Academic project
PorchApp
The neighborhood porch, reimagined for the digital age.
Download the full portfolio (PDF) ↓01 · The problem
No one should feel invisible as they age..
People over 65 increasingly live in social isolation.
in extra Medicare expenditures connected to social isolation.
of seniors already use a smartphone.
Referenced data: NIA/CDC 2023 · AARP Public Policy Institute 2017 · Pew Research Center 202
02 · My proposal
A daily reason to say hello.
PorchApp sends one gentle question each day. Neighbors reply with a single tap—no typing needed. Their answers become small stories the entire porch can read or listen to.
So that no one grows old feeling invisible — rebuilding the everyday closeness of a real neighborhood, on a phone anyone can use.
03 · How it works
Simple by design. Scientific underneath.
04 · From the digital porch to real encounters
Digital that ends in person.
PorchApp doesn’t aim to replace human contact—it aims to spark it. The app invites neighbors to meet in real life: coffee at Margaret’s, a walk, an afternoon together.
Every in‑person encounter is the final goal: technology steps aside so community can happen face to face.
05 · For everyone, with or without a screen
It can also be heard out loud.
Not all older adults feel comfortable with a phone. That’s why porch stories also arrive by voice, through a smart speaker.
Just listen: neighbors’ replies are read aloud every morning, without touching anything. Connection doesn’t depend on knowing how to use technology.
“Good morning. Today Margaret had coffee and toast, and Robert baked bread…”
06 · Business model
Free for seniors. Paid by those who benefit from their wellbeing.
Insurers pay $3 to $4 per active senior per month. Reducing isolation saves them medical costs.
Partnerships with AARP and brands aligned with older adults’ lives, without breaking the porch’s calm.
Always free for older adults and their families. No barriers to belonging.
07 · Three‑year projections
The J‑curve: invest today to serve more tomorrow.
Conservative scenario: pilot in two cities, with active seniors growing month by month. Estimated startup cost: $1.2M.
Illustrative projections built on reasonable assumptions for academic purposes. Not an audited forecast.
PorchApp
So no one grows old feeling invisible.
Download full portfolio (PDF) ↓ Pilot budget (Excel) ↓Javier Ayala · info@javierayala.co · javierayala.co
Presented at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) · Atlanta, GA · 2026
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