CARING STRANDS
Caring Strands directly addresses the emotional and social challenges that arise from hair loss during cancer treatment. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive platform that facilitates connections between hair donors and cancer patients, enhancing the personalization of wigs. By responsibly collecting and utilizing data, the project seeks to tailor wigs to better meet the individual needs and preferences of patients, thereby improving their sense of identity and well-being during a difficult time. Through these efforts, Caring Strands aspires to provide not just physical but also emotional support to those affected by cancer.
ROLE
UX Research | Interaction Design | Wireframing
SCOPE
MSc in HCI, Interaction Design Module
DURATION
4 weeks
TOOLS
SOLUTION
Responding to the design brief, the team has developed a unique hair donor-cancer patient intervention. This socially conscious venture is based on collecting hair data about wig construction, ensuring individual and collective well-being in cancer patients.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
The design challenge involves creating a social and technical intervention to enable users to responsibly and meaningfully collect data from their peers or local environment, fostering communal well-being. This intervention should encourage reflection on the collected data while enhancing personal and social welfare. The task is to envision, co-create, and develop design concepts demonstrating an understanding of interaction and UX design methods, using participatory design processes, storyboarding, or speculative prototyping of near-future technology. The intervention should utilize existing data sources or explore new methods of data collection, considering various forms from digital to analog. It should target specific users or groups with a clear rationale for their selection, reflecting on user engagement and potential impacts. The project should exemplify responsible design innovation within domains such as public services, social media, sharing economies, or smart cities.
MOTIVATION
Having witnessed the profound impact of cancer on my loved ones, I am deeply committed to enhancing the lives of patients, particularly in relation to their appearance and self-esteem. Our design project aims to create a meaningful connection between hair donors and cancer patients, using detailed data to accurately represent their experiences and needs. My dedication is evident in my efforts to meticulously map user journeys, gather comprehensive donor information, and contribute to the development of visuals. These activities underscore my focus on creating empathetic and impactful designs that provide cancer patients with both practical support and emotional upliftment.
DESIGN PROCESS
My interdisciplinary team and I began our design process with collective brainstorming, applying the systematic Double Diamond framework. In the first diamond, our divergent thinking generated numerous ideas to connect hair donors and cancer patients. In the second diamond, we used convergent thinking to refine and narrow down these concepts for practicality and effectiveness. This methodological approach guided our ideation process, creating an informed and inclusive design journey. Our commitment to responsible design innovation is rooted in the Double Diamond process, ensuring our solutions are both creatively appealing and effective in meeting our target population's needs.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
Data from the research shows an increasing trend of cancer patients, with one individual being diagnosed every 90 seconds in the UK. However, hair loss is prevalent at the beginning of the treatment phase. Macmillan's fact sheet includes these patterns, including the number of cancer cases, demographics, and aspects faced by people affected with side effects such as hair loss when undergoing treatment.
The number of people living with cancerWe estimate that there are currently more than 3 million people living with cancer in the UK, rising to 3.5 million by 2025, 4 million by 2030 and 5.3 million by 2040
The graph shows the stages in peoples' cancer journey that are common moments as identified by Macmillan. The stages are: concerned about health, going for tests, receiving a cancer diagnosis, starting and going through treatment, finishing and recovering from treatment. After going for tests there is a line connecting to cancer coming back. After finishing and recovering from treatment the journey then splits and includes: living with treatable but not curable cancer and death. Another branch is living well after cancer and living with the consequences of cancer. The graph has been made to show that these stages can repeat and are not linear.
Image: The graphic shows a green arrow going up from left to right. There are 4 dots on the arrow that read 3 million (2020), 3.5 million (2025), 4 million (2030), and 5.3 million (2040).
DONOR EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
User 1, Female 20 yrs
"I donated my hair but never got to know who used it..."
"Finding the right person to discuss the process was difficult"
"I wasn't sure if my hair would actually be used for a wig!"
User 2, Female, 26 years
"The problem i feel is it wasn't very easy finding the right people"
"I had to find a suitable salon to get my hair cut"
"I had to pay for the post, never knew what happened after it!"
User 3, Female, 22 years
"The visibility of these organisations are very less"
"I would like to know how the hair is used"
"All I got was a generic certificate"
"The salon experience was not very good"
"I was not sure if my hair was actually used to make a wig"
"The hair care instructions were not very clear"
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Cancer patients suffering treatment often struggle with emotional distress due to hair loss, and it is negatively affecting their self-esteem and overall health. Hair donations currently have no formal system, giving way to channels like social media or salon interactions, which are ineffective and lack safety. This emphasizes the urgent requirement for an answer—a mobile application not only simplifies hair donation but also tackles all aspects of emotional and financial trauma resulting from cancer-induced loss.
LIVING WITH DATA
The design project is based on living well with data, emphasising that people should be equipped to make choices concerning ownership, control, and utilisation decisions. These difficulties are further considerations for interaction designers and UX researchers. In return, our company addresses several aspects of data management and clearly outlines them to ensure a thorough and responsible approach to dealing with these sensitive matters.
Wig Affordability Issue
Social Discomfort
Self Esteem Impact
Emotional Distress
Cancer Related Loss
Donor-patient Uncertainty
Donating for Social Cause
Lack of wig tracking
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Image: The graphic shows hair issues faced by hair donors and cancer patients
Wigs are currently accessible through NHS, NGOs, social media, and online shopping; however, challenges like delays, limited options, and reliability issues persist with these sources.
STATE OF ART REVIEW
The design idea was thoroughly reviewed regarding such already created products, Hair We Share and Little Princess Trust services. Based on this evaluation, we have determined the pros and cons of our study concerning these service providers.
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Web interface
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Donation accepted
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No donor to patient connection
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Donation can be tracked for $150 with provided recipient photo in rare occasions
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Web interface
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Donation accepted
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No donor to patient connection
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Options of style and colour
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No tracking
Both organisations play a vital role in assisting cancer patients with hair loss. Even though the services they provide are crucial, the issues related to accessibility and sustainable donor support should be considered for sustainability. Wigs can be obtained by individuals undergoing cancer treatment through collaborations and awareness campaigns, thus increasing the effectiveness of such organisations.
STORYBOARDING
USER JOURNEY
USER PERSONA
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USER FLOW
Crafting an Intuitive and Engaging UI for Cancer Patients
A visually appealing and user-friendly platform focused on cancer patients was created, utilising tools like Figma through iterative processes. The use of soft colour palettes and easy-on-the-eye layouts ensures a beautiful, purposeful experience that communicates care and empathy for users.
A standout feature of the app is its augmented reality (AR) functionality, allowing patients to try on wig listings using their personal photos before purchase. The AR feature recognises the face and applies wig styles according to user preferences, enabling patients to visualise their final appearance confidently and experiment with different styles without needing to relocate. This innovative approach enhances user engagement and decision-making.
REFERENCES
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Little princess trust 2024. The Little Princess Trust. Available at: https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/ (Accessed: 02 January 2024).
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Hair We Share. Available at: https://hairweshare.org/ (Accessed: 02 January 2024).
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Mathew, R. et al. (2010) Increasing the efficiency within the charitable hair donation process, Welcome to RUcore - Rutgers University Community Repository. Available at: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/41237/ (Accessed: 02 January 2024).
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Cancer statistics fact sheet (2023) Cancer statistics fact sheet | Macmillan Cancer Support. Available at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research/cancer-statistics-fact-sheet (Accessed: 02 January 2024).
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Wigs for cancer treatment (2022) Macmillan Cancer Support. Available at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/hair-loss/wigs-forcancer-treatment (Accessed: 3 January 2024).
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Living with app (2021) This Is Living With Cancer | Official Site. Available at: https://www.thisislivingwithcancer.com/living-with-app (Accessed: 3 January 2024).
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(No date) NHS choices. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/wigsand-fabric-supports-on-the-nhs/ (Accessed: 20 December 2023)
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Material Design Icons. Available at https://fonts.google.com/icons/ (Accessed: 20 January 2024)