This project includes: App Prototyping, User Research, User Profiles, UI Design, Figma, 3D Modelling, Accessibility Considerations
Helping Hand
Helping Hand bridges technology and human connection by addressing the overlooked impact of touch deprivation on aging and cognitive decline. This neuroscience-backed massage system mimics the pressure of a real hand, reducing stress and promoting well-being. Paired with an intuitive app, it lets loved ones share a comforting touch across distances, seamlessly integrating with video calls. With accessible controls, ethical design, and applications in aging care and neurological rehabilitation, Helping Hand reimagines how we support emotional and cognitive health through touch. This solution earned second place at the 2025 UBC Neuroscience Association Case Competition.
Role:
Product Lead, UX/UI Lead
Skills:
UX Research, UI Design, Research Methodology, Product Design, Science Communication
Timeline:
10 hours (2025)
Tools:
Figma, Canva, Tinkercad
The Problem
As people age, reduced physical touch and social connection accelerate cognitive decline.
Social isolation, especially among the elderly, accelerates cognitive decline and emotional distress. Research shows that physical touch stimulates C-tactile afferent fibers, which are responsible for the pleasant sensations associated with touch, reducing cortisol levels and increasing oxytocin, thereby promoting emotional and cognitive well-being. Unfortunately, many individuals lack access to meaningful touch due to physical barriers or distance.
Research
COVID and Social Isolation
Low social integration and high social isolation accelerate physiological aging, particularly in vulnerable populations (e.g., worsened dementia symptoms, increased depression and anxiety).
What is Social Touch?
Physical interaction for interpersonal communication, distinct from discriminative touch.
Affects emotional centers in the brain.
How Does Social Touch Help?
Reduces cortisol levels (associated with Alzheimer's, memory loss, and hippocampal atrophy).
Increases oxytocin, which helps in telomere shortening, reducing neuroinflammation, and preventing oxidative stress.
Effective Social Touch:
Involves a shared connection, conscious intention, and reciprocity.
Its impact depends on mutual expectations and social norms, affecting both emotional and physiological responses.
User Profiles
Our Solution
Designed with accesibility in mind, Helping Hand is an innovative massage system that uses customizable, research-backed tactile feedback to promote emotional connection and cognitive well-being through real-time touch experiences.
Key Features
App - Machine Interaction
Connect with your loved ones in real-time over FaceTime using the touchpad feature on the HelpingHand app. Feel each other's presence with customizable touch experiences that sync instantly, making virtual connections more personal and meaningful.
Accessible Design
HelpingHand combines accessibility in both its app and machine components. The app features large, high-contrast buttons, an intuitive interface, and seamless integration with assistive technologies like screen readers, making navigation easy for users of all tech comfort levels and those with visual impairments. Meanwhile, the machine includes an ergonomic design and an easy-to-use dial, ensuring comfort and effortless control for users with limited hand mobility or dexterity.
Customization and Personalization
Tailor the touch experience to your needs. Adjust intensity, temperature, and more to create a personalized, meaningful connection.
Consent Considerations
With full control over the touch experience, users can ensure that all interactions are consensual and comfortable. Users can easily disconnect the app from the machine at any time, providing an extra layer of control and ensuring that touch interactions are always voluntary.
Cross-Cultural Considerations
The product’s customizable touch features respect and adapt to diverse cultural norms. By offering adjustable intensity and sensations, it ensures that the experience is suitable for users from various cultural backgrounds, promoting comfort and understanding across different belief systems and practices.
Key Takeaways
Empathy is Key to Designing Meaningful Connections
This project taught me that understanding users on an emotional, physical, and cultural level is essential for creating impactful solutions. Designing for vulnerable populations like the elderly shifted my focus from just functionality to true compassion, reminding me that meaningful connections are built on empathy and care. As a designer, this experience reinforced the importance of prioritizing empathy in every stage of the design process.
Great Design Requires Collaborative Minds
Working with a pre-med stats student, a business student, and myself as the designer showed me how powerful cross-disciplinary collaboration can be. We each brought unique perspectives that, when combined, elevated our approach to design. This project taught me that great design comes from blending diverse expertise, and the strength of a team lies in its ability to seamlessly integrate different skill sets and viewpoints.
