PROJECTS > FLOURISH
For each design project I completed at Northeastern, I always tried to incorporate my identity and culture. Whether it be creating a recipe book inspired by Raya dishes or designing a healing app for minority populations, I constantly work to give recognition to my communities.
For flourish, I was given the opportunity to create an app on anything. The initial assignment was to create an app targeted towards an underserved population - particularly older consumers. I decided to enlist my mom and dad as my target user, since I believed that they were part of the demographic that apps are least designed for: middle-aged immigrants.
After conducting thorough interviews and performing research on existing apps, I settled on creating app inspired by my one of my parents' favorite shared hobbies: gardening. The app would be targeted specifically towards immigrants and those growing plants that are uncommonly found in the area they live in, as one of my mom's obstacles while gardening is learning how to care for plants and crops that are not native to climates like New England's and/or are usually more expensive at supermarkets because they're harder to find in America.
The process behind flourish was arguably my favorite out of all the projects I've done at Northeastern. I felt a deeper connection with this project because I was making it for someone so close to me. I was excited with every step I took closer to project completion, and was anxious to show this presentation off not only to my classmates but also my mom, who inspired the entire project. I drew the models, iconography, and personas with my mom and her peers in mind. The hero's journey and storyboards are heavily influenced by my mom's personal experiences. The design of the app itself draws from feedback my parents have given on apps that they enjoy using and apps that they dislike. The experience prototype really brought flourish to life and helped simulate how the app fit into real life.