Abilibee
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"Every person we have shown this to has been beyond ecstatic. This app will mean so much for families and make a big impact on their daily lives. Thank you, Joe. The design is amazing."Marcy Handler, Product Owner for Abilibee
The Story
Abilibee didn’t even have a name when we began. It was an anonymous project funded by New York State with one simple directive: Create an app that will make the days easier for the lives of families and individuals with disabilities. From that ambiguous start came a fully realized brand and product that will hopefully make a difference.
“But what is it?”– our first question. We answered it through hours of interviews with stakeholders & research. Once I knew the heart of the brand, I attempted to name it; something unique and aligned with the people it would help. Abilibee. The rest of the brand fell into place. Hundreds of sketches later (there are many ways to draw a bee), we had our logo.
“How can it help?” – the next question. We found the answer talking to advocates and professionals, moms who knew what a hard day really meant, and the individuals who deserved our very best. These talks fueled my wireframes and ideas for how the app might serve every user. The ideas grew in collaborative meetings with the Abilibee team. We found our definition. And finally, one day, I had approvals for high-fidelity designs.
The Abilibee app is set for release sometime in late 2024.
(It takes more than a single bee to make a hive buzz. Much thanks to Volum8 for bringing me on and to product owner Marcy Handler for being such an amazing collaborator on this project. She almost stung me a few times, but we always managed to make the product better together.)
What was done
The deliverables list for Abilibee was lengthy. As solo designer, I executed all phases of identity, branding, app and site design. Most importantly, no bees were harmed during this project.
In branding, I named the app, designed the logo, and set the brand definitions. During the app build, I led product conceptualization, wireframing, low- and high-fidelity designs, and handoff to the always incredible devs at Volum8. To support marketing at launch, I designed a lightweight promotional site.
Of course all this meant conducting extensive user research and analysis, directing Abilibee’s internal content team, and presenting deliverables to stakeholders and the Board. Everyone was wonderful.