switchingoff is an app that allows
high school students to learn about, discuss, and record their understanding of death.
This project was created through in-depth research and a long-form design process.
Death is a taboo topic. Much like sex (the beginning of life), death (the end of life) is a
subject that can be uncomfortable to discuss. Without acknowledging our own death we cannot truly ‘live our lives to the fullest’. By creating a space to talk about this existential
topic, we can begin to understand where we connect together and how we fit into
the grand scheme of life. Switching Off creates a space for teens in the United States
to lead more meaningful lives by overcoming negative attitudes about death.
Home
The user can talk to DeathBot by asking certain questions
The user asks "how do I cope with death?"
DeathBot responds by showing the paragraph from a specific
resources page.
Days
Swipe past the home page
and the days appear
This is a 30 day experience. The user clicks on the day they are starting. By clicking on the day a menu pops up that gives the user options for the Resources, Community Chat, or Journal page.
Profile
Swipe past the days and the user profile appears
This profile is accessible when using the
community chat rooms and has basic information shown to give the people
you are talking to more information
about yourself. It is not intended to be
used as social media, just a casual
chat room.
Menu
When clicking on a day this menu pops up
Clicking on each of these brings you to a specific page for that day.
Resources
Each day has specific resources attached
Day 1 informs the user about 'Coping with Death'. There are many articles and sites provided to aid the conversations in the Community Chat and to share through social media channels of the users choice.
Community Chat
Each chat room contains 5 people
The user is put in chatrooms with random people which caps at 5 users in each room so it is not overwhelming when discussing what was learned from the day. When chatting, the users can insert links to the articles from the Resources page which come up as blue so other people can reference them.
Notes
Write down your notes
from the day
The notes are private and free-formed. This space allows the user to take what they learned and discussed in the Community Chat and Resources. They can write whatever they are thinking and feeling. It is a therapeutic way to get all of their thoughts out in one place, about these specific topics. They can star notes they think are important to come back to.
Notification
At the end of each day a message pops up
The user is able to share what they have learned for the day on social media. It generates a post that contains the paragraph from that day and theme
that can be passed around online.
