Y-Herbal Fusio
Y-Herbal Fusion (Fusion Lab
A calm TCM-inspired wellness app that turns daily guidance into easy product choices
Tool Figma, Canv Timelin 1 month, Jan 202
My Rol
This was a solo project where translated an existing entrepreneurship concept into a mobile app experience, defining the product structure and designing end-to-end core flows and UI
Y-Herbal Fusion turns the “food as medicine” concept into everyday, actionable choices. Through scenario-based guidance and integrated commerce flows, it helps users make confident wellness decisions with less friction
Context & Proble
From personal experience to everyday herbal wellnes
Rooted in a background influenced by healthcare and traditional Chinese herbal medicine, this project explores how the concept of “food as medicine” can be transformed into everyday health practices.
Instead of treating herbal medicine as a response to illness, the design reframes it as a low-pressure, sustainable lifestyle choice that fits naturally into daily routines.
The concept is developed into a mobile experience combining herbal product discover y, personalized body-condition guidance, and a membership-based repurchase system. This project aims to make traditional health knowledge more accessible and reduce friction in users health decisions
My Goal
Make food as medicine actionable by translating TCM-inspired wellness concepts into clear, scenario-based product guidance
Reduce decision anxiety and increase trust through a calm UI, explainable recommendations, and clear non-medical boundaries
Create a seamless purchase loop (browse → cart → delivery/pickup → checkout → rewards) that supports repeat purchase and habit-building
Photo of my family’s traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Shandong, China
Competitor Analysi
To understand the current market landscape, I reviewed 10+ existing products and selected 3 representative examples that approach skincare analysis and habit building in distinct ways. Here’re my findings
Competitor
Starbuck
What works:
Creates a fast order-to-pickup loop through in-app ordering.
Drives repeat behavior through a well-established Rewards (Stars) system, maintain loyalty
What doesn’t:
Provides limited guidance on health or ingredient suitability.
Focuses on convenience and rewards rather than personalized daily recommendations
Competitor Tim Horton
What works:
Simplifies high-frequency actions by combining payment, rewards, and redemption into a single Scan & Pay step.
Supports order ahead, pickup, and delivery flows that align well with offline preparation and collection scenarios
What doesn’t:
Offers limited health or ingredient guidance.
Prioritizes efficiency and promotions over personalized wellness recommendations
Competitor
Key Insight
B everage apps succeed through an efficiency loop (order ahead) combined with loyalty-driven repeat behavior, as seen in Starbucks and Tim Hortons.
Health guidance must be explainable and clearly non-diagnostic to avoid anxiety and build user trust, reinforcing the value of a Calm UI approach.
A differentiated opportunity lies in scenario-based guidance ( What do I need today?”) paired with an integrated purchase flow that turns advice into action
User Research & Takeaway
To validate these findings, I conducted informal interviews with three target users. Here are some my my key takeaway
“I’m open to herbal drinks, but I worry about something that might not suit me. If the app could gently tell me which option fits me today and explain why, I would feel more confident sticking with it.
Jason, 3
Key Takeaways
What works:
Enables fast mobile ordering with pickup and order status tracking.
Supports personalization and promotional notifications as entry points for product discovery
What doesn’t:
Focuses on flavors and campaigns rather than clear, trustworthy daily health guidance
“I don’t want to study detailed herbal knowledge. I want an experience like Starbucks—fast ordering, clear pickup, and rewards calculated automatically. If the process is efficient, I’ll keep coming back.
Users need low-pressure, scenario-based guidance rather than complex health theories.
Repurchase is driven by a clear efficiency loop across ordering and rewards.
Trust comes from explainable guidance with clear non-medical boundaries
HMW Statement
Mei, 2
“I’m interested in traditional Chinese medicine, but some explanations feel too abstract or too much like advertising. I need understandable explanations that help me see the logic behind each drink.
How might we create a calm, trustworthy “food-asmedicine” experience that guides daily choices while enabling a seamless order-and-rewards loop for long-term adoption
Alyssa, 2
Based on my research, I synthesized a representative user persona and identified her frustrations, goals and expectations
Mina wants to make health management feel light and part of her daily routine. When she feels stressed, tired, or uncomfortable, she looks for an herbal drink or wellness product that fits her current condition and clearly explains why it is suitable. Rather than complex medical theory, she values low-pressure guidance and simple actions such as ordering and rewards. A “gentle health companion” that offers reference-based advice without medical claims would encourage her to repurchase and stay engaged over time
Core Goa
Quickly find an herbal drink or wellness product that fits today’s condition.
Receive clear guidance that feels supportive rather than diagnostic.
Build a daily habit through an integrated flow of wellness, ordering, and rewards
Motivation
Be guided gently rather than educated or alarmed.
Feel confident with simple explanations for each choice (benefits, ingredients, or scenarios).
Enjoy light rituals such as daily suggestions, check-ins, and rewards to stay consistent.
Treat herbal choices as part of a lifestyle while remaining curious about traditional medicine culture
Frustration
Feel overwhelmed by too many claims about benefits, ingredients, and body types, leading to decision fatigue.
Worry about choosing something unsuitable.
Distrust marketing-driven or diagnostic language.
Experience a broken journey after purchase, with no ongoing guidance or clear next step for repurchase
Needs & Expectation
C lear, scenario-based entry points (e.g., poor sleep, high stress, digestive discomfort → recommendations).
Lightweight self-check or Q&A, avoiding long assessments.
Simple, explainable reasons for each recommendation.
An integrated purchase flow with fast ordering, clear pickup or delivery, and automatic rewards tracking
Value Propositions & Brainstormin
Pain point
Users want daily “food-as-medicine” wellness, but too many claims about benefits/ingredients make it hard to choose what fits today
Wellness content often feels overly medical or overly marketed, causing anxiety and low trust
Even after choosing a product, the experience is fragmented checkout and delivery/pickup can be unclear, hurting repeat use
Value Propositio
Daily Wellness + benefit tags (Calm/Digest/ Energize) simplify decisions and help users find what suits them in 30 seconds
AI TCM Advisor (clear boundaries) provides calm, explainable guidance with “for reference, not medical diagnosis,” building trust
End-to-end purchase loop (cart → delivery/ pickup → summary → points) shortens checkout and supports long-term repurchase habits
UI Desig
Lo go Desig
Everyday “food-as-medicine” : Cup + herbal leaves instantly communicate daily herbal wellness (not “medicine only when sick”).
Tradition meets modern: TCM-inspired symbols expressed in a clean, modern icon style (Fusion Lab concept).
Badge for trust: Circular emblem reads like a quality seal, creating a reliable, premium feel and works well as an app icon.
Fast recognition + scalable: Bold shapes and clear silhouette stay readable at small sizes (app icon, nav).
Balance + contrast: Centered composition suggests balance (fits “Balanced”), and dark background boosts clarity and memorability
Color Syste
D
eep
Grey Gree
#2D4B3
Inspiration: The calm wooden tones of herbal medicine shops and the restrained quality of herbs.
Purpose: Serves as the brand foundation and text contrast color, creating a reliable, composed, and professional first impression without triggering health anxiety #15664
Herbal Green (Primary Brand Color
Inspiration: Herbal leaves and plant vitality.
Purpose: Used as the primary color for backgrounds, top navigation, main buttons, and key highlights, reinforcing a natural and healthy visual identity while keeping calls to action clear
Warm S
and Gold
(Background
Inspiration: Dried herbs, grains, and traditional herbal paper tones.
Purpose: Used for backgrounds and card surfaces to create a warm, approachable interface while maintaining readability with light content areas
Final Desig
Feature #1: Home and AI Adviso
Daily Wellness cards (Morning Vitality / Seasonal Balance / Evening Rest) offer calm, scenario-based guidance for quick, low-pressure decisions.
Home hero + “Explore Products” CTA connects education with action, moving users from understanding to shopping.
AI TCM Advisor provides explainable Q&A with clear “for reference, not medical diagnosis” boundaries and quick prompts to build trust and reduce anxiety
Feature #2: Shop, Cart and Profil
Benefit tags + filters (Calm / Energize / Digest…) let users shop by today’s need instead of reading long ingredient details.
Clear product cards + quick add-to-cart (price, short description, action button) reduce decision effort and speed up purchase.
Cart built for fast checkout: quantity edits, one-tap Delivery/Pickup, transparent order summary, and a strong CTA.
Profile supports retention with visible points/benefits, order history and preferences, plus an EN/中文 language toggle
Feature #3: Wellnes
Lightweight Constitution Test turns TCM “constitution/state” into a guided, easy-to-finish questionnaire, with clear “for reference, not medical diagnosis” boundaries to reduce pressure.
Results are visual and easy to read: a “Balanced” summary with a simple chart helps users understand their current wellness profile at a glance.
Results lead to next steps: personalized wellness tips are paired with “Recommended for You” products, connecting insights directly to product choices and longer-term use
