The idea for the ViewClix solution arose from the experience of one of our founders, Rob Ranck, who wanted to stay close and be in touch more frequently with his senior parents - but they were located on opposites ends of the United States.
Since his dad had a notebook computer, Rob and his family tried video calls using Skype. That worked OK for a while, but too frequently, there were issues with setting up the calls ("Son, which button do I click?") and if something went wrong with the video call, things were too confusing. Unfortunately, Skype calling eventually became impossible due to his dad's dementia and because Rob's mom wasn't very familiar with using a PC. Rob then bought them an iPad but was surprised when that didn't make things any easier.
Rob's mom loved to look at family photos so Rob then purchased a digital picture frame and did some special configuring to try to make it easy for his parents. But once again, these were not designed to be plug and play for seniors and the remote management simply was not available.
And that's where the idea for ViewClix started. Given Rob's experiences and frustration, there was a clear opportunity to create a product that helped families stay in touch with their senior loved ones.
A founding team is born
Rob's decades of experience at large companies (e.g. Intel, AT&T) combined with experience as a start-up entrepreneur, led him to begin prototyping the concept of ViewClix. Committed to launching the product, Rob needed a co-founder to help bring the idea to market. He turned to his son, Dennis, who was working in the accounting field for a technology company.
An ace in the hole
Cathy Ranck, Rob's wife, has delivered ViewClix's key advantage since day 1. With 30+ years experience in senior care, Cathy has a deep understanding of what will and won't work for a senior. She provides input and guidance on all ViewClix features. The ease of use experience at the senior's end can all be credited to her.
The first ViewClix Smart Frame was launched in 2017. Now, with hundreds of thousands of users, millions of pictures shared, and tens of millions of video call minutes, it still amazes them to see how far ViewClix has come.
Rob and Dennis would like to thank their family members and friends who helped support them through the years. Whether it was packing boxes, testing features, or just being a sounding board, without support from family and friends, ViewClix would not be here today.
