Mend and Luna
During my graduate studies in Design and Innovation, I worked on a group project focused on creating a solution for grief after losing a loved one. I contributed to secondary research, technology research, conducted interviews, and built prototypes. This project is particularly meaningful to me as it stems from my personal experience of losing my mother to Covid-19. My peers shared similar experiences, and we collectively understood that grieving is a delicate process that requires care, as those who are grieving can be sensitive to miscommunication, even from well-meaning loved ones.
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Substance, Adobe Preimiere Pro, Adobe Photoshop
Concept
Design Thinking
Meet Mend, your personal sanctuary for healing and connection. Whether you need a quiet space to vent or a supportive community that truly understands, Mend adapts to you. At its heart is Luna, an emotionally intelligent AI that doesn’t just listen—it feels. Powered by deep learning, Luna checks in when you need it most, offering comfort, validation, and even adjusting your smart home ambiance to match your emotions. With Mend and Luna, you’re never alone—just understood.
The Process.
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The Process. *
Problem Statement: Most people who go through the tragic loss of a loved one do not get the requisite support they need to heal effectively.
Step 1: Discovering the problem statement
Tools: Mind Mapping using the 5W1H method, secondary research, and opportunity analysis.
Using the 5W1H method, we identified problem areas in grief, clarifying what we know, think we know, don't know, and haven't explored.
Step 2: Primary Research
Tools: Survey and in-person Interviews.
“I believe pain and grief are real no matter the age or loss.”
“I sought mental help, but it never felt requisite.”
“It’s been years, but I feel like the grief never left me.”
“I honestly feel people’s ignorant words set my healing back.”
“I just wish I had more control over my healing journey.”
“Sometimes I don’t really want to talk to people about it, but I still have things to say.”
“Truth be told, I’m not sure what could truly help me at this point. At the very least, I could ask for something that makes the time it takes bearable.”
“I never gave much thought to it; I just immersed myself in my work and spent time with people.”
“I feel like I could really use a companion, but I don’t want to bother people, and I know they can’t be available 24/7.”
Through the insights we gathered from our primary research and interviews, we created User Personas and went on to define ‘How Might We’s’ to start exploring the solution space for the pain points of our target users.
Step 3: Ideation, Prototyping and User Testing
Tools: Brainstorming tools such as Crazy 8 and Round Robin as well as lo-fi concepts using Adobe Illustrator and Canva.
An artificially intelligent robot that listens to you and provides emotional, non-verbal responses
A solution involving light therapy that changes with your mood for alerting.
A bot involving music that plays ambient sounds to calm anxiety.
An app or physical product that has the ability to sense when you are having a breakdown and can make emergency calls.
An app which unites people on the same healing journey but provides you with the option of when you choose to interact
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Wireframe Sketches
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Physical Handouts
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Potential Care Packages
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Initial Bot Sketches
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Physical Bot Prototype
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Initial App Explorations
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User Testing App Prototypes
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User Testing Bot Prototypes
Final Solution
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Final Solution *
Luna is an empathy bot that communicates with users when they're feeling down and changes its light based on their emotions. Made of gorilla glass and aluminum, its comforting design makes it approachable. Voice-enabled and IoT-connected, Luna uses deep learning algorithms to gauge users' feelings.
Luna in Action
Mend is a self-help app designed for those grieving, offering emotional support and a community. It provides activities to help users feel better during tough times. The app works best with Luna, utilizing data exchange and machine learning. Mend features a recommendation system using collaborative filtering for relevant content.
Style Guide
Professors
“Exploration of this technology could be revolutionary.”
User
“The bot looks soothing, It makes me feel calm.”
User
“The app colour scheme gives a happy feeling, its so bright.”
User