BREAK

/Tags
Branding
App UI design

Break is a social-healthcare app designed for family caregivers of dementia patients to give them a pause in the demanding routines, both practical and emotional.

/Timeline

2 months

Who is it for?

Break is for the everyday heroes - the spouses, children, or relatives who take the lead in caring for their loved ones. It’s designed to give them a helping hand and a little peace of mind along the way.

Why caregivers?

Caring for someone with dementia comes with unfamiliar challenges full of long days, tough choices, and emotional ups and downs. So I wanted to create something that helps lighten that load, even just a little.

What is Break?

Break is a social-healthcare app made for people who care for loved ones with dementia. Think of it as a little companion - offering guidance, reminders, and moments of calm in their daily caregiving journey.

I initially started with dementia (personal choice), got to know more about the patients, talked to their families, and ended up empathizing more with the caregivers. Since there is little to no support provided for caregivers (especially in India) who are new & alone in this journey. And that's where
I found this idea of an app - more like a companion and community!

Caregivers need both guidance and breathing space.

Meet Break

Break is built around three simple spaces that make caregiving a little easier. Scroll through to see how the key features in the app come together to support the user every day.

Library

Curated library of:
• Verified information on the illness
• Personalized symptoms tracker & stage-wise information about the patient
• Tips on how to take care of the patient at every stage and management

Community

Building a Supportive Community:
• Safe space for caregivers to connect
• share experiences, and find
encouragement from others
• Anonymous chat & discussion forum

Self-care

• Empowers caregivers to take immediate self-care breaks,
• curated library of guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and calming audio sessions,
• tips for better caregiving & patient’s behaviour management

Here’s how I wanted the brand to feel like.

Brand Persona

This personality connects well with the caregiver group - people in their 40s to 60s. Who need something warm and trustworthy, clear without being jargon-heavy, and mature without feeling old.

The Friendly Grandparent

What it is:

Warm & human

Informative

Trustworthy & mature

Honest & authentic

What it's not:

But not playful & frivolous

But not condescending or jargon-y

But not old

But not cold or criticizing the user

Logo & app icon ideations

Though I did the naming myself, I had no clue how the visual identity was going to turn out. Started with free form sketching ideas, selected the best 3 concepts, and then finally we had the best suited option to be the face of our brand & app.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Final Logo

Kind of like sub-reddits but only for caregivers.

That's all; you can take a break now...

Meanwhile check this documentation out
and if you want to view the figma prototype!

A hiccup or two

Balancing emotional sensitivity with usability proved to be tricky. Caregivers’ needs are complex, and the design had to feel warm without being overwhelming.

Feedback

Prof. Milly Singh
Nikhil Ranganathan

What I learnt

Working on Break taught me how design can be deeply empathetic while still functional. It wasn't easy to get started; however, the initial mind-mapping, empathy mapping helped me to get ahead in this project. I learned to translate the real emotional needs of caregivers (the target age bracket as new for me to design for. I also learnt how to use Figma and explored making prototypes. It was fun and a whole new experience to connect with the users.