UX of Hairloss
Duration: 2 weeks
My role: User research, Analysing data for insights, exercise conductor, graphic design
Team members: Rebecca Hodge, Kye Li Cha, Sushil Sylvester, Hong Zhou and Akriti Goel.
In collaboration with: 12 participants
Design Question
“How may we design for hairloss with sensitivity? Are other aspects of people’s life impacted as a result of hairloss?”
The Outcome
Postcards to hair
Physical and digital versions of a ‘Postcard’ where developed where people could write a letter to their hair. Physical ones could be handwritten whereas digital postcards have a QR Code to add an audio clip of you reading out your letter making it more personal. These letters were then exchanged amongst the participants by us.
The Process
Directed Storytelling
This project was developed in collaboration with a pool of 12 participants with lived experiences of hairloss. Speaking with them helped us understand some of the nuances surrounding hairloss.
Replicating hairloss
The initial idea attempted to replicate the hair lost in the detangling of hair, to share an otherwise lonely experience with a wider audience to foster acceptance in the society around the topic of hairloss.
Although this was an intriguing experience for the people who have never experienced hairloss- it did nothing to help the participants with hairloss conditions.
Back to Directed Storytelling
We went back to the participants to ask what helped them on their journey. Many of them shared that it was the companionship along their journey that was valuable.
We were both going through hairloss together
Anonymous participant
In-person letter exchange
This pushed us to develop an experience that would help empower the participants through a sense of community. We facilitated an in-person and online letter exchanges. People came together to write love and break-up letters to their hair and read anonymous letters from other people.
Online letter exchange
This is an online platform for anyone to write and/or read love and breakup letters to their hair:
Love and Breakup letters to hair
Please feel free to experience in your own time!
The lessons that I’ve learnt from this project
- Collaborative work is extremely rewarding for both: designers and external collaborators but it comes with it’s own set of challenges.
- People can have varying preferences with regards to digital and analogue mediums of communication and it is important to judge the appropriate medium based on the audience, type of project and resources.
For a more detailed process, please visit the project blog here.