Overview
Project Summary
Downtime is a project developed during a hackathon at the University of Washington. The challenge was to incorporate ideas from a diverse background of people to address issues of physical and mental health.
Downtime is an app intended for people struggling with mental health issues to find comfort and a safe space from their phones. The app is able to connect friends through listening and watch parties. Downtime also helps users connect with professionals to confront their mental health.
How can we address issues with mental health while helping people fulfill their social and personal needs?
Goal
To create a product that is able to connect people with a support system with the intention of improving mental health.
Problem Statement
User Research
Survey Results
What are some of your coping strategies?
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Walking
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Reading
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Excercise
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Mobile apps
How much was your mental health affected by the pandemic?
71%
When do you feel the most negative?
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Alone
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Lack of socializing
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Unproductive
of participants rated 3 or above
Key Points
Participants shared that they often feel the most negative when they are alone and isolated. Often, after not socializing with friends and family for an extended period of time causes episodes of loneliness.
When in a negative space, participants want motivation to do their daily chores and tasks. Whether it be with a simple to-do list or reward system, users want to be productive.
Ways to cope:
Custom music recommendations, finding professional help, connections with
friends and family, media that distracts from negativity
Competitive Analysis
Market Research
Spotify
Spotify offers listening parties and shared playlists between friends. Listeners are recommended playlists customized to their music taste and history.
Instagram connects communities and friends by giving users a glimpse into each other’s lives. Whether it be through pictures or videos, users feel connected through this form of media.
Discord
Discord brings friends together via watch parties, voice, and video calls. It is the platform with the lowest latency in calls.
Tiktok
TikTok is customized to the user. The algorithm recommends content entirely based on the user’s interests.
Research Findings / Pain Points
01
Spotify and other music streaming platforms motivate people to do their work and increase productivity. People enjoy listening to music whilst doing tasks.
02
Participants listed speaking to friends via Discord, listening to music on Spotify / Apple Music, and distracting themselves with social media.
03
Participants stated that having a sense of purpose and motivation would significantly improve their mental heath.
User Personas
Meet our users
Prototype
Wireframe
Design Decision
Q. What is the most accessible digital platform?
A. A mobile platform
A mobile platform is the most accessible digital platform for mental health and connecting with friends due to its ease of use and constant accessibility. Smartphones provide a wide range of mental health apps and resources, offering immediate support and coping strategies. These platforms enable individuals to reach out to friends and support networks effortlessly through social media and messaging apps, promoting emotional well-being and reducing feelings of isolation. With mobile devices, people can connect with others anytime, anywhere, making it a powerful tool for maintaining social connections and seeking help when needed, ultimately contributing to improved mental health and a sense of belonging.
High-Fidelity Solution
Design Solution
01
The personalized onboarding process addresses users wants by:
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Customizing content based on the user's preferences
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Tracking the user's mood
Onboarding
02
Recommended + Dashboard
The dashboard and friends tab addresses users wants by:
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Implementing a social aspect to connect with friends and family
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Recommending content based on user's selected mood
03
Connect with Friends
Connect with friends and family by:
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Allowing users to create listening and watching parties with each other
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View what your friends are up to and join in on their activities
04
Seek Professional Help
The find your therapist function addresses users wants by:
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Giving users the option to connect with a professional
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Basing the recommended professionals on users concerns
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Presenting detailed information about each professional
05
Final Design
Created a product that helps individuals connect with a support system. Designed a function that finds professionals to improve mental health
Impact + Results
Reflection
Takeaways
Since this project was developed for a hackathon, I needed to do rapid ideation and research to decide what product would best fit the challenge. Some difficulties I faced was deciding between user needs and usability of the app. By exploring and iterating multiple versions of Downtime, I was able to overcome this challenge. Through these variations, I knew exactly what functions needed to implemented for the best possible solution.
For the future:
For future versions, I would love to keep implementing user's suggestion into Downtime. Since this app is for people who struggle with mental health, it would be great to hear what other issues Downtime can address.
Check out my other work!
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