Indian Mom:Promoting Eye Health, One Blink at a Time
A computer and phone application designed to alleviate symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) for students and professionals through blink reminders and eye exercises.
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Sitaution
With 50% to 90% of computer users experiencing symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)—including dry eyes, headaches, and eye strain—there was an urgent need for a behavioral solution that could fit seamlessly into the busy schedules of students and professionals. Extended screen time decreases blink rates, exacerbating eye strain and leading to long-term vision issues if unaddressed.
Task
As part of a 15-week research class at the Johnson & Johnson Design Studio, I collaborated Regena Reyes and and Xiohan at SVA to design an app that would reduce the symptoms of CVS in a non-disruptive, culturally resonant way. The goal was to create a solution that encourages eye care without interrupting productivity, particularly for screen-heavy professionals and students.
The Indian Mom app has been widely recognized for its creative and effective approach to addressing CVS, earning the prestigious 2020 Hermes Creative Awards Gold Prize.
User Research: Conducted extensive interviews with screen-heavy professionals to identify pain points, such as their inability to prioritize eye health due to demanding schedules.
Design and Development: Designed the Indian Mom app, which uses the nurturing and culturally familiar figure of an "Indian Mom" to remind users to take blink breaks and perform eye exercises. The app offers gentle reminders through cartoon prompts at user-defined intervals, ensuring breaks are frequent yet unobtrusive.
Cultural Inspiration: Leveraged the figure of the Indian Mom, known for her nurturing but firm approach, to create a reminder system that users found relatable and engaging.
Prototyping & Testing: Developed the MVP and tested it with users, gathering feedback that helped fine-tune the reminder intervals and the user experience. The app was designed to block further screen activity until users completed the blink break and eye exercises, ensuring eye health was prioritized without major disruptions to workflow.
year
2020
timeframe
15 weeks
contributions
Product Strategy & Research Lead, UX Design & Cultural Innovation, MVP Development & Testing, Award-Winning Solution Design
category
Product Design
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The Indian Mom app received the 2020 Hermes Creative Awards Gold Prize, recognized for its innovative and culturally inspired approach to preventing CVS.
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The app’s integration of cultural elements (the “Indian Mom”) ensured high user engagement and adherence to the healthy habits it promoted, making it both
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The app became a model for integrating cultural elements into health interventions, inspiring similar approaches to health promotion globally.
