Windbell.
There's a better way to say "goodbye".
OVERVIEW
It is a memorial app that provides emotional comfort and mental health support for people who are grieving the loss of loved ones.
Timeline
10 Weeks
Contributor
Charlie
Wenyi Lu
Yihang Ouyang
Yunong Wu
Role
UI/UX Designer
UX Researcher
Usability Testing
Skills
Desk Research
Qualitative Interview
Product Design
Experience Design
Programs
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Principle
BACKGROUND
Millions of families have experienced severe grief and depression due to the loss of their loved ones caused by the pandemic.
PROBLEM
We found it has become a social problem, especially in East Asian cultures, since they prefer to keep all the grief themselves rather than talk about it or seek assistance.
WHO'S OUR USER?
People who want to honor the deceased
or seek psychological support to relieve the grief.
Build a bridge of
transition to help people
Come out of grief.
SOLUTION
Windbell: A supportive App that provides comfort, memorial
places, and timely counseling for those who have lost loved ones.
01.
Sharing Emotions
It is a safe community where users can share their stories and give comforting hugs to others, feel free to seek help from counseling groups and professional therapists.
02.
Virtual Contact
Virtual calls and letters help create continuous bonds with the option to save private records. The Emotional Journey will track the progressive process of getting through grief and can assist when conducting therapy.
03.
Memorial
Upload photos of the deceased with the family, keep them organized and saved in the private cloud, and create a garden of memories to honor the deceased.
How we got there?
People handle
grief in different ways.
Most people experience
acute grief for 6 -12 months
Some people will experience
ongoing grief for more than 12 months.
Without proper relief, grief can induce a variety of physical and emotional problems:
BEFORE INTERVIEW
Since death is a sensitive topic, we spoke with two NOGs and a psychologist to ensure that it would not be too overwhelming for the participants.
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
We gathered insights from 4 people who had lost a loved one within 3 months to 5 years, as well as two diary studies provided by volunteers.
How are people currently dealing with grief?
FINDINGS
There are 3 main ways to cope with grief
Sharing your feelings through therapy and support groups
"Keeping in touch” with your departed loved ones
Memorials and honoring their memory
01.
Sharing your feelings
Talking to someone who had a similar experience or with professional therapists can support people in their grief.
Living with the pain of unresolved loss is unhealthy and can lead to complicated grief. Counseling groups and therapy can help.
02.
Keeping in touch
Trying to maintain the connection can help people cope with loss and accompanying changes in their lives.
Holding onto items, conversations with the loved one, and thinking about them are all ways people continue bonds with deceased loved ones, these behaviors are not only normal but also can help people grow warm memories and connections to cope with grief over time.
03.
Memorials &
Honoring their memory
Having a visible demonstration of a loved one's memory is an important part of coping with grief.
Whether choosing to share that memorial publicly or keep it private, it enables people to show honor and respect for their loved ones and focus on something positive.
MOOD BOARD
We decided to go with soft colors to neutralize the heaviness and depression associated with death.
INSPIRATION
We drew inspiration from meditation apps, and aim to provide a peaceful and healing vibe for users
MAKE LO-FI
TEST
& ITERATE
STYLE GUIDE
FEATURES
ITERATIONS
1. Redesign the layout of the story and consoling function.
Why we made this feature?
Most users only pay attention to the story function and without noticing the counseling function while testing.
User testing results:
5/6 users agree that they can pay equal attention to the story and consoling function after iterating the layout.
Enhance equivalence of the consoling and story function
2. Add a virtual call function.
Our initial idea was only to write letters.
Soft background music / white noise helps users soothe their emotions.
Why we made this feature?
Some participants feel it's easier and more natural to speak out than to write letters, which also can improve accessibility.
User testing results:
2/3 of users believe that the virtual call feature allows them to express their feelings more naturally without overthinking.
3. Change the solid color in the emotion diary to emojis.
Why we made this feature?
User testing results:
Users think the solid color looks too similar and it's hard to remember every emotion behind it, which makes it meaningless.
All participants agree that it's more accurate and helpful to record mood changes with emojis than colors.
Solid color only
Expressions with more vivid and cheerful color
ONBOARDING EXPERIENCE
We found that some participants were confused about
the app's function when first using it, so we created the onboarding guide to help users get a quick start.
Why we made this feature?
Reduce the time cost for users to learn how to use innovative features.
User testing results:
6/6 participants consider it easier to get started.
