Lumi

Inspiration

Managing chronic illness is hard, especially for older adults. Our team was inspired by Ruth, a 67-year-old woman newly diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. Ruth represents millions of Canadians who feel overwhelmed by fragmented care, confusing medication schedules, and the emotional toll of navigating healthcare alone. We wanted to build something that felt less like an app and more like a companion.

What it does

Lumi is a healthcare management app designed to support older adults living with chronic conditions. It acts as a virtual caregiver, guiding users through medication tracking, appointment scheduling, and access to support services, all with a simple, empathetic interface. Lumi connects patients with trusted contacts or volunteers, offers voice-assisted navigation, and integrates with hospital systems to streamline care from referral to daily management.

How we built it

We built Lumi for the design jam entirely using Figma. It was our central tool for brainstorming, designing user flows, and creating an intuitive, accessible interface tailored to older adults. Figma allowed us to prototype the entire patient journey, from Ruth's hospital referral to daily care, and ensure that every screen felt simple, supportive, and empathetic. Every interaction was carefully mapped to reflect real-world needs, emotional reassurance, and ease of use.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was designing for older adults who may not be tech-savvy. We had to really get into their minds and rethink key things such as onboarding, simplify interfaces, and ensure every interaction felt human and supportive. Another major challenge was time as we were balancing academic responsibilities with building Lumi required careful coordination, late nights, and strong teamwork. Staying focused on our mission while juggling school was tough, but it made our commitment to Lumi even stronger.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of creating a solution that feels truly human. Lumi isn’t just functional, it’s compassionate. From day one, we focused on designing for people like Ruth, especially those managing diabetes and other chronic conditions. We built a seamless onboarding experience that empowers users and reduces the stress of navigating healthcare alone. Along the way, we deepened our understanding of the emotional and practical challenges older adults face, and became more empathetic designers and problem-solvers. Seeing how Lumi can help users feel confident, connected, and cared for is our greatest achievement.

What we learned

We learned that empathy is a design principle, not just a philosophy and should be reflective in every design choice we make. Building for older adults taught us to prioritize clarity, trust, and emotional support. We also learned the importance of collaboration, between developers, designers, healthcare professionals, and patients, to create something truly meaningful that would impact many people.

What's next for Lumi

Next, we’re expanding Lumi’s capabilities to include AI-powered symptom tracking, multilingual support, and deeper integration with insurance providers. We’re also building a caregiver dashboard for family members and volunteers, and exploring partnerships with hospitals and community organizations to scale Lumi across Canada.

Built With

• figma