YOU GOT THIS
A tool designed to connect, educate and empower people though their loss.
roles and constraints
My role:
UI/UX, Visual Designer
Tools:
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator
Scope:
2 weeks
Feb, 2022 as part of a design course at Ironhack
What I did:
Competitive Analysis, User Research, Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis, Information Architecture, Mobile and Desktop design, Usability study
overview
the problem
The stigmatization of Death has created a culture in which our relationship to it has become damaged and disconnected. This Death Avoidance has resulted in a society unprepared for such events - often leaving grieving loved ones scrambling for useful support and insights.
the solution
My idea was to create an app to
1. perform daily check-ins to track the well-ness of the individual using the app;
2. provide resources to assist individuals through logistics and paperwork.
3. provide some tips and articles about the grieving process along with material related to their individual circumstance
4. connect people to moderated forums and grieving groups in their area.
the challenge
I set out to understand the sensitive process of EOL (End of Life) Care and what individuals, both the dying and surviving, needed at that time.
My aim was to find common pain points while recording any relief or stressors they experienced throughout the process.
While technology is no substitute for the human heart and what it can provide, I do believe that it can be a tool to help people connect. The following research was done to see if there were a place for such an application.
Competitor Analysis: Empathy & Lantern.
research
The first step in my research process was to find four businesses within the Death and EOL apps currently in the market. I evaluated their aesthetic, tone, offerings and accessibility to identify the strengths and weakness of each platform along with discovering any opportunities that I could find to incorporate into a new app.
The two I chose to discuss in this case study are: Empathy and Lantern.
Next, I created a survey to understand peoples' relationship to and experiences with death. This would shed light on patterns, pain points and areas of relief. From the 56 participants, I was able to come up with the following insights.
Questions regarding a will
A vast majority of participants did not have them. This meant that many people are not logistically prepared for death.
out of the 56 people who took the survey
66% (39) women
32% (19) men
1% (1) non binary
83% of whom are
over37 years old
83% of whom are
over37 years old
84% did not have
a will or their EOL affairs in order.
I also asked people directly, if they would use an app that helped people deal with grieving.
If a Death App existed, would you use it?
What would you expect it to offer?
More info from my survey can be found here.
Empathy
Lantern
Survey
Interviews
Next, I interviewed 10 individuals, ranging in age, gender, nationality and in different stages of the grieving process to empathize with their needs and goals. I guided them through a series of questions as each one shared intimate stories about the final time spent with their loved ones; what they went through during the transition, how they coped after their passing, and what they felt worked or could have further assisted in their process.
"I wrote and wish I had done more- I cherish those notes and letters. It puts me back into he intimacy of that time and place. It allows me to remember the small details- the sadness and the beauty of the moment."
"There is a certain calmness that comes with letting go. But it also comes with guilt. We feel like we are abandoning our sadness - our person - when we feel like we're starting to feel better. I needed support though that, definitely."
"I felt comepletely alone for the first year. I think people were nervous to be around me because they couldnt handle the situation."
"I found some groups, but they were all led by Christians. No offense, but I'm an Athiest Jew. I couldnt connect to someone else's god."
"I wish i had recorded her more. We would have her read children's books so that when her grandkids could grow up, they would be able to listen to her dictate their favorite stories."
Key Take Aways
Connection and safe support is what people need most after losing a loved one.
Based on the existing Death App model, I was able to garner a general sense of aesthetic and tone.
These apps provided a lot of great information but lacked a means to reach out to community.
Finally, people liked to write about and have the ability to record their loved ones last days.
From the information gathered from the survey, I discovered that a majority of people do not have their affairs in order and would find to-do and check-lists along with other resources, very helpful.
Personas
Based on all of my research, I created two personas to help me further empathize with my users.
Nina
Leyla
At this point, my priorities became clear.
Must have
Connecting people
to each other in a
safe and relatable way.
Check lists with
reminder notifications.
Nice to have
Include relavant resources.
Journaling
Design
My goal was to create a sense of peaceful productivity. Knowing full well that the users of this app would likely
be suffering from strained eyes, I wanted to develop a warm, rich color palate with enough contrast to hold the users' attention and to be accessible to the visually impaired. I relied on inspirations from Hilma af Klint, color theory and user feedback to develop the following style.
Prototyping and Iterations
Low- Fi
Next, I created a short series of onboarding questions to get a sense of a users' specific situation. This was followed by a daily check-in to track their emotional state, followed by a welcome page, higlighting group activities of the day, helpful tips & information and meditations & articles.
Low- Fi Testing
I had a total of six users navigate my low-fi wire-frame. Overall the feedback was positive, with a few adjustment being made, I started to develop my mid-fidelity.
Mid-Fi
Mid-Fi Testing
I realized that to get enough information to the developers & to build a more personalized app, I needed to create a longer onboarding process, finding out as much about the user as I could.
Feedback that I received at this stage was:
-
To change out the radio buttons, which were on the small side, to larger buttons for easier accessibility.
-
Using the rules of Information Architecture, I was asked to bring more attention to the social aspects of the app, immediately calling the users to their groups and communities. I made this the highest priority, changing these to the first thing they saw upon signing in.
Hi-Fi
Finally, I moved onto the high-fi iteration of the app making (of course!) a few more adjustments to the homepage based on some helpful user feedback.
These included:
-
Adding a larger, more comprehensive list of tasks directly on homepage.
-
Redesigning the "Journal" page to giving more space for writing.
Final Iteration
Prototype
Lessons and Learnings
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I learned that MVP is key to staying focused and to not create too many unnecessary pages.
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Keep iterating! Keep asking questions. The more you do, the better your end result will be.
Next Steps
I loved this project and certainly want to develop ways in which I can continue to help people during this process. I’d love to find a way to incorporate actual grief groups into this application and to see if YOU GOT THIS would be helpful for grief therapists to track their clients during their grieving journeys.
Much love and many thanks!
To read a more detailed version of this project, click