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WHAT IS KAIROS ?

KAIROS is an audio guided journaling companion that provides a safe space for the bereaved to express and explore their grief through writing. Supporting each in their own time, it's designed to bring a haven of calm into their hearts as they move forward in grief.

WHY GRIEF ?

I was inspired to explore the subject of grief after losing someone very dear to me. It left me wondering whether enough has been done to support those who've experienced such a life changing event. I also wanted to challenge myself to explore what I feared - the intangible. How could we design for such intense emotions that we all go through simply because we’re human?

It’s equally important to you too because while grief is so personal, it's also very universal. I’ve focused on the loss of a loved one through death in this project, but I see grief as the emotions that one goes through following any form of loss. We’ll all go through it sooner or later, one way or another. There’s simply no escaping from it.

I was inspired to explore the subject of grief after losing someone very dear to me. It left me wondering whether enough has been done to support those who've experienced such a life changing event. I also wanted to challenge myself to explore what I feared - the intangible. How could we design for such intense emotions that we all go through simply because we’re human?

It’s equally important to you too because while grief is so personal, it's also very universal. I’ve focused on the loss of a loved one through death in this project, but I see grief as the emotions that one goes through following any form of loss. We’ll all go through it sooner or later, one way or another. There’s simply no escaping from it.

I was inspired to explore the subject of grief after losing someone very dear to me. It left me wondering whether enough has been done to support those who've experienced such a life changing event. I also wanted to challenge myself to explore what I feared - the intangible. How could we design for such intense emotions that we all go through simply because we’re human?

It’s equally important to you too because while grief is so personal, it's also very universal. I’ve focused on the loss of a loved one through death in this project, but I see grief as the emotions that one goes through following any form of loss. We’ll all go through it sooner or later, one way or another. There’s simply no escaping from it.

I was inspired to explore the subject of grief after losing someone very dear to me. It left me wondering whether enough has been done to support those who've experienced such a life changing event. I also wanted to challenge myself to explore what I feared - the intangible. How could we design for such intense emotions that we all go through simply because we’re human?

It’s equally important to you too because while grief is so personal, it's also very universal. I’ve focused on the loss of a loved one through death in this project, but I see grief as the emotions that one goes through following any form of loss. We’ll all go through it sooner or later, one way or another. There’s simply no escaping from it.

WHAT'S THE GRIEF JOURNEY LIKE ?

I learned from speaking with grief therapists that the five stages of grief coined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is actually a popular myth that people associate with when they think of grief. Many mistakenly assume that the grieving process is linear and comes in five stages. In fact, Kübler-Ross actually developed this model to describe the process that patients go through as they come to terms with their own terminal illnesses.

In reality, the journey of grief looks a lot more like the below. This graph shows an overlap of emotional seismographs the bereaved had drawn. The process is clearly not linear but full of highs and lows.

I learned from speaking with grief therapists that the five stages of grief coined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is actually a popular myth that people associate with when they think of grief. Many mistakenly assume that the grieving process is linear and comes in five stages. In fact, Kübler-Ross actually developed this model to describe the process that patients go through as they come to terms with their own terminal illnesses.

In reality, the journey of grief looks a lot more like the below. This graph shows an overlap of emotional seismographs the bereaved had drawn. The process is clearly not linear but full of highs and lows.

I learned from speaking with grief therapists that the five stages of grief coined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is actually a popular myth that people associate with when they think of grief. Many mistakenly assume that the grieving process is linear and comes in five stages. In fact, Kübler-Ross actually developed this model to describe the process that patients go through as they come to terms with their own terminal illnesses.

In reality, the journey of grief looks a lot more like the below. This graph shows an overlap of emotional seismographs the bereaved had drawn. The process is clearly not linear but full of highs and lows.

I learned from speaking with grief therapists that the five stages of grief coined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is actually a popular myth that people associate with when they think of grief. Many mistakenly assume that the grieving process is linear and comes in five stages. In fact, Kübler-Ross actually developed this model to describe the process that patients go through as they come to terms with their own terminal illnesses.

In reality, the journey of grief looks a lot more like the below. This graph shows an overlap of emotional seismographs the bereaved had drawn. The process is clearly not linear but full of highs and lows.

WHERE'S THE DESIGN OPPORTUNITY ?

the lack of support as time goes on

The “aha” moment for me was learning that there’s a dip that kicks in as time goes by. There's almost an expectation from society that people would get over it after some time has passed. And so, while the bereaved may be busy early on with say after-death arrangements, as soon as there’s time to tend to their emotions, that’s when they don’t end up getting the support that they need.

Support is often lacking from their close circles, but also when they reach out to professionals. It's not that friends and family wouldn't like to help, but many are unsure of what to say or are afraid to say the wrong things. The waiting time to meet with a professional can also be long (as long as one and a half years). Accordingly, not many bereaved end up having the conversations they wish they'd had or need. This gap only grows bigger as time goes on.

the lack of support as time goes on

The “aha” moment for me was learning that there’s a dip that kicks in as time goes by. There's almost an expectation from society that people would get over it after some time has passed. And so, while the bereaved may be busy early on with say after-death arrangements, as soon as there’s time to tend to their emotions, that’s when they don’t end up getting the support that they need.

Support is often lacking from their close circles, but also when they reach out to professionals. It's not that friends and family wouldn't like to help, but many are unsure of what to say or are afraid to say the wrong things. The waiting time to meet with a professional can also be long (as long as one and a half years). Accordingly, not many bereaved end up having the conversations they wish they'd had or need. This gap only grows bigger as time goes on.

the lack of support as time goes on

The “aha” moment for me was learning that there’s a dip that kicks in as time goes by. There's almost an expectation from society that people would get over it after some time has passed. And so, while the bereaved may be busy early on with say after-death arrangements, as soon as there’s time to tend to their emotions, that’s when they don’t end up getting the support that they need.

Support is often lacking from their close circles, but also when they reach out to professionals. It's not that friends and family wouldn't like to help, but many are unsure of what to say or are afraid to say the wrong things. The waiting time to meet with a professional can also be long (as long as one and a half years). Accordingly, not many bereaved end up having the conversations they wish they'd had or need. This gap only grows bigger as time goes on.

the lack of support as time goes on

The “aha” moment for me was learning that there’s a dip that kicks in as time goes by. There's almost an expectation from society that people would get over it after some time has passed. And so, while the bereaved may be busy early on with say after-death arrangements, as soon as there’s time to tend to their emotions, that’s when they don’t end up getting the support that they need.

Support is often lacking from their close circles, but also when they reach out to professionals. It's not that friends and family wouldn't like to help, but many are unsure of what to say or are afraid to say the wrong things. The waiting time to meet with a professional can also be long (as long as one and a half years). Accordingly, not many bereaved end up having the conversations they wish they'd had or need. This gap only grows bigger as time goes on.

WHAT'S THE VALUE ?

It's incredible how something as simple as a candleholder can put people into an emotional space to unpack their emotions, and with this object as an anchor, transform the feeling of the physical space.

KAIROS makes it easier to create that space to grieve, which can be especially difficult when feeling overwhelmed with emotions.

Whilst writing is not the only way to support the grieving and KAIROS cannot replace human interactions, perhaps it could still offer a way for the bereaved to find peace by looking inwards when support is difficult to get hold of.