island

TEND - Patient Experience

TEND (Toolkit for Experiential WellbeiNg in Dementia) reimagines digital experiences for those living with dementia by prioritizing emotional connection and reducing anxiety. 

CLIENT

Studio Elsewhere

TIMELINE

2024

ROLE

UX Designer & Developer
Sound Garden- Change to mouse-min
Sound Garden- Change to camera-min

CONTEXT

Creating connection in dementia care

This project is digital platform created by Studio Elsewhere in collaboration with researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medicine. The toolkit enhances emotional wellbeing for people with dementia by fostering meaningful connections with caregivers while reducing stress and anxiety through thoughtful digital experiences.

CHALLENGE

Research insights

Through focus groups with dementia care providers and persons with dementia we identified key needs:

  • Access Barriers - Traditional interventions face barriers including cost, transportation, and lack of treatments designed for advanced dementia stages

  • Emotional Distress - People with dementia and caregivers experience high rates of distress and negative health outcomes.

  • Dyadic Gap - There's a critical need for accessible, technology-based interventions that engage both the person with dementia and their caregiver

  • Engagement Factors - Effective interventions must support attention, positive emotions, and avoid confusing stimuli.

SOLUTION

Intuitive design

Our approach to designing TEND centered on creating an intuitive digital environment using physical metaphors—specifically an island skeuomorph—to improve navigation for users with dementia. We developed modules focused on evoking emotional connection, awe, wonder, and creativity, while carefully balancing neumorphic and flat design elements to maintain clarity.

Through iterative prototyping and extensive testing with 20 patient-caregiver dyads, we refined an interface that effectively mitigated stress and anxiety while encouraging exploration and strengthening interpersonal connections.
instructions

CONTRIBUTION

Developing modules

I spearheaded the technical implementation of TEND's user interface using Next.js, ensuring the platform was performant and accessible for users with cognitive impairments. Additionally, I designed both the visual elements and interaction patterns for the conversation cards module, creating clear instructions that facilitated meaningful exchanges between patients and caregivers.
Log In Screen-min
Navigation Instruction – Portals-min
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Screenshot
Poem – 2D_ Mountain’s Embrace-min
Poem- 2C_ Dance of Unity-min
Photo Safari -Select Page-min
Photo Safari – Question Page-min

Outcomes

  • Developed and deployed a functional platform now being utilized in pilot programs with actual dementia patients and caregivers.
  • Expanded our studio's design capabilities through deeper expertise in creating accessible digital experiences for users with neurocognitive impairments.
  •  Culminated in significant real-world impact through a published academic paper detailing our bio-experiential approach to supporting dementia care.

CONTACT

Email ↗

LinkedIn ↗

Github ↗