The Opportunity
Mental & behavioral health management is projected to grow from 3.2 to 251.5 million worldwide users from 2020 to 2026.
The Objective
Design a mental health app that enhances well-being by providing custom feedback to encourage healthy habits.
01
Auditing the
current experience
In the Mood?
I looked at the current experience of mental health management and self-care apps. The app store is saturated with habit-trackers and journaling apps, but they fail to provide the user with habit suggestions based on the fluctuating moods that come with mental illness like depression and anxiety. Journaling has such proven benefits for mental-illness, but low habit retention.
User Interviews
I went out and talked to 10 people, friends and strangers alike. Finding the right questions and organizing my research were critical steps.
02
Understanding Users
We don't do what's good for us
I found from my users that they are never quite fully in the mood to do those things that are a little uncomfortable. Most users who weren't consistent journalers reverted back to comfortable, unhealthy habits but had a desire to change that. The goal of my development was to discover what exactly was inhibiting people from journaling and how to transform it into a consistent habit.
Journey map
The pain-points are primarily in the preparation and contemplation phases of journaling. I chose to specifically focus on "trouble creating consistency and routines"
03
Synthesis
Design Opportunities
Move beyond just logging journal entries, and into providing responsive feedback
"It's hard journaling in the beginning when you don't really see the long-term benefits"Utilize language models to understand user input and provide feedback
"I like to ctrl-F in my digital journal to find memories with my friends and share it with them"Incorporate character and storytelling narratives based on journal entries
"My journal allows me to understand how my moods relate to different characters for my creative writing"
User Persona
Meet Chris. A persona based a combination of my interviewees.
04
Key Features
Final Design
Rather than conventional journaling platforms, I designed a way to guiding users through their personalized and engaging mental health journey. By integrating AI customization and playful animal characters, the Mood app empower users with a platform for improved mental well-being.
Engaging Visual Design
Increase accounts created and elicit emotional response from the jump with emojis and character illustrations.
Filters for easy customization
Easing into the writing by providing filters for custom and directed journal prompts.
Branding & System
Mental health management can feel clinical and sad. How might we make this feel more approachable, motivational, and relatable?
05
Behind the Design
User Testing / Wireframes
I used a working Figma prototype to put the app in 5 of my previous interviewee's hands. I conducted A/B testing to make direct changes to the user flow.
What I learned
This was my first ever UI/UX project and I uncovered a lot about the basic rules about making accessible, friendly, and coehsive designs.
Skill Gained
User interviews, UI, UX, branding, design systems, interaction design
