Gleam
A self-care app that prevents burnout.
Initial Research & Ideation
My team and I conducted secondary research to further broaden our understanding of burnout. According to the Harvard Business Review, some of the primary causes of burnout include an overwhelming workload, a perceived lack of control, a mismatch between the effort put in and the rewards received, and unmet support needs within one’s community.
One learning was that most people experienced burnout as a negative experience associated with shame of not meeting expectations and emotional weight of being overwhelmed. Often, the experience of burnout pushed people to feel isolated from family, friends, and coworkers.
The questions we wanted to focus on were:
How might we increase self-awareness during early stages of burnout?
How might we eliminate shame from burnout and empower people?
How might make burnout a more positive experience?
How might we reimagine productivity (to make burnout more personally/socially acceptable)?
"Burnout is not just about overwork. It’s also about not having the space to recharge, feeling disconnected from your purpose, and not having enough joy in your life."
Arianna Huffington, author of
The Sleep Revolution
Since this was a visual design challenge, we focused primarily on practical features that our app would have. Since our research showed that people felt isolated from others, we included a messaging feature for users to contact their core support circle, to encourage social interactions during burnout. Additionally, to address the sense of being overwhelmed by workloads/obligations, we wanted to address task- & time-management, by adding an automatic schedule maker to remind users of tasks, track work patterns, and schedule breaks.
Version 1 of our app was called "Rekindle" so that our burnt-out users could have their motivation and energy re-lit, or rekindled. We also created Sparky the fireball, to be a friendly and encouraging brand mascot that would send users messages and reminders.
Additionally, a response I found funny was that several people found the name "Rekindle" to remind them of dating apps! For our second iteration, we rebranded to 'Gleam' (which means to shine brightly, especially with reflected light) to better emphasize hope and positivity during times of burnout. We also shifted to a warmer and more muted color palette to create a more soothing and encouraging atmosphere.
Logo Before
Logo After
Branding Colors Before
Branding Colors After
Additionally, users mentioned that Sparky, our charming fireball, came across more as a metaphor for burnout rather than a source of motivation. While cute, Sparky highlighted the gap between where users were emotionally and where they wanted to be. To address this, we introduced Rosie—a young girl whose experiences resonate more deeply with the challenges our target users face, offering a more relatable form of empathy.
Sparky
Rosie
Lastly, we realized that while the messaging and task-management features were well-received, users were looking for a stronger sense of community and deeper personal insights.
Many users expressed a desire for more interactive ways to engage with the app and a better understanding of their own patterns and progress. They responded that rather than a desktop integrated app, having it accessible on their phones would be a more helpful and regular reminder. To address this, we shifted our product to be a mobile app, and focused on enhancing the community aspect by providing users with tools for self-reflection and motivation. One feature we introduced was a check-in system with redeemable points and informative infographics to foster engagement and personal growth.
User Interacts with Gleam primarily through Pop-Up Notifications
User Conducts Check-in by inputting Mood Ranking & Description via Pop-Up Notification
User Receives a Reward Points for Conducting Check-ins
Users Can Redeem Points for Rewards & Receive Gifts from their Support Circle
User-Entries generate a Word Cloud to provide a holistic view of the User's emotions
Visualization of User's Support Circle & Encouraging Messages
Support Circle Members can be notified of a User's mood & choose how they respond
Gleam's slogan (similar to the phrase "Lean on us")
The final deliverable: an illustrated product video introducing Gleam, the self-care app that prevents burnout.
My team at our 2019 Summer Design Showcase @ Jacobs Hall
