Mellow
PROJECT OVERVIEW
For this project, we were assigned to design a mobile app that focuses on solving an equity issue. Since high school students lack the proper resources to mental health, I decided to make an app that helps match them to a therapist.
DURATION: 8 WEEKS
ROLE: UI/UX DESIGNER
TOOLS: ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR & ADOBE XD
Research
I researched how mental health issues have affected high school students in order to get a better understanding of the issue.
STATISTICS
The statistics that were made by the CDC shows how more high school students have been struggling with their mental health in the past 10 years.
STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Four Clayton High School students that were in seniors in 2018-2019 wrote a blog post about mental health:
“Students living with mental health issues often don’t know where to go for help.”
“Outside influences such as social media, peer pressure, family issues, and college deadlines are some of the most common reasons why a high schooler may struggle.”
User Interviews
I interviewed high school students and asked them questions regarding their mental health. I made sure that I was able to get their parent’s permission to conduct the interviews.
QUESTIONS
1. What do you know about mental health?
2. What kinds of mental health resources are available to you?
3. What is the best way for you to easily access mental health resources?
4. In what ways do you express your feelings (talking to friends, writing, etc)?
5. How has your experience at school/personal life affected your mental health?
ANSWERS
1. They have general knowledge about mental health, but don’t know where to look for proper resources.
2. They don’t have the time to go to their counselor since they’re involved in extracurricular activities, doing homework, etc.
3. They tend to keep to themselves because they feel uncomfortable talking to an adult about their feelings.
Personas
Abby is a sophomore in high school with a 2.5 GPA. She is having trouble with Geometry so she stays after school to get tutored. She doesn’t have that much time to study on the weekends because she works part time to help her parents out financially.
Ryan has been playing football ever since he was young. He is currently the quarterback of his high school football team. He is hoping to get into Stanford University with a football scholarship so he has been practicing drills with his dad on the weekends.
Ideation
NAME
After breaking down what I knew about mental health, I chose the word “Mellow” because I felt that it was unique and represented my goal for the users to feel at ease while they use the app.
LOGO SKETCHES
I wanted the logo design to reflect the tone of “Mellow” by using curves and rounded shapes.
User Tasks Flow
There are five tasks that show the most important features of the app. They must take a quiz to be matched with a therapist, schedule an appointment, read the articles, talk to their therapist, and post on their journal.
Wireframes
Style Guide
Prototype #1
FEEDBACK
1. The bullet points that are presented at start of the quiz look clickable which can cause confusion.
2. “Take the Quiz” button can make high school students feel as if they are being tested.
3. The “About Me” section list irrelevant information.
4. “Chat Now” button requires the therapist to always be available online.
SOLUTION
1. Change the bullet points to numbers.
2. Change “Take the Quiz” to “Start”.
3. Add relatable facts in the “About Me” section.
4. Remove “Chat Now” button.
Features
FEATURE #1: QUIZ
The quiz allows the users to be matched with a therapist. They would be asked questions such as their age and how often they would experience certain symptoms.
The “About Me” section has fun facts about the therapist so that the user can use this information as a conversation starter.
FEATURE #2: CALENDAR
The calendar allows the users to schedule, reschedule, and cancel an appointment with their therapist. The only available times on the weekdays are in the afternoon since those who are in high school aren’t able to attend in the morning.
FEATURE #3: HOMEPAGE
The home page consist of information about the what the app has to offer.
It also provides different articles that would be recommended by therapists. The users are able to click directly on the link and be lead to the article outside the app.
FEATURE #4: MESSAGES
The messages feature would allow the users to talk to their therapist, access resources, and get notifications.
The therapist will be addressed by first name basis (Kelly instead of Dr. Smith) in order for the users to feel more comfortable when talking to them.
The optional survey will be given to them after each session to get feedback on whether or not the therapist was the right fit for them.
FEATURE #5: JOURNAL
The journal allows the users to express their personal thoughts, reflect on how they were feeling, or use it as reference before talking to their therapist.
Moving Forward
I would want to create more questions for the users when they take the quiz. I believe that this would provide users with a more accurate match and supply better introductory information to the therapist. I also want to show how the survey after each session would allow them to match up with a different therapist.
K | M 