Experience Design · NIFT Mumbai · 2025

E-Pilgrim

Reimagining Pilgrimage for the Elderly

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Bringing the sacred home — a VR & mobile platform enabling elderly devotees to experience pilgrimage, attend darshans, and book virtual rituals from the comfort of their own space.

Type Experience Design · Service Design · VR
Team 3 members · 3 months
Methods Mixed-method · Interviews · Empathy Mapping · Blueprinting
Output Mobile App + 360° VR Darshan Experience

01 — Why This Matters

The Faith
That Endures

"Pilgrimage is identity, comfort, and connection — yet millions of elders are now worshipping from a distance."

192 million Indians will be 60+ by 2031. For most of them, health, mobility, and distance prevent them from visiting the temples and pilgrimages that are central to their spiritual identity and emotional well-being.

192M
Indians will be 60+ by 2031 — a rapidly growing demographic often left out of experience design
65%
Stay connected to faith by praying or meditating at home — cut off from the real experience
70%
Miss the on-site atmosphere — the bells, smells, and rituals — when unable to visit in person
52%
Respondents aged 60–79 face health and mobility issues as major barriers to pilgrimage
🙏
Spiritual Motivation
Faith remains strong even as physical access declines. Devotion is non-negotiable.
🏛️
Access Barriers
Mobility, health, cost and crowding limit physical visits to temples and sacred sites.
🎶
Sensory Importance
Sounds, smells, and rituals are not decorative — they are the emotional core of the experience.
📱
Emerging Digital Access
Virtual options exist but lack realism, warmth, and the dignity elders deserve.

02 — Research

What Our
Elders Told Us

Primary Interviews · 7 Elders · Mumbai, Pune, Kochi

"I've seen the ISKCON live darshan sometimes. It's nice, but the phone screen is too small. I wish it could feel more real."

🙏

Leela Shah, 70 — Mumbai

Retired teacher · Prays daily at home altar

"Mainly physical pain and fatigue. Sitting for long hours in a car or bus is tough. Crowds also make me anxious."

🙏

Meena Deshmukh, 65 — Mumbai

Homemaker · Arthritis limits mobility

"I want to feel that God can come to my home when I cannot go to Him."

🙏

Kamala Amma, 80 — Kochi-Mumbai

Devotee of Guruvayur · Limited by age

"Devotion, calm, and gratitude. It reminds me of my wife — missing those journeys we took together."

🙏

Ramesh Patel, 74 — Mumbai

Widower · Visits Siddhivinayak when able

"When I sit there, I feel like God is listening. Nothing replaces that presence."

🙏

Sita, 72 — Pune

Devotee · Walks with difficulty

Common themes across all 7 interviews:

—Deep, unshaken devotion regardless of physical state
—Dependence on family causes guilt and hesitation
—Longing for sensory atmosphere — bells, incense, chants
—Openness to simple technology if guided clearly

User Personas · 3 Archetypes

👵

Shanta, 72

Devoted Elder

Core Need

Emotional + Sensory Connection

Pain Points

Severe knee pain limits travel. Misses the smell of flowers, temple bells, and the feeling of deity's presence.

Behaviour

Prays at home altar daily. Watches bhajan videos on TV. Depends on daughter for temple visits.

"Faith gives me peace."

👴

Suresh, 68

Practical Traditionalist

Core Need

Simplicity + Independence

Pain Points

Reluctant to burden children. Finds digital interfaces confusing. Wants a one-tap, guided experience.

Behaviour

Uses a basic smartphone. Follows a strict morning routine. Prefers Hindi content. Values independence greatly.

"I wish I could do darshan easily from home."

🧔

Rajendra, 69

Social Devotee

Core Need

Group Devotion · Community

Pain Points

Misses communal prayer — bhajan groups, temple gatherings. Solo digital experience feels hollow and isolating.

Behaviour

Active in local bhajan mandal. Organises group temple visits. Calls friends daily to discuss spiritual topics.

"Bhajans feel better when sung together."

"All crave connection, dignity and independence in spiritual practice."

03 — Design Opportunities

Sensory → Dignity →
Community → Simplicity

01
Recreate Atmosphere at Home
Bring sensory and emotional cues of the temple — sound, light, rhythm — into the elder's own space.
02
Enable Independence
Simple flows that let elders participate in rituals and darshans without needing family assistance.
03
Connect Socially
Shared devotion, group bhajans, and a sense of belonging — virtual but real in feeling.
04
Simplify Technology
Clear visuals, large text, voice or guided navigation. Technology must serve the devotee, not challenge them.

04 — Design System

Brand &
Identity

Typography — Poppins

Aa

Poppins — geometric yet friendly. Versatile weight. Modern simplicity suited for elderly accessibility.

Primary Colour

Deep teal as primary — calm, trustworthy, spiritually grounded. Gradient version softens for onboarding.

App Screens

Welcome / OnboardingLanguage · Time · Preference
Home FeedTemples · Events · Prayer
Temple DetailOverview · Rituals · 360° Tour
BookingRitual · Date/Time · Payment
VR InstructionsHeadset setup · Start
Profile & HistorySaved temples · Bookings

Wireframe Progression

Low Fidelity
Mid Fidelity
High Fidelity

High Fidelity Screens

🕌

E-PILGRIM

Namaste and welcome!
Begin your spiritual journey

🛕

Onboarding

Select Language

अ

Hindi

اردو

Urdu

A

English

अ

Marathi

Skip

Next

Language Select

Good morning 🙏

Morning Prayer · Live Every Sunday

Shoolpaneshwar Temple

Visit →

Virtual Satsang Experience

Peaceful Spiritual Connection

Upcoming Events

Festival · Grounds

Cultural · Grounds

Home

Shoolpaneshwar Mahadev Temple, Narmada

Overview

Details

Rituals

Ancient Shiva Lingam Temple on the banks of Narmada. Features one of the two Shiva lingams worshipped by the Pandavas...

360° Virtual Tour

Book Ritual Services

Live-streamed Events

Temple Detail

Choose Date & Time

Select date

Mon, Aug 17

Morning Prayer

Evening Prayer

Special Ceremony

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

Booking

Payment Gateway

Checkout

Card Number

Card Number

Card Holder Name

Name

Date

CVV

Total: ₹500 (₹320 + ₹180 GST)

Pay Now

Payment

Booking Confirmed

You have successfully booked your Virtual Temple Tour at Sai Mandir, Kharghar

If you see a dot in the center of the screen, use it to interact with VR content. Move the cursor with your head movements.

Confirmation

Instructions

1.

Open the VR glasses headset. Place your smartphone in the holding tray.

2.

Align the center line with the marker on the mount, the vision divider in the headset.

3.

Close the VR headset and place it on your head.

4.

Use head movements to control the cursor in the VR environment.

Start Experience 🛕

VR Setup

05 — 360° Production Process

Bringing the Temple
to Life

360° Virtual Darshan · Sai Mandir, Kharghar

The temple came home to them.

Three generations of devotees — unable to travel — experienced the Aarti, the bells, the sanctum, and the presence of the deity from their own living rooms. No queues. No fatigue. Full devotion.

🎬

360° Capture

Arrival · Parikrama · Aarti

🥽

Meta Quest VR Headset

Head-movement navigation · 1-click access

🔔

Spatial Audio Design

Temple bells · Chants · Ambient crowd

🛕

Sanctum View — Sai Mandir

● Live Aarti

"The 360° view was beautiful and steady. Even the sound of the bells felt real."

Bhagat, 60 — Pilot Testing

"This is perfect for people who can't travel but still want to stay connected to their faith."

Ramnath, 51 — Pilot Testing

01 Discover & Select Sites Visited several temples in Kharghar. Selected Sai Mandir as the most suitable site for 360° capture — accessibility, space, and spiritual atmosphere.
02 Experience Design & Pre-Production Designed the emotional flow: Arrival → Entering → Pradakshina → Main sanctum darshan → Aarti → Closing blessing. Each moment mapped to devotional feeling.
03 Production — 360° Capture Shot wide, close-up, and 360° views across three stages: arrival and entering, parikrama, and aarti. Coordinated sound and light with rituals.
04 Post-Production 360° stitching software combined camera lenses. Stabilization, sound design, and export to VR-ready format for headset playback.
05 Testing with Elders Pilot sessions with senior citizens using Meta Quest headsets in open areas. Observed comfort, navigation ease, and emotional response. Iterated based on feedback.

06 — Feedback & Outcome

When Faith
Came Home

"The 360° view was beautiful and steady. Even the sound of the bells felt real. This is perfect for people who can't travel but still want to stay connected to their faith."

Bhagat, 60 — Participant

"This experience will be more useful for users with mobility issues like me. I wish I could watch the same experience but from my village temple — like a live stream."

Ramnath, 51 — Participant

"The experience is very good and useful for elder users. The booking app is very good and it would be great if it can provide service like quick commerce."

Lokesh, 43 — Participant

🙏

"Keeping devotion alive — book and experience any time, at any place."

07 — Future Vision

A Bridge Between
Devotion & Technology

E-Pilgrim reimagines spiritual accessibility by blending cultural authenticity with immersive technology. Through an intuitive app and a calming 360° VR experience, it enables elders and distant devotees to reconnect with sacred spaces once out of reach.

· · ·

Next Step

Gesture-based VR interactions with an AI voice assistant guiding rituals and traditions for each user.

Vision

Colocated virtual darshan — families across distances joining the same temple visit, praying together in a shared immersive space.

Platform

Expand beyond Android to iOS, Meta Quest, and Apple Vision Pro — making darshan truly universal.