Research

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

For the duration of one week, we conducted an analysis of 8 competitor applications that offered similar services similar to those IDONTMIND intended to offer: DailyBean, Evidation, Health, How We Feel, MindDoc, Moodlight, Reflectly, and stoic.

Analyzing these competing apps helped us identify key areas where users frequently encountered challenges or frustrations. To improve our own app's user experience and give it a competitive edge, we honed in on addressing the following issues:

CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY

We conducted preliminary interviews with 4 members of IDONTMIND’s Youth Impact Team, who specialize in promoting mental health awareness in terms of digital outreach. Our questions covered a general overview of participants' backgrounds, their current lifestyles, and the well-being challenges they faced.

We were able to gather some important takeaways from these discussions, helping us better understand what users need and want to see:

AFFINITY MAPPING

We then synthesized our findings from both the competitive analysis and contextual inquiry to identify common themes and trends. The result was this web of ideas:

USER PERSONAS

To further synthesize our research findings and allow the team to more effectively empathize with our users, we created personas to humanize the various mental health needs people might have coming into the platform.

KEY RESEARCH TAKEAWAYS

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Our proposed solution was a mobile companion application designed to support holistic wellness and mental health. The app would offer a judgement-free space for users to reflect on their well-being through check-ins and journal prompts, leveraging this input to deliver personalized resources and trend analyses for the user.

SOLUTION GOALS

SOLUTION FEATURES

Ideation

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Before we proceeded to the initial stages of interface design, we developed a map of the core information architecture and user flow to establish a visual framework that would outline the app's structure.

PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION

To ensure the scientific accuracy and effectiveness of our product, we collaborated with IDONTMIND’s network of mental health professionals during these early stages. They helped design an algorithm that assesses a user's need for support based on their check-in activity, aligning with our goal of guiding users until they no longer need the app.

Additionally, they provided psychological insights for the Check-In questions and outlined key information these questions should display or collect. Their expertise also shaped the app’s content and copy, ensuring the use of sensitive, inclusive language and high-quality mental health resources.

LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

BASIC FEATURE SKETCHES

We proceeded to develop a series of low-fidelity mockups to explore design iterations for the app. This approach enabled us to broadly map out the features and experiment with different screen layouts. At this stage, we divided the features among the design team, and I focused primarily on the Check-In and Find Help features.

MORE DETAILS...

I used the guide provided by IDONTMIND's mental health team to craft the check-in questions, taking responsibility for determining how to gather data from users in an engaging yet clear way so that it could later be shown on the Trends page. I also curated and organized the essential helplines the IDONTMIND team wanted users to access on the Find Help page.

MID-FIDELITY ITERATIONS

During the mid-fidelity prototyping stage, each designer had full creative freedom, as we initially worked without a design system to more freely explore various ideas. Throughout this phase, we collaborated closely with developers, iterating multiple times based on both peer and developer feedback to ensure feasibility.

CHECK-INS: DYNAMIC ENERGY SLIDER CONSTRAINTS

When I presented my energy level slider design, the development team determined that implementing it would exceed their available resources. I adapted by using a more standard slider (as shown below), yet still refining the question's interface and graphics to maintain visual distinction between questions.

CHECK-INS: BALANCING SIMPLICITY AND DETAIL IN USER INPUT

After gaining a clearer understanding of the check-in content and questions IDONTMIND wanted to incorporate, I decided to vary the interface and input methods for each question to enhance user engagement.

This approach was particularly reflected in the emotional check-in page, where I replaced the original multiple-choice format with a slider to reduce redundancy and enable a more nuanced user response. To capture both general mood and specific emotions, I structured it as a two-part question: the slider measured overall mood, while a follow-up multiple-selection question allowed users to specify their emotions in more detail.

FIND HELP: QUICKER ACCESS TO SPECIFIC HELPLINES

I also revised the Find Help page, making its purpose more clear and allowing users to easily filter through information.

FINAL MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES: INCORPORATING DESIGN SYSTEM

Our design system was finalized toward the end of the mid-fidelity iterative process under the guidance of our design lead. As a result, earlier iterations varied significantly in look and feel, reflecting the more exploratory nature of our design approach.

USABILITY TESTING

We provided a functional prototype of our final mid-fidelity designs to 6 potential users (4 of whom we had previously interviewed for contextual inquiry) to gather insights and feedback on the app's preliminary design.

While writing the script for these usability interviews, we ensured alignment with our original design goals. Notably, 5 out of 6 participants confirmed that the app’s intention — to guide users toward eventually outgrowing it — was clear, which validated our approach.

However, through these tests, I did identify and gain feedback on 3 key issues users were facing with my features specifically:

FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION

Addressing: Check-In Uncertainty
‍To clarify the necessity of the check-in process and address participant confusion, I refined the call-to-action (CTA) buttons on the check-in welcome screen, providing clear options to either proceed with the check-in or skip it. This decision aligned with feedback from our contextual inquiry interviews, which emphasized the importance of allowing users to integrate the app into their routines on their own terms rather than feeling obligated to engage with it.

Addressing: Text vs. Icon Interaction
Because participants expressed confusion over whether to interact with text or icons across check-in questions, I decided (with input from the development team) to make both interactive. This provides for a more seamless and visual experience.

Addressing: Warmlines Confusion
Since most participants were unfamiliar with Warmlines, I reorganized the filter system to combine both Warmlines and Hotlines under a single "Call" category. This change streamlines the decision-making process, making it easier for users to quickly identify and access the appropriate help when needed — especially if it's an on-the-spot decision.

Final Designs

DESIGN SYSTEM

During the iterative mid-fidelity process, each designer’s features took shape with distinct design styles, presenting the challenge of unifying them into a cohesive design system. Our goal was to create a visually consistent experience that balanced a calming yet engaging aesthetic. With the creative freedom provided by IDONTMIND, we were able to establish a detailed design system that not only guided our final designs but also had the potential to extend into IDONTMIND’s broader social branding.

CHECK-INS

The final IDONTMIND Check-In feature is a holistic, adaptive wellness tool that supports users' emotional well-being while still promoting healthy disengagement. It starts as a daily routine and gradually decreases in frequency as users demonstrate improved emotional regulation, aligning with our goal of helping them eventually outgrow the app and sustain long-term well-being.

FULL APP PROTOTYPE

FIND HELP

The final IDONTMIND Find Help feature provides users with a streamlined resource hub for mental health support. It enables quick access to lifelines, hotlines, and warmlines, allowing users to call, text, or find information — whether they are facing a crisis or simply need someone to talk to.

FULL APP PROTOTYPE

Impact

As of January 2025, our team's contracted partnership with IDONTMIND has successfully concluded. With the final product shipped, we look forward to its upcoming release on the Apple and Google Play stores and are excited to see its impact on the over 148,000 members of the IDONTMIND community!

Reflections

This was my second time building a 0 to 1 product and working with LA Blueprint, but it was a very different experience from my first in many ways and taught me many things.

• Balancing UX and UI
  This project challenged me to think beyond UX and approach UI design more creatively. The app's visual aesthetic played a crucial role in influencing users' moods, requiring me to carefully consider colors, typography, and graphics when designing my features.
  

• Adapting to an Evolving Design System
  The late-stage development of our design system pushed each designer to explore unique styles for their features. Since I was accustomed to working within established design systems, this approach allowed me to expand my skills and embrace greater creative freedom in my design process.

• Cross-functional Collaboration & Adaptability
  Collaborating closely with developers and other designers taught me the importance of adaptability in the design process. Regular feedback loops with developers helped ensure feasibility, while iterative peer reviews strengthened my design decisions. These experiences reinforced the value of flexibility and communication in creating a cohesive, user-centered product.
  

I was also lucky enough to work with some of the most talented and lively people I've ever met on this project, and they created a fun-loving and supportive environment that (in my mind) truly embodied the spirit of IDONTMIND. I was able to learn so many new design hacks and life lessons from them, and I truly cherish the memories and friendships this project has given me!