In order to maintain the scientific integrity (and usefulness) of our product, we got in touch with IDONTMIND’s network of mental health professionals to design an algorithm that would determine how much support a user needs based on their check-in activity. In line with our established design goals, the algorithm was designed with the ultimate goal of letting the user go, once they've gotten all the guidance and growth they need from the app!

These professionals also helped guide the content and copywriting of the app, to ensure we were providing quality resources and using sensitive, inclusive language.

Once we'd done our due diligence—brainstorming features that served our users' needs, consulting the relevant healthcare professionals, and double-checking everything with our developers and the folks at IDONTMIND—it was time to design!

Right away, we ran into some critical design questions. Here are a handful of them, and how we answered them through our early wireframes:

How might we set users up to use the app with intention?

We included an interactive explanation of the app's overarching goal (support when you need it, independence when you're ready) as part of the onboarding process after account creation. We also sprinkled in data-backed research on the benefits of habits encouraged by the app including reflection and sleep hygiene.

How might we prevent check-ins from feeling like a chore?

We randomized and shuffled the prompts shown in each check-in, with the exception of three core questions (determined by our expert therapist consultants) which target mood, sleep, and energy. To minimize any pressure and expectations that might induce additional stress, we also provided an option to skip a day's check-in and come back to it later.

How might we display IDONTMIND's vast library of content?

We worked with IDONTMIND to file all content under one or more relevant tags (e.g. Burnout, Meditation, Anxiety). For easy discovery, we provided users with the ability to search, filter, and browse content by tag. These tools combine the convenience of IDONTMIND's Instagram with the depth of their website for a best-of-both-worlds platform.

Moving onto mid-fidelity designs, I encouraged each of my designers to explore their own visual design style within their features, without worrying about cohesion across the entire app just yet.

The first thing a user will see upon opening the app is a welcome screen leading to the check-in. Although we had included a 'Skip' button, users expressed confusion over the iconography we chose, mistaking it for a 'Back' button when there was nothing to go back to.

Solution

We remedied this with some explanatory copy, written with the intention of reducing pressure to complete the check-in immediately. Although this was a simple change, it got us thinking about other ways we could make the splash screen more welcoming and less repetitive. We created copy and graphics that would greet the user and change throughout the day, to guide the tone of the app more towards the friendly vibe we were aiming for!

Participants found the sheer amount of resources in the app overwhelming, to the point where they omitted browsing the Content Library entirely and went straight to the search feature.

Solution

I encouraged my designer who'd made this screen to explore different ways of displaying content that wouldn't require as much vertical scrolling, so that users could browse content with greater ease. We also explored ways to visually reinforce the hierarchical distinction between content tags and "supertags," which grouped the app's 100+ tags into 9 categories for easier navigation.

Participants expressed that they wouldn't necessarily always want to title their free-write journal entries, and also brought an important question to our attention that we hadn't previously considered: what types of attachments would be supported by the journal feature?

Solution

To allow users to write for the sake of writing, without being forced to pin on the label of a title, we made titling journal entries optional. We also worked with our team of developers to determine what types of media would be feasible to attach in journal entries (we settled on images and videos).

Participants were thrown off by the visual communication on the trends overview page, expressing confusion over whether the circular rings were meant to be tappable and what the percentages underneath each ring meant.

Solution

To more clearly demarcate interactivity, and to address developer constraints that were brought to our attention around the same time, we opted for a descriptive card design that was easier to implement, and would also allow for more flexibility in the kinds of trends shown to the user.