Dugri

Brand refinement, creative direction and product design for a mobile app

Challenge

The task at hand was to adapt the traditional in-person exchange of the Dugri protocol into a user-friendly digital experience that would be accessible to a much wider community. With healthcare workers facing tremendous stress during the peak of the pandemic, the objective was to create an app that would effectively connect them with peers, enabling them to share their burdens and listen attentively.

Outcome

With a clear visual identity and optimized user experience, the newly designed Dugri app and its associated assets stand out as recognizable and user-friendly. The app was successfully launched on schedule, with regular updates incorporated thereafter. Since its inception, Dugri's impact has expanded beyond the healthcare industry, becoming a sought-after employee benefit.

Approach

The first step in the process was to improve their existing MVP while simultaneously establishing a cohesive brand identity and design system that could be applied across all touchpoints. To keep costs and development time manageable, the existing app was enhanced while I simultaneously refined the brand's visual identity and design system.

To initiate the design process, two moodboards were created, exploring potential visual design directions. While retaining the client's logo symbol and primary brand colors, the chosen direction centered around the concept of "real talk." A vibrant and cheerful color palette complemented authentic portraits of healthcare workers, intentionally steering away from clichéd imagery often associated with the medical profession.

Dugri, a innovative mobile app, aims to facilitate meaningful connections among employees across the country, providing a confidential space for cathartic "real talk." Originally designed as an in-person program for veterans, the Dugri protocol has a proven track record of positively impacting key resilience metrics. Dugri aims to prevent burnout and PTSD by helping people deal with stress and trauma.

Building upon the selected moodboard, a comprehensive component library was rapidly developed, providing a solid foundation for the app's design. The visual identity was further expanded to include a series of geometric lines and shapes with a blend of sharp and rounded corners along with simplified speech bubbles. These shapes were incorporated as a consistent branding element, unifying all visual assets. Additionally, I curated and manipulated a selection of studio shot portraits to create an image library that could be used across their app and marketing efforts. I also made slight modifications to refine their existing logo with a new font and cleaner shape.

The next crucial step involved designing the Dugri exchange interface, allowing users to post audio recordings describing their concerns. Other users could then respond with audio messages, following the app's guided Dugri protocol. Additionally, Dugri Gather, a more traditional community platform, and Dugri Live which enabled users to meet and have a guided Dugri dialog in real-time. I also created an app onboarding experience and in-app tutorials to explain the more complex features.