Mindfluence

Everyone is aware of the importance of physical and mental health, but there is a tendency to take physical symptoms more seriously because they are easier to recognize. The number of people struggling with depression or other mental health issues is bigger than ever before, so the importance of taking care of mental health has also increased. The problem is that not everyone is lucky enough to have someone to talk to, or feels comfortable enough to do so. And that is exactly where Mindfluence comes into action.

CASE SUMMARY

Product vision

An application combining features enabling mood tracking as well as exercises and other materials supporting both mental and physical health, and offering easily accessible and professional psychological support as well as advice in crisis situations. Long-term goal: to become an integral part of daily self-care.

Discovered user problems

Seeking psychological support is a big challenge for many, which is why taking small actions and adopting healthy habits can be the first step towards improving how we feel. However, downloading various apps for all the different activities for this purpose can often be discouraging. Another problem is the limited access to on-demand online psychological support. Just as first aid helps save lives in case of physical injuries, psychological support for someone suffering mentally can be a lifeline and should be available from anywhere at any time.

Outcomes

Prototype of an application to capture initial user feedback in order to build a compelling business case for further development opportunities.

Process highlights

Project plan and responsibilities overview

Project team

A one-person team throughout the duration of the project.

Project plan

Three weeks of ideation and generating ideas followed by four weeks of prototyping, and two additional weeks for testing and validation.

My responsibilities

UX/UI designer and hands-on product designer, UX researcher, project manager.

Methodology

Design thinking driven product concept aligned with user-centered design.

Discovery and Ideation

I began the project by researching the polish market for apps dedicated to mental health. I focused on three different areas: functionality, reliability, and costs. After analyzing various forums and user's reviews, I conducted a survey, gathering 24 responses. These data helped me better understand the issues users may face, as well as their needs and expectations. Based on the gathered information, I created personas that served as a starting point for further work.

After reviewing many studies on the impact of the 2020 pandemic on mental health and analyzing the current situation regarding the psychological care system in Poland, I noticed a tremendous increase in the number of people seeking emotional support and very few satisfying solutions. One of them being, of course, therapy, which is undoubtedly effective but in many cases can be too invasive or expensive. It also requires commitment and time reorganization. I decided to focus on applications advertising themselves as tools for improving daily well-being. I compared six Polish applications and their user reviews and realized that none of them offer not only reliable but also comprehensive support in terms of mental health.

Idea Prioritisation

Based on the results of user research and other materials such as personas or storyboards, as well as materials from the ideation phase, I formulated three hypotheses aimed at ensuring product adoption. These were: essential features related to safety and privacy, effective psychological support, mood tracking and analysis. These features were particularly important and prioritized during the prototyping process.

Privacy and safety

Psychological support

Mood tracking and analysis

Prototyping

I focused on high-impact features and creating a calm and safe space for the user. This allowed me to create a narrative that can be divided into several main user scenarios: journaling and mood statistics, exercising, exploring content related to mental health, customizing profile settings, and contacting a psychologist. Below are some of the main steps taken during prototyping to fulfill these scenarios. These include sketches and templates (wireframes), scenarios, or high-fidelity prototypes. To ensure that the product is easy and intuitive to navigate, I conducted an additional tree test involving 10 participants. It helped me categorize and place different prototype elements.

Validation

To verify whether the application is transparent and intuitive and whether the functions I designed are understandable, I conducted a usability test. It involved 5 individuals ranging in age from 24 to 52 years, including both women and men. The test consisted of completing 10 tasks on an interactive prototype of the application in Figma. These tasks mostly involved locating specific functions. All tasks were completed correctly, and the prototype received very positive feedback from the participants.