Mental Health App
CLIENT
University UX Design Project
TYPE OF CLIENT
Academic / Conceptual Product Design
CATEGORY
Social Media, Campaign, Print
BRIEF
Design a contemporary mental health application that makes professional support easier to access. The experience combines therapist discovery, group therapy, emergency sessions, community interaction, and milestone-based engagement within one approachable digital platform.
WHAT I DID
I Designed and tested two iterations of the application, using heuristic evaluation and usability testing to identify problems in the first prototype. The second iteration simplified the home screen, improved text legibility and navigation, strengthened accessibility, and used soft therapeutic colors.
The mobile & Ipad application I designed helps users discover the study of themselves through clinical therapy. The application was designed as a modern form of therapy (similar to PlayStation games) which allows users to interact with people from all over the world and gift other users merchandise as they reach a milestone. This global application serves as a daily therapeutic tool while joining a community through collaborative group therapy and emergency clinical sessions available at the users fingertips. Many of the alternate decisions were redesigned in the second prototype after witnessing how ineffective the first prototype was. It was very interesting connecting elements for the first prototype. However, the heuristic ratings and user testing highlighted many issues that occurred throughout the user’s experience which led me to reduce irrelevant images on the Homescreen and make all text legible and soften the interface colors.
DESIGN / overview
Implementation
There were several implementation problems that I deemed detrimental to the user's experience such as an emergency call button that did not display a confirmation dial screen, prior to calling a therapist.I also chose to minimize the amount of images displayed on the homescreen due to the user's short attention span. I also implemented emergency Therapy, and live group sessions as an option on the “find a therapist” screen to keep users from having to remember and recall how to access those options. Lastly, The gray and lavender color scheme was chosen to calm the anxiety level of users while offering a sense of Empowerment from the Lavender/ Purple tones.
EVALUATION
I asked two participants to review the application, a family member and friend. One with clinical app experience and the other, not so much. Both participants performed the same task. However, based on the usability data collected Participant 1 appeared to have a harder time navigating the application, or knowing which screen to find additional information. Based on both participant’s performance, I found several problems to be of significance such as the design layout on the home screen which was very busy and distracting for both users, the hard to read text and more importantly, accessibility was a major issue for Participant one, who encountered issues with hitting the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Moving forward, I would implement a search bar or voice access to navigate throughout the screens.
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OLD WIREFRAME
NEW WIREFRAME
REFLECTION
I've come to conclude that I didn't see many user problems until the testing stage. The huge amount of research prior to designing is very vital. From the Heuristic Analysis, to the early stages of design such as storyboarding, sketching and wireframing all play a major role in the end product and how effective it is for users. Looking back on my storyboard, I realized that my storyboard didnt tell a story from start to finish, which then resulted in the User flow and task. I also did not evaluate the typography, color schemes and layout of similar applications. Overall, I appreciate the many steps taken throughout all the class projects that have led to a final digital product.