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Mental health startup launched in 2024
Months
UX Researcher & Designer (me)
The context: Aunica is a mental health software startup that helps behavioral health programs implement contingency management with a focus on increasing client attendance. The ultimate focus is to make it easier for people seeking mental health support to access the care they need. The startup was in the process of creating an app focused on mental health, and this was the product I owned for this contract. As the sole UX Researcher & Designer, I focused on developing the user personas and managing user testing, as well as creating the low, mid, and high fidelity designs for the full app.
The problem: How can this app help users with their mental health challenges and goals?
The solution: Using consistent user-centered research findings, I collaborated with the startup founders and Lead Engineer to develop an intuitive and supportive app that allows users to connect with others, post about their progress, log goals and daily check-ins, and chat with an AI-powered chatbot. This app helps users with their mental health challenges and goals by making it easier to access mental health tools and best practices.
I conducted 4 user interviews with potential app users to better understand the problem space. I also conducted a user behavioral survey with 25 respondents to better understand general smartphone behavior.
From these interviews and survey results, I was able to isolate some trends and create two user personas to help guide design decisions. The overall trends were that the user persona is actively working on their mental health and is aware of how their mental health challenges affect them. The persona also values close relationships, and much of their depression and isolation struggles are directly connected to this value.
Using a mobile-first design, I sketched out how the design would work when users were logged in or not yet logged in.
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As I progressed from the initial sketches to low fidelity designs, I centered the user research and behavioral findings from my research phase. For example, Aunica's main user base is actively working on their mental health and monitors their overall mental well-being. Designing a daily check-in and easy access to goals will provide key mental health support to these users.
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Building out the mid-fidelity, I began adding in colors to my component library based on feedback from the startup's stakeholders.
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From here, I incorporated these designs into high-fidelity prototypes. Below are examples of specific pages and user flows.
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This user flow showcases how a new user might experience the app's tutorial. It was intended to feel integrated within the app, so that the new user could visualize where each tool lived. This design allows the user to feel immersed in the app, without having to read a separate FAQ or how-to section.
Much of this design uses placeholder graphics, but it is meant to showcase the intended user flow for a new user.
Below are a few Figma prototypes showcasing different user flows: Navigating community updates, personalizing your pet, and using the chat feature.
