Impact
Reduced email anxiety by designing features that replace guilt-based streaks with mindful, supportive nudges.
Improved focus by introducing a Smart 30-Minute Tracker that helps users set boundaries without friction.
Enabled healthier digital habits through calm notifications that prioritize meaningful over urgent.
Reframed Gmail from a productivity stressor into a mindful, emotionally supportive workspace.
If launched, this redesign could reduce digital fatigue for millions of Gmail mobile users.
About this project
Mindful Inbox is a redesign of Gmail’s mobile experience with the goal of reducing information overload and creating a calm, focused, and emotionally supportive email environment. The project explores how subtle nudges, personalized reminders, and distraction-free features can help users manage stress and reclaim control over their inbox.
Problem Statement
💡 “When productivity tools become sources of anxiety.”
Modern professionals rely on Gmail as their daily communication hub, but constant notifications, cluttered inboxes, and guilt-inducing streaks have turned email into a source of stress rather than productivity. Instead of helping users focus, Gmail’s current mobile experience often amplifies digital fatigue and reduces mindful work.
Why this probelm matters??
Professionals spend 23% of their workday on email, leading to overload (CloudHQ ).
Each email interruption takes ~23 minutes to regain focus (Apollo Technical ).
Constant notifications = stress + burnout, turning Gmail from a productivity tool into a source of anxiety.
Research
“To understand how Gmail affects user focus and well-being, I combined desk research with quick user interviews. The goal was to identify the main sources of email stress and missed opportunities for mindful design.”
Key stats
23% of workday spent managing email (CloudHQ). 23 minutes to regain focus after an email interruption (Apollo Technical).
User Insights
Pain Points
1. Constant notifications interrupt flow.
Inbox clutter creates guilt and anxiety.
Lack of focus tools → easy to doom-scroll email.
Competitive Analysis
Outlook → Strong calendar integration, but still cluttered inbox.
Spark → Smart inbox categories + “Set aside” emails for later.
Superhuman → Speed + shortcuts, but productivity > emotional balance.
Takeaway: None of the major email apps focus on mental well-being.
Insights
1. Email is not just a productivity tool — it has an emotional cost.
Users want Gmail to feel lighter, calmer, and more supportive.
The opportunity: shift from guilt-driven reminders to mindful nudges.
Iteration-1
V1-Productivity Fix
What I Tried
Focused on removing clutter with a “Clear Inbox” button.
Added auto-categorization for “Important vs. Others.”
Introduced a streak counter to track daily inbox zero.
What Didn’t Work
Users said streaks added pressure, not motivation.
“Clear Inbox” created anxiety: “I don’t want to lose control of my emails.”
Productivity-focused features didn’t address the emotional stress.
Iteration-2
V2 – The Mindful Approach
Refinements
Replaced streaks with gentle nudges (e.g., “Want to pause notifications for an hour?”).
Designed a Mindful Mode toggle: reduces clutter + silences non-urgent emails.
Added emotional microcopy: supportive messages like “It’s okay to take a break.”
What Improved
Testers said the experience felt lighter and calmer.
Users reported they were less guilty about unread emails.
The product started to align with digital well-being, not just productivity
Conclusions
What i learned
Productivity ≠ well-being → Users need emotional support in tools they use daily.
Small nudges (gentle notifications, mindful microcopy) can shift user perception dramatically.
Designing for calm technology requires balancing utility with empathy.
Next Steps
Expand to customizable mindful nudges (e.g., morning focus vs. evening wind-down).
Integrate with Google Calendar to auto-detect focus hours.
A/B test different microcopy styles to measure impact on user sentiment + engagement.
🌟 LiveSign+: Making Instagram Live Accessible for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Blind Users
My Role
My Role I led the end-to-end UX design process — from problem discovery, hypothesis building, and wireframing to high-fidelity design and interaction flows. My focus was on applying HCI principles, emotional design, and behavioral nudges to enhance productivity without guilt.
Team
Solo project (as part of personal design exploration). I also sought feedback from peers and mentors to refine my design decisions.
Impact
Designed accessibility-first features that could empower 450M+ Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and visually impaired users worldwide (WHO data)
Demonstrated how inclusive design creates new engagement opportunities for social platforms.
About this project
LiveSign+ is a self-initiated accessibility redesign of Instagram Live, focused on creating equal participation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and blind users. As the sole UX Designer, I worked end-to-end — from research to prototyping — exploring how accessibility can shift from being an afterthought to a core engagement feature. This project demonstrates how inclusive design can not only remove barriers but also expand audience reach and brand trust for platforms like Instagram.
Problem Statement
"Instagram Live is designed for engagement, but not everyone can participate equally."
WHO estimates 20% of the global population lives with hearing or vision loss. Live platforms thrive on participation and inclusivity — if users can’t engage, brands and creators lose audience trust.
Why this probelm matters??
WHO estimates 20% of the global population lives with hearing or vision loss.
Live platforms thrive on participation and inclusivity — if users can’t engage, brands and creators lose audience trust.
Research
I wanted to understand the real barriers faced by Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and blind users during Instagram Live. Research helped uncover how current accessibility features fall short and what users actually need to feel included.
I conducted secondary research on accessibility standards, reviewed user forums/feedback, and mapped current Live flows to identify gaps before prototyping inclusive solutions.
Key stats
Secondary Research: Read WHO accessibility reports + explored W3C accessibility standards. Competitive Scan: Twitch, YouTube Live — limited accessibility beyond captions.
User Feedback (3 interviews): “I can’t follow live discussions because captions are too fast.” – Hard-of-hearing user
“I wish I could use VoiceOver to navigate quickly.” – Blind user
User Insights
Pain Points
Lack of Sign Language Support: Deaf users can’t fully engage since Instagram Live doesn’t offer live sign interpretation.
No Audio Descriptions: Blind or visually impaired users miss out on what’s happening visually (gestures, reactions, shared media).
Captions Are Inconsistent: Auto-generated captions often have errors, especially with fast conversations, slang, or multiple speakers.
Exclusion from Real-Time Interactions: Users with accessibility needs feel left out during Q&As, polls, or chat because the features aren’t optimized for them.
Cognitive & Emotional Load: Accessibility gaps make users feel frustrated, left behind, or dependent on others to explain live content.
Limited Customization: Current features don’t let users resize, move, or toggle accessibility tools like captions, interpreters, or audio cues.
Takeaway: None of the major email apps focus on mental well-being.
Insights
1. Email is not just a productivity tool — it has an emotional cost.
Users want Gmail to feel lighter, calmer, and more supportive.
The opportunity: shift from guilt-driven reminders to mindful nudges.
Iteration-1
Added auto-captions → Users said “too fast, can’t pause.”
Iteration-2
Introduced Sign Interpreter PiP overlay + Audio Description toggle.
Added custom controls: pause/resume captions, pinch to resize interpreter window.
UX Audit Summary
“I have compared Instagram Live to YouTube Live, TikTok Live, and Facebook Live, and found a significant accessibility gap across all. None offered dual-support for blind and deaf users in real time. Our feature solves this by making communication bi-directional and sensory-diverse.”
Conclusions
What i learned
This project taught me that accessibility isn’t a “feature” — it’s part of the core experience.
Next Steps
1. Could make millions of live sessions accessible to Deaf/HoH and blind users.
2. Increase creator reach & user retention by being the first major platform to offer full live accessibility.
✈️ SafeSolo — A Safety Feature for Solo Female Travelers on Airbnb
Designing Safe-Solo: Empowering Women to Travel Alone with Confidence
My Role
My Role I led the end-to-end UX design process — from problem discovery, hypothesis building, and wireframing to high-fidelity design and interaction flows. My focus was on applying HCI principles, emotional design, and behavioral nudges to enhance productivity without guilt.
Team
Solo project (as part of personal design exploration). I also sought feedback from peers and mentors to refine my design decisions.
Impact
Designed accessibility-first features that could empower 450M+ Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and visually impaired users worldwide (WHO data)
Demonstrated how inclusive design creates new engagement opportunities for social platforms.
About this project
I’ve always loved the idea of traveling solo — discovering new places, meeting locals, and having the freedom to explore at my own pace. But whenever I opened Airbnb to plan a solo trip, there was always a moment of hesitation. Scrolling through listings, I caught myself asking:
“Will this place actually be safe when I arrive?”
“What if the host isn’t trustworthy?”
“Who can I reach out to if something goes wrong?”
Even though Airbnb offers beautiful listings and great prices, I felt a constant undercurrent of anxiety about safety. That’s when I started thinking
— what if Airbnb had a feature designed specifically to reassure solo travelers and make them feel supported at every step?
That’s how SafeSolo was born — a feature that doesn’t just help you book a stay, but makes sure you feel safe and confident throughout your journey.
Problem Statement
For me, booking wasn’t the issue. Trust and safety were.
I realized this wasn’t just my fear — many solo travelers cancel trips or avoid Airbnb altogether because the platform doesn’t actively address these concerns. So the challenge became: 👉 How might we design a feature that makes solo travelers feel safe, supported, and connected before and during their stay?
Why Research?
Before adding new safety features, I needed to understand:
What actually makes solo travelers feel unsafe? At what moments in the Airbnb journey do fears peak? What gaps exist in the current product flow that leave users anxious? The goal: validate my assumptions with real user insights and avoid designing “fear-based” features that overwhelm.
What stood out:
70% of surveyed solo travelers said they’d feel more confident if Airbnb offered “safety-first” features.
The biggest pain points: uncertainty about hosts, lack of emergency contact, and no way to connect with other trusted travelers.
Pain Points
From interviews + survey analysis: 70% said: “Reading reviews is my only way to feel safe.” 60% mentioned anxiety during check-in (“What if the host doesn’t respond?”). 50% felt “alone” during the stay, no sense of backup or safety net. Many respondents said: “Airbnb gives me choice but not assurance.”
Takeaway: Solo travelers don’t want Airbnb to completely change — they want:
Extra layers of trust and reassurance.
Simple tools to reduce arrival anxiety.
Emotional comfort knowing they’re not alone.
👉 How I struggled:
At first, I was only focusing on in-stay safety (like hotel reviews). But after mapping the traveler’s journey, I realized pre-arrival and post-arrival moments (transport, first city walk, exploration) matter even more. That reframed the entire feature set.
🌍 My Journey to Designing the Features
1. Where the motive came from:
I didn’t start with “let me design features.” I started with my own fear as a solo traveler. Every time I browsed Airbnb,
I loved the options but doubted:
Is this host reliable?
What if I don’t feel safe when I arrive?
This personal frustration made me think: 👉 “If I, as a design student, feel this way, what about first-time solo travelers or women traveling alone? Airbnb could do more here.”
So my motive was clear: ➡️ Build features that reduce hesitation and increase trust for solo travelers.
“What if Airbnb itself verified and highlighted solo-safe hosts?” → Feature: Verified Solo-Safe Hosts.
“How can I make that first contact smoother?” → Feature: Trusted Check-In message.
“Users need a panic-free button.” → Feature: Emergency Check-In Button.
“Airbnb could create a safe peer network.” → Feature: Solo Traveler Community.
Features I Designed & Why
Safety Badges with Ratings
Why I added it: During research, I noticed trust was the biggest barrier for solo travelers. Many women mentioned they don’t just want reviews about the host’s hospitality — they want to know if the stay felt safe.
Impact
Safety badges (like “Verified Driver,” “Safe for Solo Travelers,” etc.) paired with ratings build trust instantly and reduce the anxiety of uncertainty.
Trusted Driver Pickup
Why I added it: One insight was that the most stressful part is not the stay itself, but arriving in an unknown city and figuring out transport.
Impact
Offering a trusted Airbnb driver pickup option provides a “safe first touchpoint.” It removes ambiguity around how they’ll get from airport → accommodation.
Emergency Pager Button
Why I added it: In stressful situations, travelers don’t have time to search for a helpline. They need one-tap access.
Impact
A small, discreet pager button on the app gives users confidence that help is accessible without making them feel paranoid.
City Guide Connection
Why I added it: Research showed solo travelers wanted not only safety, but companionship or guidance to explore new places without feeling isolated.
Impact
Adding an “Airbnb City Guide” option creates emotional assurance — users know they’ll have a friendly, verified guide to contact.
Conclusions
What i learned
Working on Safe Solo Airbnb taught me that safety is not just about physical protection but also about emotional assurance.
2. Solo travelers want to feel in control at every stage of their journey — from booking to arriving to exploring a city.
Designing for that means balancing trust signals (badges, ratings) with real-time support (driver pickup, pager button) and emotional comfort (city guide, friendly nudges).
I also learned that features shouldn’t only address one moment (like the stay itself). Instead, the design should support the entire journey of the user. This shifted my perspective on end-to-end user experience design.
Next Steps
User Testing: Prototype the features with actual solo travelers to validate which safety assurances are most impactful.
Expand Beyond Solo Travelers: The same safety ecosystem could benefit elderly travelers, first-time international tourists, or students studying abroad.
Scalability: Test how safety badges and emergency pager could integrate smoothly into Airbnb’s current UI without overwhelming the user.
Impact
