Rachel Chuman Zhang
Design is a creative act of being and an act of care.
Every interaction is an opportunity to show someone their experience matters.
About
Work
1. Aware 2. Olfactory Oasis 3. Koi
4. Ebba: Humanized AI
5. Physical Prototyping
6. Intimate Data
Email
CV
LinkedIn Olfactory Oasis
Olfactory Oasis
Turn clinical smell training into a mindful daily ritual.
People who lose their sense of smell after COVID are told to do smell training, but most give up after two weeks. It's repetitive, no one explains why it works, and there's nothing mindful about sniffing from a bottle. Olfactory Oasis is a digital app that turns that clinical routine into a 2-minute ritual you pair with brushing your teeth. It guides you through breathing and smelling each aroma, tracks your progress over months, and teaches you why training actually works. The design bridges physical (essential oils, aroma papers) and digital (guided sessions, progress tracking, education).
Role: Research, concept, interaction design, UI, prototyping (solo master thesis)
Impact:
Exhibited at Umeå Institute of Design. Commercialization interest from Innovation Office.
Thesis report
Imagine Unable to smell
Rain-kissed grass,
favorite coffee, and loved ones.
Process in a glance
UI flow
Welcome → Reminders → Scent → Breathing → Progres
Design rationale
Landing screen and typography are choosen to represent the soul of smell like fog or mist
Scent selection and customizations
Four different scent examples Guided ritual to work with physical artefacts for smell training
Details on breathing states
Like box breathing method, the black dot is what the eyes focus on. There is an intention not to include numbers just in your breathing.
Physical artefact
Close-up of aroma paper and essential oils
How it works
Exhibition Umeå, commercialization, Innovation Office