Harmony
Empowering caregivers with the tools that make a difference.
Role
Project ManagerGraphic and UX/UI Designer
Tools
Timeline
Aug → Dec 2024
Links
Figma↗
Introduction
Caregiving often requires balancing a wide range of responsibilities, including:
- Managing medication schedules
- Coordinating doctor’s appointments
- Keeping the whole family informed
All of this while striving to maintain personal well-being. For more than five million Canadians, this daily challenge is particularly pronounced in underrepresented communities, where resources are limited and support networks can feel distant or out of reach.
challenge
How can we help caregivers provide consistent, high-quality care while reducing stress and preventing burnout?
Solution
Simplifying Caregiving with Harmony
Harmony is a web app designed to reduce the overwhelm caregivers face. With AI-powered tools and collaborative features. The app helps ensure high-quality care tailored to the unique needs of loved ones, reducing stress and supporting balance.
Harmony AI
An intelligent assistant that helps caregivers by providing reminders and helping them manage their loved ones' care.
Calendar
A centralized calendar that helps caregivers keep track of appointments, medication schedules, and other important events.
Journal
A journal feature that allows caregivers to record important information, track progress, and share updates with family members.
Research
Understanding the problem
Through conducted 12 interviews to gather insights from caregivers on the challenges they face, how they manage caregiving tasks, and their goals for improving their caregiving routines and overall well-being.
Several key patterns emerged from my research that shaped the project's direction:
01
80% of caregivers experienced emotional stress or felt overwhelmed by the weight of their caregiving duties.
A large majority of caregivers reported feeling overwhelmed by the emotional demands of caregiving, especially when balancing medical needs with other life commitments.
02
60% of caregivers struggled with navigating the healthcare system and coordinating medical appointments.
Caregivers struggled to navigate the healthcare system, from scheduling appointments to communicating with medical professionals. This added complexity made it harder to provide effective care.
03
70% of caregivers reported challenges in managing their time and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Caregivers struggled to balance caregiving duties with work and personal life, leading to stress and burnout.
Interviews with caregivers revealed three key challenges: emotional strain, time management struggles, and communication breakdowns. Many felt overwhelmed by the emotional demands of caregiving, struggled to balance their responsibilities with work and personal life, and faced difficulties navigating the healthcare system. These insights highlight the urgent need for better scheduling, communication, and collaboration tools.
Design Solutions
- AI-Powered scheduling & Task management tools.
- Streamlined task management to reduce cognitive load.
- Collaborative tools to enhance family support systems and communication.
User Personas
These personas effectively illustrate the range of challenges caregivers encounter and demonstrate the specific ways in which Harmony addresses their distinct needs.
Competitive Analysis
The caregiving app market is evolving to provide more than just task management, focusing on communication, health tracking, and community support. Competitors like CircleOf, CareMobi, and Ianacare each offer unique features, from secure messaging to resource sharing and privacy-focused tools.
Design
Harmony Branding
Harmony’s branding reflects community, connection, and care, inspired by the fluidity of jellyfish to symbolize community and care. A purple palette promotes balance, while diverse secondary colors represent caregiving experiences. Clean typography ensures clarity and accessibility. The empathetic tone fosters connection, with subtle cultural influences enhancing relatability. Harmony prioritizes simplicity and thoughtful caregiving, creating an intuitive, supportive experience.
Wireframes
Wireframes were designed to ensure a user-friendly experience that simplifies caregiving tasks. The layout prioritizes essential features, such as the calendar and AI assistant, to streamline daily routines and reduce cognitive load.
Notable explorations in design
After conducting usability tests, a few key design changes were made to enhance the user experience.
Harmony AI
Replaced the call-based AI interaction with a standard chat-style conversation interface, which significantly enhances the user experience by providing a more intuitive and familiar method of engagement.
This interface redesign follows common patterns that users recognize from popular messaging applications, thereby reducing the learning curve and making the technology more accessible to a broader audience.
Harmony Promotional Materials Designs
The focus was creating promotional materials that reflect the app’s mission of fostering care and connection. The process began with brainstorming to determine layouts that would best convey Harmony’s values.
Brainstorming different business cards designs unique layouts and shapes.
flip me :D
Harmony’s landing page is designed to be clean, intuitive, and visually engaging, with the goal of encouraging app downloads, showcasing key features, and building trust with caregivers.
Check outHarmony’s Landing Page!
Final Prototype
Caregiving made simple with Harmony.
to navigate prototype
To Restart
Learnings and Future Directions
During Harmony's development, I discovered that understanding caregiver needs was crucial for delivering personalized support. The analysis of daily routines and user feedback helped create a more tailored caregiving management system.
I also learned that the key to caregiver engagement lies in striking the right balance between simplicity and essential features, ensuring the platform remains accessible while effectively supporting daily caregiving tasks.
Harmony has evolved alongside my growth as a designer, but there's still room for improvement.
Looking ahead, I'd love to explore:
- Implementing AI-driven recommendations based on caregiving patterns and family needs.
- Expanding collaboration tools to include shared care plans and updates for family teams.
- Enhancing personalization with tailored insights and routine-based suggestions for caregivers.
- Integrating cross-platform support to ensure seamless care coordination across devices.
Thank You!
If you'd like to explore the design process, feel free to check out theFigma file.