design-mutants

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PRODUCT CONCEPT VIDEO 

The mutants are proud to present YUJO, a companion, a friend and a helper.

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YUJO - A friend for your everyday life.

This video showcases the user interaction of the companion app for YUJO.

If you want to try the app for yourself please go to the following link : https://www.figma.com/proto/Zquh01aN7fQaHOB9Fb8LSw/Figma-Test-Website?page-id=0%3A1&node-id=6%3A4&viewport=241%2C48%2C0.34&scaling=min-zoom&starting-point-node-id=6%3A4&show-proto-sidebar=1

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A quick storyboard which depicts the exploration of the product and the app that comes with it.  All minor interactions are showcased and mentioned.  Mutants are happy! We hope the mortals are too! 

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YUJO - A friend for your everyday life.

During the pandemic, even if the logistical issues could have been managed with help from their immediate neighbors, most elderly people who lived alone suffered from loneliness. Based on our secondary studies, it was found that Pet therapy among the elderly has become a widely accepted practice in dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. Having a companion of sorts and more importantly, having a proper routine was something which helped a lot of people get out of their bad headspaces, a study shows. YUJO attempts to understand, empathize with and be there for the user, in this case the elderly. YUJO directs the user to be occupied throughout the day by creating a set of daily tasks which need to be completed for YUJO to be able to survive.

The YUJO app notifies the user of the day’s activities, which have already been set by the user during the onboarding phase.

Daily activities vary from, meditation to gardening, from sound therapy to memory games. The user must keep up with all the activities. With every missed task, YUJO becomes smaller in size and a little less responsive to the touch of the user. For YUJO to function normally the user needs to be updated with all the tasks. YUJO attempts to create habit patterns through practice.

After onboarding, the user selects an avatar who will help with various tasks and problems faced during the day. The avatar will remind about tasks, detect the mood of the user and suggest activities throughout the day.

YUJO will assign one major activity for the day and smaller, less time taking ones throughout the rest of the day. The app helps to intimate the user how and when to carry out each activity.

Once the app has been set up and activities assigned, the user can start their journey. YUJO encourages regular interactions with the user to keep their day and in turn their mind occupied.

Through continued interaction, the user stays active throughout the day and in trying to stay active they start to think positively. Through the various activities, the user ends up taking care of YUJO and through these pet therapy exercises they gain confidence to  live a happier life.

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After quite a lot of deliberation, its finally here. The solution which will keep the elderly company in their time of need and create meaningful experiences for them.

YUJO, Japanese for “Friend”, alleviates loneliness and stays with the user throughout the day.

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Can anyone relate!!!! 

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A short video telling the story of our product! HOLD YOUR HORSES!!  This is just a trailer!  As the saying goes, “pikchaar abhi baki hain mere dost!”

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PRODUCT IDEAS

After the How Might We questions were set, a quick brainstorm session led us to come up with the above ideas.  The final call was to design a Companion Product for the elderly which will help them throughout the day.

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Even mutants get back pains!  #thatstageofdesign

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HOW MIGHT WE

Looking from the whole to the part, we asked ourselves these “How might we” questions to help us identify and focus on the various major aspects of our product.

This will be followed by a brainstorm session for the final product.

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EMPATHY MAP

This is an attempt to understand our user group better. This will help us draw out our Insights.

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Research is the way to go!

We Mutants strongly believe that to create a harmonious world we need to understand the Mortals who live around us! Hence - Secondary Research.

Here are the some of the references used in our study:

Impact of COVID-19 on senior care https://www.expresshealthcare.in/news/impact-of-covid-19-on-senior-care/425090/

The Benefits of Therapy Animals for Seniors https://www.asccare.com/benefits-therapy-animals-seniors/

Psycho-social and behavioral impact of COVID-19 on middle-aged and elderly individuals: A qualitative study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8395993/

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on elderly mental health https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/gps.5320

Digital solutions introduced by Regions to improve the quality of life and reduce the side effects of isolation on elderly citizens during COVID-19 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/ageing/news/digital-solutions-introduced-regions-improve-quality-life-and-reduce-side-effects-isolation_en.html

Stress Management for Seniors: Strategies for Empowering Your Aging Loved One https://blog.ioaging.org/activities-wellness/stress-management-for-seniors-strategies-for-empowering-your-aging-loved-one/

Effectiveness of psycho-educational intervention on psychological distress and self-esteem among resident elderly: A study from old age homes of Punjab, India https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213398421000373

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POTENTIAL PROBLEM AREAS

After a short brainstorming session, the Mutants identified various problems faced by the elderly during this very difficult time. If only we had the powers of Magneto and Prof. Xaviers! All the problems could have been solved!  The world needs Mutants!! indeed!

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USER GROUP IDENTIFICATION

Potential user groups were identified and the problem statement was narrowed down to these four.  One of our group members did some work with an NGO for the elderly during the pandemic and felt strongly about them.  Hence the user group was finalized.

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A Musician : a Gym freak!  One eats healthy and the other spends his time dreaming about sushi!  One leads a structure life and the other takes things in their stride!  Figure out who’s who!! 

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All Geared up!!  Endless screen time goes up and up and up!

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IDEAS!!! Where are you guys!!