SMC IXD · concept 2024
Be Well
- Role
- Product Designer
Project Manager - Skills
- Design Research
Product Design
UI/UX Design - Timeline
- September–December 2024 (16 weeks)
- Tools
- Figma
Overview
How can Barnsdall Art Park become an outlet for healthcare burnout?
As a team of UX designers, our goal was to bridge the gap between urban seclusion and mental wellness for 14,000 local hospital workers. Working alongside Czarina Goingco, Alexander Albao, and Jonathon Lopez over a 16-week sprint.
Product Strategy
Ideating on node-based activity trackers and badge systems to transform a static park into a dynamic, social sanctuary.
Prototype & Testing
Ideating on node-based activity trackers and badge systems to transform a static park into a dynamic, social sanctuary.
Iterating w/ Feedback
Refining the 'data portrait' and museum-linked reward system to ensure the experience provided genuine relief rather than digital clutter.
Problem
Barnsdall Art Park is a secluded island in an urban desert.
Occupying the crest of Olive Hill, Barnsdall Art Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site that remains physically and socially occluded from its East Hollywood surroundings.
While its elevation offers 'Romanza' views of the Los Angeles basin, the hill itself acts as a barrier. With limited parking, steep pedestrian climbs, and strict city regulations on activities, the park has become a 'museum piece' rather than a vibrant civic space. It exists in a state of suspended animation — beautiful but disconnected.
Opportunity
How can we bridge the gap between healthcare burnout and urban nature?
East Hollywood is the epicenter of Los Angeles healthcare, where nearly 30% of all local jobs are medical-related. Within a half-mile radius of Barnsdall Art Park, three major hospitals — Children's Hospital, Hollywood Presbyterian, and Kaiser Permanente — employ over 14,000 workers.
Solution
BeWell: a geo-fenced sanctuary for East Hollywood's healthcare heroes.
BeWell transforms Barnsdall Art Park into a clinical intervention, using location-based technology and 'data-humanism' to provide hospital workers with a structured path to mental recovery.
Geo-Fenced Entry
The app utilizes high-precision geo-fencing to detect when a user enters the park's 36-acre 'Olive Hill' tract.
Node-Based Activity Tracking
Unlike traditional lists, BeWell uses a visual, node-based system to track mindfulness exercises.
The Badge System
To integrate the park's heritage, users earn digital badges featuring high-resolution artwork from the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.
Social Hub
A discreet social layer allows workers to foster a sense of shared belonging without the pressure of direct social media interaction.
Core Flows
Onboarding Screens
Through the onboarding process, we take our first-time users through an experience that introduces them to all of the different features the app has, and through the check-in process.
Homepage Screens
Our homepage is open to all of our activities and all share similar visual language to ensure ease of navigation through all activities.
Mindbranch Screens
Our homepage is open to all of our activities and all share similar visual language to ensure ease of navigation through all activities.
Badge Screens
Our homepage is open to all of our activities and all share similar visual language to ensure ease of navigation through all activities.
Research
Interviews
The interviews revealed a key insight: visitors to Barnsdall Art Park feel a lack of community connection, with many unaware of the museum or deterred by its limited hours. This disconnect highlights the need for more accessible and engaging experiences to foster a stronger sense of belonging among park visitors.
Will, Local Cyclist
"But it's the closest park to me, so that's why I come here. I've lived here for years but never been inside the art galleries or anything."
Roland, Local Resident
"I've been living in Los Feliz over 40 years and I never knew this place was here. I wanted to make time to sit and read in a peaceful space, away from distractions at home."
Desktop Research
East Hollywood is the epicenter of Los Angeles healthcare, where nearly 30% of all local jobs are in the medical field. Between Kaiser Permanente, Children's Hospital LA, and Hollywood Presbyterian, over 14,000 workers operate within a half-mile of Barnsdall Art Park — yet they remain physically and mentally isolated from this natural resource.
The 'Gen Z' Vulnerability
While 62% of all nurses report burnout, 28% of Gen Z nurses — the newest entrants to the workforce — report feeling burnt out every single day.
The Performance Tax
Burnout isn't just a feeling; it's a safety risk. 49% of nurses worry at least once a week that fatigue will lead to a medication error.
Precedents: Barrier of Entry
We studied participation-based barriers to understand how effort and locality can replace speed as a fairer way to gate limited releases.
Lets Roam
Uses raffles to replace first-come purchasing, reducing bots and shifting access away from speed.
Headspace
Rewards engagement and participation in the Nike ecosystem with access to limited releases.
Indonesiaa
Leverages loyalty and gated access to prioritize dedicated customers for exclusive products.
Reflection
What I learned…
Reminiscing on this project, this was really a huge step forward in my design career and as a leader. I have never been in a leadership position nor have I ever been responsible for coordinating other designers to get deliverables done. However I would say these past 3 months of groupwork has pushed me into my discomfort stage and has forced me to really grow into a different designer than I was before.