Solace

A digital service supporting caregivers of terminally ill loved ones

Winner of Global Student Service Design Competition

Service Design | User Research

Spring 2023, 14 Week Project

Philip's Global Student Service Challenge tasked competitors to design a service that enhances personal wellbeing and resilience, as well as contributes positively to a collective happiness

We proposed "Solace", a service concept that provides caregivers unwavering assistance, understanding, and community, easing their burden and empowering them throughout their caregiving and bereavement journey.

Research Methods

Domain Survey
In-depth Interviews
Concept Validation
User Testing

My Role

Project manager
Led discovery research efforts
Led data analysis & synthesis
Equal collaboration on concept generation
Generated service blueprint

In collaboration with Daisy Dai, Aman Sinha, Saisri Akondi

Our Process

Following design thinking methodology, the team spent majority of the time empathizing with caregivers, defining the true problem, and ideating a concept.

Empathizing

Understanding the caretaker's journey

Began by identifying a need to provide additional support to families dealing with end-of-life care of a terminally-ill loved one and bereavement.
Conducted literature review on grief, hospice, and bereavement.
Spoke with 5 domain experts about their caregiving journeys.
Conducted 12 user interviews with 4 key stakeholder groups.
Visited the Sivitz Hospice & Palliative Care center in Pittsburgh and learned how they provided care during the pandemic and have pivoted their caring strategy in the long-term.

The Opportunity

How might we provide early support for invisible patients from the period of uncertainty up until end of life, so as to enable them to better enjoy more final moments with their loved ones and ease their bereavement process?

Cancer caregivers, also known as invisible patients, often feel isolated and underprepared to handle caring for their terminally ill loved ones.

They take on additional responsibilities on top of their regular daily tasks.

Their emotional & physical wellbeing directly correlates with the health of the patient.

They experience role reversal with their loved one (the patient).

Their top needs include: logistical and physical support to take care of their loved one, reminders to be attentive of their own emotional well-being, and easy access to mental health services, a network of individuals with shared experiences for support and solidarity.

Solution Criteria

Connect caregivers to the right support system & network

Different types of support systems need to be offered to invisible patients, so they have control to choose the most effective resource and comfort needed.

Be approachable & comforting for the invisible patients

Invisible patients try to avoid negative and upsetting information, which is why the visual and auditory language of our solution must be reassuring and comforting for users.

Offer holistic security that can be relied upon by invisible patients

Users should feel a sense of emotional and mental security using our solution.
They should feel protected and supported in their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.