Sway together, stay together: visualizing spiritual support networks through the soulgarden prototype

A Kaur, CE Smith, L Terveen - … Publication of the 2021 Conference on …, 2021 - dl.acm.org
Companion Publication of the 2021 Conference on Computer Supported …, 2021dl.acm.org
Spiritual support is a fundamental yet understudied dimension of support exchange in
Online Health Communities. Recent work suggested that visualization of spiritual support
networks offers a promising design mechanism for helping patients and caregivers navigate
life-threatening physical or mental illnesses. Therefore, through user-centered and
community-situated inquiry, we designed and developed SoulGarden–an interface that
helps users visualize their spiritual support network in order to reduce loneliness and …
Spiritual support is a fundamental yet understudied dimension of support exchange in Online Health Communities. Recent work suggested that visualization of spiritual support networks offers a promising design mechanism for helping patients and caregivers navigate life-threatening physical or mental illnesses. Therefore, through user-centered and community-situated inquiry, we designed and developed SoulGarden–an interface that helps users visualize their spiritual support network in order to reduce loneliness and increase a sense of community and belonging. Initial feedback from user tests suggests that our nature-based theme provides users with feelings of calm and comfort, and that seeing the faces and prayers of supporters adds a meaningful sensory component to online support exchange. Our evaluation also suggests three valuable design considerations for future support network visualizations.
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