2024 UX Research & Design Mobile App

Mental Health App

Making Mental Health Support Accessible with User-Centered Design

Mental Health App Interface

Responsibilities

UX Research

UI/UX Design

Prototyping

Timeline

10 weeks

2024

Education

UX Design,
General Assembly

Tools

Figma

FigJam

Maze

Overview

This project tackled a key challenge: How might we make mental health support more accessible through a mobile app? The goal was a user-centered solution offering personalized guidance, actionable steps, and simplified mental health management.

Through user research, iterative design, and usability testing, I developed a mobile app that breaks down mental health management into manageable, trackable goals while providing the encouragement and structure users need to build healthy habits.

Problem & Goals

Many people struggle with mental health but lack access to affordable, personalized support. Traditional therapy can be expensive, time-consuming, and intimidating for those taking their first steps toward better mental health.

Affordable Access

Make mental health support accessible regardless of financial constraints or insurance coverage.

Personalized Guidance

Provide tailored recommendations based on individual needs and preferences.

Achievable Steps

Break down overwhelming goals into small, manageable daily actions that build confidence.

Progress Tracking

Visualize progress and celebrate achievements to maintain motivation over time.

Research & Discovery

1

User Interviews

In-depth chats with 3 participants about their mental health journeys and coping strategies.

2

Affinity Mapping

Analyzed interviews to uncover patterns and key themes on barriers and motivations.

3

Persona Development

Created a user persona to guide design decisions throughout.

4

Feature Prioritization

Used impact vs. effort matrices to focus on high-value features for the initial version.

Research affinity map showing clustered insights

Affinity mapping: organizing research findings into key themes.

Key Research Insights

The interviews revealed critical themes that shaped the design direction:

Personal Coping Methods

Users have developed strategies but lack structure and consistency in applying them effectively.

Barriers to Support

Cost, stigma, and lack of time were significant obstacles to seeking professional help.

Motivation Factors

Progress tracking and achievement recognition were important for maintaining long-term engagement.

Need for Structure

Users sought guidance and frameworks to manage their mental health, rather than navigating it alone.

User Persona & Strategy

User persona for Sophie

Persona: Sophie, a 28-year-old software engineer dealing with anxiety.

Based on my research, I created Sophie, a 28-year-old software engineer who experiences anxiety but finds traditional therapy difficult to access due to cost and time constraints. She's tech-savvy and interested in tools that can help her manage her mental health in small, achievable steps.

Priority matrix showing feature prioritization

Priority Matrix: Feature prioritization using impact vs. effort analysis.

Now-Next-Later roadmap

Now-Next-Later: Combined with the priority matrix for a clear view of what to prioritise.

Design & Prototyping

User flow diagram for goal selection

User flow diagram mapping the goal selection and tracking process.

Wireframing & User Flow

I created user flows to map out the critical path for goal setting and tracking, ensuring the experience would be intuitive and straightforward. The wireframes focused on simplicity and clear call-to-actions, with reassuring messaging like "Don't worry - you can change this anytime" to reduce anxiety about making commitments.

Low-fidelity wireframe of the app

Low-fidelity wireframe showing the weekly goal setup flow.

Final Design Solution

Final design - onboarding screen
Final design - daily goal screen

Final design featuring calming visuals and clear progress tracking.

Design Decisions

The final high-fidelity prototype incorporated insights from two rounds of usability testing with five participants. Key design decisions included:

  • Calming color palette: Soft greens to evoke nature and ease user anxiety.
  • Encouraging microcopy: Language that acknowledges the difficulty of mental health management while providing support.
  • Weekly calendar view: Easy tracking and visualization of progress over time.
  • Embedded helpful tips: Contextual guidance throughout the user journey.
  • Clear action buttons: Straightforward labeling to reduce cognitive load.

Interactive Figma prototype demonstrating the complete user experience.

Impact & Key Learnings

Project Impact:

  • Created a user-centered solution that makes mental health management more approachable and less overwhelming.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in end-to-end UX process from research to high-fidelity prototyping.
  • Successfully validated design decisions through iterative user testing.

Key Learnings

Working on this mental health app project taught me several valuable lessons about designing for sensitive and important user needs:

  • Sensitivity in design: Designing for mental health requires additional care and consideration for users in potentially vulnerable states.
  • Progressive disclosure: Breaking complex processes into manageable steps helps reduce cognitive load and anxiety.
  • Balancing aspirations with reality: Encouraging better mental health while acknowledging real-world limits.
  • The power of clear communication: Simple, encouraging language can make a significant difference in how users perceive and engage with mental health tools.