Mental Well-being app
An App that promotes speaking up about mental health within the Black / Asian Community
Timeline
From explorations to final designs in 11 - 14 weeks while working with multiple projects at the same time
Brief challenge
In this project you will develop a body of generative research relating to a problem space within the theme of sustainability that will inform the practical work undertaken in parts 2 and 3 of the Design for Good project. Use a whiteboarding platform of your choice (e.g. Miro), to gather and professionally present the outcomes of your research. Organise your outcomes in a way which makes it easy for an audience (e.g. another UX designer) to follow your process, understand your key findings, and locate your raw data (e.g. user interview transcripts).
Brief context
Since the proliferation of UX research practices in the digital design industries, the process that used to be called ‘requirements capture’ is now known as ‘requirements discovery’. The change of terminology effectively acknowledges that no single ‘actor’ from business owner to shopfloor employee to customer, has complete understanding of a business environment, although each has potentially valuable insight. Well-structured research resolves this situation by comprehensively reviewing all relevant information and engaging with key actors. In this way, UX practitioners gain the broad and deep ‘domain knowledge’ necessary to make informed design decisions.
Research & Planning
I conducted a series of research to help me gather the right information for my App.
Problem statement: "Black people are constantly living in poverty, this affects the their views on mental health and getting it treated. Due to lack of money, the help that black people receive from hospitals are leaving them feeling dissatisfied as they consistently dismissed with short term solutions like medicine and not being given long term solutions, such as therapy, leaving them feeling uncared for and unable to open up."
Statistical research: "The statistics above present the struggle that black people, especially women, face when it comes to being able to be vulnerable about their mental health. graphs show that racism within hospitals has a big part to allowing those to feel comfortable to ask for help, being treated poorly can cause those to become hesitant and refuse to seek help, causing suicide to be their only option. only 8% of black people in the US are receiving treatment for mental health, comparing to 75% who haven't thought about getting treatment."
User Interviews: "The interviews have provided evidence that people feel somewhat helpless when it comes to reaching out for help. Official services have not done enough to aid those who are in need of help, people are relying less on services like the NHS as they have to wait ridiculously long and end up giving up, finding other ways to cope with their struggles. Despite this, people don't turn to private therapy as that is too costly to them, also apps are not their first choice either. Apps need to produce more of a structure for users so they can rely more on it."
Competitor Reviews: "Mental health apps are becoming too expensive for those to use on a day to day basis, most apps are accessible but lack availability long term when the free trails are reaching their end. some apps are too restrictive; only being available to those who get referred or living within a certain region."
Persona: "I want my app to be more for younger audiences, however, I want it to be accessible for everyone to use. I want to create an app that is easy to use, inexpensive, and not pressuring on those who are taking a huge leap into getting help that they need. All information will be made for people of all races, but black people are my main target audience."
Value Proposition Canvas: "My app will provide a new and easy way for users to access information about mental health topics, giving them bite sized quotes from books and articles from mental health specialists. Giving users a new and innovative way to gain knowledge and have access to help in a more fast and efficient way. It will have a friendly feel, UI will be simple enough for people of most ages to use with ease, ensuring an element of trust and privacy guaranteed for the user."
Design & Prototyping
Based on my research, I incorporated key findings into the wireframes for the app, understanding what would be needed to be added to a mental health app.
Testing & Optimization
Tested the app across multiple devices and platforms to ensure compatibility and performance. Collected user feedback through beta testing and continuously refined the app based on usability metrics and user satisfaction.
The mental health app offering a safe space for people to gain knowledge, journal their feelings, find like-minded people, and have an easy, inexpensive access to help.
Safe, protected community
online community to allow users to share, ask, and appreciate each other's thoughts, questions, tips, and tricks. allowing users to find like minded people.
Protected journal space
A simple design for a protected journal, allowing those who don't speak out on their issues often to have a safe space to talk about things. Including prompts for those who struggle on knowing how and where to start.
Personalised algorithm
Recommended books, articles, videos, and therapists to make users feel more connected to the app. helps users understand themselves a bit better and figure out where to start.
Professional, secure messaging
feature that allows users to access help at the touch of their fingertips, inexpensive and easy, promoting that mental heath isn't hard to take care of.
