The Problem:
The problem we wanted to solve was the lack of consistency users had in using mental health apps. The original research question we had when we began our mood management study was “How do people manage their moods on a daily basis?” With the objectives of learning What causes stress for people in their daily lives, What people want in an app for the betterment of their mental health, and What mental health means to individuals.
Solution:
Our solution was the MoodLite app which will provide incentives and personalization options for users to not only help users with their mental health but also make it more appealing to use regularly. Our goals were to understand what affects a person's mood and offer options for mood stabilization and stress management to improve their mental health while also keeping them interested in their mental health journey through the use of our app.
User Research
We began by conducting 5 interviews in order to discover users daily routines and habits when it comes to their mental health and their usage of mental health apps.. We discovered that while there was a high priority when it comes to mental health, most don’t use a mental health app because they can’t use them consistently.
We surveyed 16 participants, in order to gauge daily stress level and challenges to mental health. Most of our participants have highly stressful and demanding jobs and also struggle in maintaining consistency when it comes to their daily mental health.
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During our interviews something that was common among our interviewees was the importance of mental health, but also the belief that an app for mental health improvement wouldn't offer much help to them.
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How important is mental health to you?
“ Very important because it helps people be better communication wise and being better with themselves i guess. That's why I go to therapy, to be ok with myself, to get a better understanding of myself.”
Have you used mental health apps before? Why?
“ No, I've never used one before. (Why not?) I just never saw the need to. So long as I have good people and God on my side, I can get through most days. (What if you can't get through that day?) Then I pray long and hard until I feel better.”
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Affinity Diagram
Proto Persona
User Insight Statement
During our mood management study, we discovered that most users haven't used a mental health app and those who did didn't use them consistently. Therefore, we believe that offering great incentives like personalized reminders for an app & help in making people more interested and that we might be able to help if we made a mood app that was more engaging for users.
We might do this by making an app that had options to make it more personalized to each user. Doing this will allow our product to appeal more to users to keep them interested in furthering their mental health journey.
Problem Statement
Moodlite was designed to assist users in balancing their mood for a better state of mental health.
We have observed that users are hesitant and less consistent when it comes to using mental health apps due to the lack of personalization. How might we create engaging material that will entice users to be more proactive in using Moodlite for their mental health journey by increasing daily usage rates.
Value Proposition
Moodlite was designed to assist users in balancing their mood and remaining consistent for a better state of mental health
We are able to compete with our competitors by our affordable pricing and our personalization factor especially with our curated mood playlist option.
Storyboard
Our Persona Christopher finds himself stressed out regularly between
work and home responsibilities. He turns to the moodlite app and after using it he is able to be in a better mental space to communicate with his wife who he previously got into a stressful disagreement with.
User Testing Plan and Notes
GOAL/OBJECTIVE: I'm doing this test to learn how easy is the flow for users to follow. I'm hoping to learn if there are any improvements that i can make for navigation.
Task 1
Research Question:How easy is the sign up process for users?
Goal/Output:Create a new account
Assumptions: User has enough clear options available for account creation
Scenario/Steps:
1. Arrive at sign up/login page
3. Select Sign Up
4. Select a sign up method(email, fb, google, apple)
5. Submit Information
Success Criteria: Account is successfully created
Task 2
Research Question: Are the steps to getting to the journal entry section straight forward for users to follow
Goal/Output: Successfully create a journal entry
Assumptions: journal entry options and pages are easy to understand
Scenario/Steps:
1. Allow/Deny permissions
2. Watch/Skip Tutorial
3. Sync music account (apple, spotify, youtube)
4. Select Mood
5. Go further in depth on mood
6. Log Mood
7. Arrive at Journal
8. Select Text or Audio
9. Create journal entry or audio log
Success Criteria: Successfully submit journal entry or audio log
Notes: Add skip button for notifications, add explanation for different mood emojis, add label for journal types, remove unnecessary buttons on saved journal entries, change journal button to send to saved entries page
Final Thoughts
With Moodlite, we strive to empower users to understand, manage, and improve their emotional health. Remember, every emotion is valid, and we are here to support you every step of the way!
In our future development, we will be adding a sharing feature so you can share playlists and journals with other users. We will also add a matching system so you can get support from other users who may be going through the same kind of day you’re going through, and professional psychiatric support. We will also add tips, articles, and e-books that will help enhance your day as it progresses, or support you throughout your day!