Carer’s Cloud
Empowering Unpaid Carers Through Empathetic Design
In the UK, over five million unpaid carers quietly provide essential support to loved ones—often at great personal cost. Many face financial hardship, emotional burnout, and social isolation while struggling to balance caregiving with other responsibilities. Irene Watkins, founder of Carers Cloud, experienced these challenges first-hand and recognised the urgent need for a dedicated digital support platform.
With a vision to walk beside carers rather than simply instruct them, Irene approached CEMET to help turn her idea into a real, testable product that could demonstrate impact and secure further support. The result was an intuitive, user-centred interactive prototype for a mobile app that offers guidance, learning, and community for carers at every stage of their journey.
What Did We Do?
CEMET worked closely with Irene to shape Carers Cloud into a practical, visually engaging prototype that demonstrates the app’s potential to both users and stakeholders. The project began with UX discovery and consultation sessions, helping to align the app’s goals with the lived experiences and needs of unpaid carers. CEMET translated Irene’s vision into a complete set of mobile-friendly designs, including screen layouts for onboarding, course modules, calendar integration, quizzes, and booking tools.
Rather than overloading carers with content, the prototype embraced simplicity and personalisation—starting with a short onboarding questionnaire that generates a bespoke learning roadmap tailored to each user’s caregiving situation. Educational content was structured like a typical online course platform, divided into bite-sized modules with progress tracking and interactive elements. In parallel, the app offered a personal dashboard that keeps carers informed about their progress, upcoming events, and recommended content—reinforcing daily engagement and encouraging exploration.
CEMET delivered not just visual designs, but a fully interactive prototype that could be used to gather feedback from real users and demonstrate the app’s potential to investors. Accompanying these were branded assets, design boards, and a downloadable pack suitable for both Android and iOS development—ensuring Irene was equipped with everything needed to move confidently into the next phase of building and fundraising.
Designing with Carers in Mind
At the heart of the Carers Cloud prototype is a focus on empathy, simplicity, and behavioural insight. The app opens with a gentle onboarding experience, guiding carers through a short and thoughtfully worded questionnaire. This initial step helps assess their caregiving context—whether they’re just starting out, adjusting to change, or recovering after bereavement. From here, a personalised learning roadmap is created, offering tailored guidance that meets carers where they are.
Structured educational content is delivered in manageable modules, complete with progress tracking and interactive quizzes. This approach draws on proven learning principles like chunking, positive reinforcement, and gamification to encourage completion and build confidence. A central dashboard acts as the carer’s home base, surfacing timely suggestions, upcoming events, and relevant support features in a clear, visually inviting layout—intentionally styled to evoke familiarity with streaming platforms, making the experience feel intuitive and comfortable.
A built-in event calendar allows users to browse and manage both online and in-person sessions with ease. Visual cues and simple booking features make the process accessible and stress-free. The app also provides one-to-one coaching functionality, enabling carers to connect directly with support professionals via video call. Alongside this, in-app chat options and community spaces offer social connection and timely help, counteracting isolation and reinforcing a sense of shared experience.
With inclusivity in mind, the app’s design supports closed captions, colour contrast toggles, accessible navigation, and content available in multiple formats. Throughout the design process, CEMET applied behavioural design principles such as progressive disclosure and positive reinforcement—ensuring that information is revealed gradually, users feel in control, and even small achievements are celebrated. The result is an experience that feels not just helpful, but empowering.
The Outcome
With a beautifully designed prototype in hand, Irene has since engaged with funders including Innovate UK to support the next stage of Carers Cloud’s development. She now has a tangible asset to share with carers, stakeholders, and funders—one that clearly demonstrates the platform’s value and potential.
“As an aspiring entrepreneur, the journey to bringing my vision of Carers Cloud to life has been both challenging and rewarding. I am incredibly grateful for the unwavering support provided by CEMET. Their assistance was instrumental in transforming my idea into a tangible startup that walks beside unpaid carers, offering them essential resources, support, and a personalised plan to adapt and thrive build resilience throughout their caring journey.
The mentorship and guidance I received from CEMET not only helped me refine my business concept but also enabled me to create a wireframe prototype of the Carers Cloud app. This prototype visually demonstrates how the app functions, making it easier for investors to understand its potential impact. Thanks to CEMET’s backing, I garnered interest from potential funders and laid a foundation for the next stage of development.
CEMET’s commitment to supporting new entrepreneurs is invaluable. Their ongoing funding can empower more innovative ideas to emerge, helping to solve real problems faced by individuals and communities. By continuing to invest in startups like Carers Cloud, CEMET can play a crucial role in fostering a vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurs dedicated to making a positive difference.
I wholeheartedly advocate for the continued support and funding of CEMET, as it is vital for nurturing the next generation of innovators who are passionate about creating meaningful change.”
The prototype not only brought Irene’s vision to life but also provided her with a concrete tool to test with carers, refine the experience, and move confidently toward full development.
Next Steps
Carers Cloud is now on track to become a vital companion for carers across the UK—combining digital convenience with emotional support and practical tools. The app’s modular design means it can easily grow, with more features, languages, and learning resources added over time. Its inclusive and scalable architecture ensures that Carers Cloud is not just a short-term solution, but a long-term partner for those who give so much to others.
CEMET is proud to continue to support Carer’s Cloud through the development or this new app. To find out more about their latest work visit their website
