I started Refúgio to explore an overlooked problem within caregiving: the lack of support for the person providing care. Research into caregiver burnout and emotional isolation showed an opportunity to create a product focused not only on the person being cared for, but also on the caregiver's own emotional needs.
Caregivers often have to manage someone else's needs while continuing to handle their own responsibilities. Over time, their emotional wellbeing can become secondary, leaving little space to process emotions, ask for support, or maintain an identity beyond caregiving.
The challenge was to create a product that made this support part of the caregiver's routine, rather than another responsibility they had to manage.
Refúgio brings together the main forms of support caregivers may need in one experience. Daily emotional check-ins help users recognize how they are feeling, guided journaling creates space for reflection, and an anonymous community provides connection with people facing similar experiences.
The product also gives caregivers a personal space beyond their caregiving role, making their own needs part of the experience rather than an afterthought.
I started by researching caregiver burnout, emotional isolation, and the challenges faced by people providing care on their own. This helped define the main needs the product should address and shaped the experience around emotional awareness, reflection, connection, and personal identity.
From there, I structured the core user journeys, defined the product experience, and developed the visual identity and emotional design system alongside the interface.
Refúgio resulted in a complete mobile product concept that brings emotional check-ins, guided journaling, anonymous peer support, and personal space into one experience. The product was designed to make emotional support more accessible within the daily reality of solo caregivers.
As an academic project, Refúgio has no live users or performance metrics. The outcome is the product experience, visual identity, and design system developed to support the concept.
The final design brings together the main Refúgio experience, from daily emotional check-ins and guided reflection to anonymous community support and a personal space beyond caregiving. The mobile experience uses a calm, focused interface to make these moments of support feel natural within the caregiver's routine.
