selfhelp.net