YUSH
BRANDING - Luxury Heels, Smart Comfort
Overview
At YUSH, a luxury tech startup, I worked as an Interaction Designer. My primary responsibilities included developing branding materials and assisting in key decision-making processes to shape the company’s visual identity and user experience. I played a critical role in designing the company’s landing page using Figma, which I subsequently implemented on Webflow. Leveraging my background in product design, I also contributed to the development of the physical product by conducting ergonomic research and testing to support the MVP of YUSH shoes.
Design Brief
YUSH is a high-tech luxury shoe brand. The branding needed to reflect both the luxury and technological aspects. This was achieved through thoughtful color choices and design forms that embody elegance while highlighting the innovative technology behind the product
Problem Discovery
Oral Hygiene is not Fun!
The problem of children not developing consistent oral hygiene habits emerged from a combination of primary research and existing studies on children's health behavior. Initially, I conducted observations and informal interviews with parents and children, where I noticed a recurring theme: many children find traditional brushing routines boring and disengaging. This lack of interest often leads to inconsistent brushing habits, which can negatively impact their dental health over time.
I reviewed studies on children's oral hygiene, which showed that while parents try to instill good habits, traditional methods like reminders or timers often fail to keep children engaged. The research also revealed a decline in oral hygiene as kids grow older, highlighting the need for a more engaging approach
Current methods of teaching children about hygiene often lack creativity and fail to inspire the development of healthy oral hygiene habits
Our Solution
Revolutionizing Oral Care with Engaging AR Experiences
Dentia is a project aimed at revolutionizing oral hygiene education for children by tackling the issue of uninspiring and ineffective brushing routines. The Dentia toothbrush system leverages Augmented Reality (AR) technology to turn brushing into an engaging and interactive experience that motivates kids to develop healthy habits
System
Building Lifelong Oral Hygiene Habits Through Fun and Learning
The system features a smart mirror display with animations and AR elements that sync with the child’s brushing motions, providing real-time feedback. This interactive experience not only makes brushing fun but also ensures that children are brushing thoroughly and for the right amount of time. Dentia’s advanced motion detection technology can even guide your child on where to brush more, ensuring comprehensive cleaning
The App
Track and Personalize Your Child’s Brushing Experience
The Dentia app lets parents track their child's brushing progress and manage the content they interact with during sessions. Parents can monitor brushing habits, limit or add content, and personalize the experience to keep it both fun and effective. This ensures that Dentia not only supports healthy habits but also fits each family's need
Features
Easy set up
Storyboard
How to interact
Joint Availability
Ai Chat Prompts
Stress Alerts
Problem Discovery
Misaligned Schedules and Emotional States Impact Long-Distance Relationships
During early interviews with our target users (long-distance couples), many expressed difficulty in finding common free time to communicate, often leading to less meaningful interactions. Additionally, differing emotional states exacerbated by stress and busy schedules further strained their connection.
How might we help long-distance couples synchronize their communication times to enhance emotional connection and interaction quality?
Our Solution
An AI clock that enhances connections for long-distance couples
Foci is an AI-powered clock specifically designed to help long-distance couples stay connected. It integrates with both partners' Google Calendars, health apps, and location data to synchronize their schedules and predict emotional states. By analyzing factors like workouts, sleep, and time zone differences, Foci provides personalized conversation prompts, stress alerts, and visual signals to show when both partners have overlapping free time. This ensures that couples can engage in more meaningful conversations, even when separated by distance, enhancing their emotional connection and communication.
Data Collection
FOCI sync with third party apps to personalize your data
Google Calendar Integration
Connects to both your and your partner's Google Calendars to know when you are busy or free.
Health Data Connection
Links to your health apps to monitor things like workouts, sleep, menstrual cycle and heart rates.
Location Tracking
Uses your phone's location to understand your time zones and routines
Processing
AI processes the data and gives insights
AI Analysis
The AI analyses schedules, health data, and location to predict mood. For example, if you had a tough workout, a stressful meeting, or menstrual cycle symptoms, Foci knows you might be tired or stressed
Pattern Recognition
Links to your health apps to monitor things like workouts, sleep, menstrual cycle and heart rates.
Output
AI processes the data and gives insights
Free Time Signals
When both of you have free time, Foci lights up in specific colors to indicate insights
Conversation Prompts
Based on your recent activities, Foci can suggest prompts to talk about
Stress Indicator
If one partner is extremely stressed, Foci will blink a red light on the other partner's clock to indicate that it might be a good time to reach out and offer support.
Storyboard
How FOCI interacts with the users
How FOCI syncs with your apps
How FOCI gives insights to partners
Foci collects data from calendars, health apps, and location, uses AI to analyze moods and schedules, and provides visual cues for mutual free time and personalized conversation prompts to keep long-distance couples connected.
Design Process
Design Brief
Create a mundane object with Generative AI that fits seamlessly into everyday life, offering playful and meaningful interactions beyond typical AI assistants
Choosing Focus Area
Our brainstorming session helped us clarify the brief and narrow our focus to designing romantic objects, particularly for long-distance couples
Problem Discovery
Long-distance couples face challenges with time differences and busy schedules
Pain Points
Interviews with four couples revealed that maintaining real-time connection and exploring new ways to connect are essential for long-distance relationships
Long-distance couples often face challenges in aligning their schedules for real-time conversations, but technology, social media, and modern devices offer new ways to stay connected and share their daily lives. Misaligned schedules and emotional states can result in less meaningful interactions. Foci solves this by syncing communication times based on both partners' availability and emotional readiness, fostering deeper and more engaging conversations.
Prototype
Limtations
Components for LED clock
Coding LED ring with Arduino
Trial 1
2. Create Node.js Server
3. Configure Arduino
4. Deploy and Test
Trial 1
2. Install Required Libraries in Arduino IDE
3. Write Arduino Code to Connect to Google Calendar
4. Deploy and Test Arduino Code
Solution
Manually setup LED ring corrolation
The LED ring, mapped to specific hours of the day, uses cyan for PM hours, orange for AM hours, and magenta for overlaps, while smoothly pulsating between brightness levels (30-100), with intensified pulsation during AM/PM transitions
Components for Ai Chat Display
Coding LCD display with Arduino
Solution
Manually setup LED ring corrolation
The LED ring, mapped to specific hours of the day, uses cyan for PM hours, orange for AM hours, and magenta for overlaps, while smoothly pulsating between brightness levels (30-100), with intensified pulsation during AM/PM transitions
Designing the Housing
Simple Cubic Box
CareLab by Intesa SanPaolo
CareLab offers in-person wellness activities such as yoga sessions, nutritionist consultations, and mindfulness workshops, alongside digital wellness tools like apps and web platforms that provide health resources. It provides comprehensive well-being support across multiple areas, including nutrition, physical health, emotional well-being, caregiving, and family relationships, all accessible both in-person and remotely to accommodate employees' diverse needs and schedules
Problem Discovery
Addressing Isolation and Promoting Work-Life Balance Through a Stronger Social Environment
Both remote and in-person workers often experience isolation and a lack of social interaction within the company. They seek better separation between work and personal life, a stronger social environment, and opportunities to connect with colleagues for personal growth and motivation. A unique and engaging company culture that supports these goals is essential for fostering well-being
HMW create an engaging wellbeing experience that promotes stress-free environment and social interactions while encourages individual growth?
Our Solution
We connect individuals with shared interests to foster social bonds in a stress-free environment
PeopleConnect tackles isolation by offering personalized skill development, curated events for social interaction, and interest-based activities. It helps both remote and in-person employees connect, grow, and engage in meaningful ways, creating a supportive and balanced work environment
People Connect
Recommendation suggests personalized workshops and events based on interests and availability, while Calendar Sync integrates with employee schedules for seamless participation, and Contact Sync connects contact lists to facilitate easier communication with colleagues
Social Events
Provides company-sponsored and external events to promote social interaction
Skill Development
Offers targeted workshops and learning events for professional growth
Social Connectivity
Curates personalized content and activities based on employee preferences
Recommendation System
The platform’s AI-powered recommendation system personalizes suggestions for events, workshops, and activities based on individual preferences and behavior, creating a unique experience for each employee
Like / Dislike
A Platform That Knows Your Taste
By learning from employee likes and dislikes, the platform refines its recommendations over time, offering a highly personalized experience that adapts to their evolving tastes
Contacts Sync
Connect with Mutuals
Connects employees with colleagues who share mutual connections or interests, promoting collaboration and strengthening workplace relationships
Calendar Sync
Tailored to Schedule
Integrates with employee calendars to provide event recommendations that fit within their available time, making participation easy and stress-free
Events Page
Your Social Hub
The Events Page features curated events tailored to employee interests, making it easy to connect with mutual colleagues through shared activities. Push notifications keep employees informed of upcoming events, while the Suggest Events feature offers personalized recommendations. The “Surprise Me” option provides spontaneous event suggestions to add an element of fun and discovery.
Skills Page
Grow and Connect
The Skills Page encourages employees to explore new skills by offering a monthly budget provided by the company to cover workshop and class fees. It helps employees connect with colleagues who share similar interests and allows them to track their progress through skill levels as they advance
Events Page
Your Personalized Break
The Blog features curated content that piques your interests, offering engaging articles and stories to take your mind off work and provide a refreshing mental break
Design Process
Design Brief
Starting from the offerings and experiences ofCareLab, and by adopting a medium-term perspective (5 years), design the future of corporate well-being
Choosing Focus Area
Team mind mapping process to identify what well-being meant in workspace
Business Strategy
According to Forbes, Gen Z and millennials together will comprise 58% of the workforce by 2030
Millennials
Current workers, long-term retention
Gen Z
New employees expected in 5 years
Deepening Research Focus
After narrowing our focus to the social aspect of well-being, we conducted interviews with four Gen Z individuals to explore their work environment experiences
Deepening Research Focus
“Best Places to Work" based on Glassdoor reviews
Designing Resilient Organizations Class - by Elizabeth Graf
Millennials seek self-development as AI disrupts traditional roles
First Insights
Comparing Findings
Work-Life Balance
Employees are dissatisfied with long hours and lack time for activities outside of work
Social Wellbeing
Many employees, especially remote workers, feel isolated and believe that socializing improves their work experience
Self-Development
Workers desire more opportunities for learning and growth in their jobs
Interview
We asked 23 current and potential employees
10 Gen Z, 4 Millennials, and 9 Baby Boomers
Activities and Events
Events that bring people together as well as workshops could give employees opportunities to relieve stress while encouraging social interactions
Our research highlighted four key factors for employee well-being: work-life balance, social connections, opportunities for self-development, and engaging activities that foster a positive and supportive workplace culture.
By offering employees easy access to event information, self-growth opportunities, stress management resources, and engaging content that fosters connections, we can enhance their well-being through improved work-life balance, social connections, and personal development.
Millennial persona
Megan, Frustrated Employee
“I worry that someday AI will replace me. I wish there were easier ways to learn and relax out of work”
GenZ persona
Megan, Frustrated Employee
“I like remote jobs but I want a fun company where people really connect with each other”
Proposal 1
Company Garden
Proposal 2
Immersive Area
Proposal 3
Company Garden
Ideation
Focus on the wellbeing experience
Inspirations
Inspirations based on effective user interactions
User Flows and Wireframes
Easy navigation and familiarity
Usability Testing
Testing with GenZ
Price Visibility: Users expressed a desire to see prices on the overview page.
Color Issues: Some colors were hard for users to see.
Information Overload: Users felt that there was too much information displayed at once.
Map View Preference: Users preferred a map view for easier navigation, as it made more sense for them.
Search Struggles: Users had difficulty knowing what to search for.
Premier Pro
Short Clips
Explaining events featureuse the link to watch: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yt-K04jAvqyES93dzBUCakpT7vvkSa-T/view?usp=drive_link
Explaining skill featureuse the link to watch: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yt-K04jAvqyES93dzBUCakpT7vvkSa-T/view?usp=drive_link
Branding
Elegance, Luxury, and Tech
Logo
The logo conveys a sleek, elegant, and luxurious feel, perfectly aligning with the brand's high-end image. The 'S' is inspired by the contour of a foot sole, symbolizing the product's connection to footwear and health. The design is kept minimal, reinforcing the brand's luxurious appeal, while the neutral color palette ensures versatility across various market opportunities. This approach ensures that the branding remains timeless and adaptable as the brand evolves
RGB: 220, 234,70 100%
HEX: #DCEA46
RGB: 202, 202, 202 100%
HEX: #CACACA
RGB: 13, 13, 13, 100%
HEX: #0D0D0D
Color
The brand colors for Yush are chosen to balance luxury with technology. The green represents innovation and health, while the neutral gray provides versatility and sophistication. The deep black adds a classic, luxurious feel. This color palette ensures the brand maintains a high-end image while highlighting its technological edge
Website Creation
Competitor Analysis
After analyzing competitor websites, we noticed that common features and design elements consistently emphasized luxury and elegance. We also drew inspiration from renowned luxury brands like Gucci and Chanel. However, our challenge was the lack of product photos and curated content. To overcome this, we focused on highlighting our unique features that set us apart, ensuring the brand still exuded a premium feel despite the limitations
User Journey for the YUSH App
User Journey
We crafted a detailed outline for the Yush app's user journey, focusing on a seamless experience from start to finish. We began by mapping out the first-time buyer's journey, ensuring that users could easily navigate the app, understand its features, and maximize the innovative technology Yush offers. This journey covered every touchpoint, from onboarding to product usage, ensuring that users feel confident and supported as they interact with the app. Our goal was to create a user journey that is intuitive and enhances the overall luxury experience that Yush aims to provide
Research Methods Used
This research examines how questioning serves as a tool for introspection and self-awareness, shaping personal growth and understanding of the self
1. Qualitative Interviews: Conducted detailed interviews with nine participants to gather data on their experiences and perspectives regarding questioning and self-awareness.
2. Thematic Mapping: Used thematic mapping to categorize and analyze interview data, identifying recurring themes and insights related to questioning habits and motivations.
3. Behavioral Pattern Analysis: Distinguished between active information seekers and passive observers among the participants, analyzing how these behaviors relate to their methods of questioning and levels of self-awareness.
4. Data Clustering: Clustered data into categories to see patterns across responses, aiding in the deeper analysis of the qualitative data collected from interviews.
From Childhood Curiosity to Adult Contemplation
From the innocent curiosity of childhood, where every “why?” leads to a new adventure of discovery, to the complexities of adult life, where questions about existence often linger in the depths of our minds, questioning is a fundamental aspect of human nature. As children, we baffle our parents with a barrage of questions, all beginning with the ubiquitous word “why?” These questions range from the mundane, such as “Why is the sky blue?” to the existential, such as “What is the meaning of life?” Yet as we grow older, our questioning often evolves from superficial inquiries to deeper contemplations about our place in the universe. Sometimes these thoughts lead us to ponder and delve into existential uncertainties that can both confuse and inspire us.In psychology, this process of rumination — the repetitive, unproductive thinking about negative thoughts — often overlaps with our tendency to question. In coping with life’s challenges and confronting existential dilemmas, our minds can become entangled in a web of introspection, asking the same questions over and over again without finding a solution.
Exploring Two Approaches to Reasoning: Research vs. Common Sense
In this article, we will look at the two different approaches to reasoning when it comes to questioning: research and common sense. We will explore how each approach influences the results and how it affects introspection. It’s important to emphasize that research is often about “knowing the unknown’,” whereas common sense is about engaging with the “unknown” and trying to make sense of it.The process involves interviewing 9 participants to collect qualitative research data with the aim of capturing the reasons, motivations and meanings that guide human actions as they scrutinize their surroundings. During the interviews, I forecast two distinct approaches that the interviewees used to seek answers: some participants relied on primary research, while others used their own reasoning to predict answers to their questions. After gathering data, I analyze them using thematic mapping where I cluster every data in their belonging categories and see if there is a pattern across each category (figure 1). During deconstruction of the findings I came across with few insights.
Understanding Behavioral Patterns: Active Seekers vs. Passive Observers
Throughout the interview process, I discerned two predominant behavioral patterns among the participants. While most actively pursued information acquisition, a minority adopted a more passive stance (as illustrated in the personas figure 2 and 3). This distinction is crucial for drawing conclusions in the article.
When I prompted interviewees to recall instances of deep contemplation, they consistently recalled negative events. Therefore, for the purpose of this research, our focus will be on negative events that trigger specific behaviors and attitudes, particularly rumination. Upon analyzing the data, I identified two overarching motivations behind these negative events: extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Some were influenced by things outside them, like self-esteem or popularity (extrinsic motivation), and others were driven by purpose and connection (intrinsic motivation).“I sat down on a bench and asked if this was how I wanted to live the rest of my life — paycheck to paycheck, just constantly drinking or partying to distract myself from the fact that I was crashing financially.”- Intrinsic Motivation
Learning from Experience: Persistence vs. Surrender
Another important insight emerged when I asked the interviewees what they had learned from their experiences. Their answers fell mainly into two categories. Some tried to change their attitude and persisted in understanding themselves, while others gave up without finding a solution (as shown in the personas in figures 2 and 3). When I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, I noticed a clear correlation: those who found answers or persevered in understanding their thoughts had better experiences with rumination and those who gave up often found themselves lost in their thoughts.
Revealing the Cause-Response Impact Cycle: Triggers, Actions, and Effects
After connecting the dots, I saw the bigger picture. Figure 4 shows the Cause-Response Impact Cycle to describe the interconnected process by which triggers lead to actions, which in turn produce outputs, ultimately resulting in effects or impacts. As mentioned before, for the sake of this research we will only focus on the negative events as for triggers. When I deeply analyzed the insights I saw a pattern within the two personas.
The Questing Mind vs. The Doubting Mind
In the example of the “The Questing Mind”, persona in figure 2, individuals who reason through research often find new answers that were previously unknown to them, especially when faced with negative events that prompt questioning. As depicted in the persona, the approach to finding these new answers involves being active in seeking information while remaining persistent in understanding oneself. These individuals tend to display adaptability, readily stepping out of their comfort zone when faced with events that spark inquiry. Consequently, they are better able to handle rumination as they have insights to address it. Overall, this persona reflects signs of self-awareness, as the individual learns and grows from their questioning embracing the journey of discovery.On the contrary, the “Doubting Mind” persona, shown in figure 3, tends to reason through common sense when faced with questioning. From the interviews, individuals embodying this persona are more doubtful and often have no clear solutions for coping with rumination. They often have difficulty coming to new answers and grapple with deep thoughts. Consequently, these individuals tend to be less adaptive and prefer to stay in their comfort zone, as familiarity provides a sense of security in the midst of uncertainty. This lack of self-awareness circles back to doubts and contributes to the repetition of negative events, creating a cycle of unanswered questions and rumination when reasoning with common sense.
We are not the only ones to blame
Understanding the Impact of Filter Bubbles: Echo Chambers on Social Platforms
To address the issue of filter bubbles on social platforms, it’s crucial to understand how these platforms contribute to the echo chamber effect, where users are exposed primarily to information and perspectives that align with their existing beliefs. This phenomenon, known as filter bubbles, can lead to polarization, misinformation, and a narrowing of viewpoints. On social media platforms, algorithms are designed to personalize content based on user preferences and behavior, effectively creating echo chambers where users are shielded from diverse perspectives. This can reinforce existing biases and limit exposure to alternative viewpoints, ultimately hindering critical thinking and fostering a fragmented information landscape.In light of this, individuals who adopt a passive approach to information acquisition tend to engage in less questioning, while those who are actively seeking information are more inclined to break out of their filter bubbles and pursue answers. Interestingly, during the interviews, it was observed that passive individuals exhibited a higher perception of social media compared to their active counterparts. Conversely, active individuals were more reliant on search engines for information retrieval. However, it’s noteworthy that both groups expressed a lower level of trust in technology. Many participants mentioned the need to cross-check references to verify information found online, highlighting concerns about the reliability of information in the digital age. This phenomenon underscores the issue of information overload, where the abundance of online information can make it challenging for individuals to discern credible sources from misinformation. As a result, users may feel overwhelmed and skeptical, leading to a cautious approach to consuming online content.
What does this all mean?
Designing for Empowerment: Encouraging Self-Awareness in the Digital Age
Our findings have far-reaching implications in the field of design research and technology. We have uncovered how filter bubbles on social platforms contribute to the echo chamber effect, reinforce existing biases and hinder critical thinking. Passive information seekers, who are more susceptible to these bubbles, may find themselves trapped in a cycle of limited perspectives, hindering their journey towards self-awareness.However, there is hope. By designing platforms that trigger questioning and encourage active engagement, designers can empower passive seekers to become more self-aware. By freeing themselves from the confines of filter bubbles and using research tools, people can broaden their horizons and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them.Furthermore, in the face of information overload, platforms can play a crucial role in promoting trust and credibility. Providing cross-references that show users how information matches up with sources on different platforms can help reduce skepticism and foster a better-informed and more critical online community.The design of digital platforms not only influences how we interact with technology, but also how we perceive ourselves and the world. By emphasizing questioning, encouraging self-awareness and providing tools to navigate the vast sea of information, designers can contribute to a more enlightened and empowered digital society.
Constrains
On a personal note…
During my research journey, I found that thematic mapping and the cause-effect cycle were of great importance for an efficient understanding of the data. These tools worked in tandem and offered insights into the correlation between questioning and self-awareness. Thematic mapping provided structure and helped identify patterns and themes in participants’ responses. The Cause-Response Impact Cycle highlighted how questioning triggers actions and subsequent effects, revealing the transformative nature of the research.
The analysis of the data together with the participant interviews showed the profound impact of the research on self-awareness. It became clear that questions not only stimulate curiosity, but also encourage introspection, leading to a deeper understanding of oneself and the world. This insight underlines the importance of cultivating a culture of inquiry and self-reflection. By embracing curiosity and actively engaging with our surroundings, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and opportunities for growth. The simple act of researching, as observed in this study, can serve as a catalyst for personal insight and self-awareness, highlighting the transformative power of inquiry. As researchers and people navigating the digital world, let us continue to ask questions, explore and evolve by using the power of research to improve our self-awareness and understanding.
