Gratia

a design for a compassionate mental health app aimed at providing support, resources, and guidance to users navigating their mental well-being journey

Project Overview

Gratia is a mental health mobile app

ROLE
User Research
Prototyping
Defining
Visual Design
TEAM

Jennifer Tsai
Kaeli Fish
Josh Mollison
Jade Shepherd

DATE

September 2021 - December 2021

TOOLS

Figma
Miro
InVision

Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased mental health difficulties due to physical separation from loved ones. To address this, we identified the need for an app encouraging users to check in on their mental health and express gratitude.

Target Users

Individuals separated from loved ones for various reasons, such as work or education. Examples include COVID-19 nurses, first responders, and new graduates, catering to those seeking an alternative to traditional journaling.

The Process

01 Research

Competitive Analysis

  • Headspace: Inspiration for gamification and meaningful push notifications.
  • Traditional Journaling: Explored benefits of hands-on personalization.
  • Fitbit: Analyzed customizable dashboard for potential application.
  • Health App: Studied data visualizations for daily activities.

Interview

Conducted 10 interviews to understand user perspectives on mental health, self-care, and journaling habits.
  1. What do you do for a living?
  2. Do you feel like you have a sufficient amount of downtime?
  3. Can you tell me about your hobbies?
  4. What does self-care mean to you?
  5. What are some actions you take for your mental health?
  6. What personal goals, if any, do you set for yourself or would like to set for yourself?
  7. Do you talk about your mental health with anybody? If so, whom?
  8. How often, if ever, do you check in on your friend’s and family’s mental health?
  9. How comfortable are you with sharing or talking about your feelings with friends and family?
  10. Did you ever or do you currently have some form of personal journal or diary?
    1. How do you express yourself in your journal?
    2. What is helpful for you when it comes to journaling?
    3. What feelings do you have while journaling?
  11. If not, do you have a person you turn to express your feelings?
  12. How do you contact that person?

Affinity Diagram

Consolidated interview findings into categories

02 Synthesis

Personas

Developed user personas based on interview insights.
In summary: People need a way to have consistent and meaningful interactions with their loved ones because these friendships are crucial to their emotional health.

How might we:

  1. Make people feel connected to their friends from from a distance?
  2. Alleviate the pressure to remember to stay in touch with friends?
  3. Provide people with a greater sense of control over their friendships, despite everyone living their own busy lives?
Features
‍To meet these user needs, I brainstormed a list of possible features for the app, then used a matrix to prioritize creating expected features with high impact.
  • Check-In” Messaging Function: a messaging system designed for intentional check-ins with friends, helping to maintain meaningful connections.
  • ‍Check-In Reminders: periodic reminders to check in with friends, easing the burden of remembering to stay in touch.
  • ‍Badges and rewards system: was made to encourage journaling and other self-care activities by providing positive incentives.

Information Architecture

With these features in mind, I explored the potential structure of the app. First, I outlined a user’s journey through the app to envision the app’s flow.

Paper Prototype

Created a basic prototype to visualize key features.

03 Design

Wireframes

Developed detailed wireframes for app screens.

Usability Testing

Conducted the following task-completion tests on user interface and experience:
  1. Create and complete a full journal entry and log the following:
    1. You had a "decent / OK" day
    2. Audio recording  
    3. Feeling "calm", "content", and "goofy"
    4. Self-care activities: face mask, time alone, and bath
  2. Send a free small smoothie gift to Jennifer Tsai
  3. Send a “thanks” to Belle

User Testing Insights

Addressed issues related to screen visibility, button placement, and navigation flow based on user feedback.
  1. Participants didn’t notice the fact that a lot of our screens were scrollable. Most users only scanned the information on the top of the page.
    FIX: Include a scrolling icon on the side or make sure content is cut off on the bottom so users know there is more to see.
  2. Participants hesitated before locating the “Create a Journal” button in the bottom right corner.
    FIX: Make the icon pop with color or a drop shadow. It should also be sticky in place so it is visible at all times when scrolling.
  3. Participants failed to find an option to quickly submit their journal entries available on the keyboard.
    FIX: Add feedback when pressing the ‘enter’ button on the keyboard, such as closing the keyboard or returning the landing page. As a result, the user would be led to find the ‘Done’ button.
  4. Participants took longer than anticipated to find the ‘Done’ button at the top right.
    FIX: Make the button stand out with either font size/style or color. Also, make the top navbar sticky when scrolling, so the ‘Done’ button will always be visible and easy to access no matter how long the journal entry is.
  5. Participants were unsure if the "Your Rewards" tab would allow them to “Send a gift to a friend”.
    FIX: Rename the tab "Rewards" to better encompass the concept that rewards can be used by the user or sent as gifts to members of their circle. Also, add a brief description of possible actions.
  6. Participants incorrectly navigated to the people icon at the bottom to find their friend when trying to send a reward as a gift.
    FIX: Incorporate another way to send gifts by adding a button to send rewards directly when users are accessing a circle member’s profile. This button will redirect users to the “Rewards” tab.
  7. Participants hesitated on the Friend’s Feed landing page when given the task to “Send thanks to their friend, Belle”.
    FIX: Enlarge profile photos and add a hover feature to better indicate that it's clickable. Also, make the profile icons in the news feed clickable as well. Lastly, include Apple’s well-known shortcut feature where you can hold down on the profile picture to bring up a drop-down menu with “Send thanks” and “View profile” options. This would cut down a step for sending thanks.

Hi-Fidelity Prototype

Developed a polished prototype showcasing key features, including mood tracking and self-care activities.

Final System

The Gratia app features a My Analytics dashboard for data visualization and a badges and rewards system to incentivize user engagement.

The My Analytics dashboard can provide very helpful data visualizations for people who want to understand and get highlights of trends in their mental health. Data is gathered by user input in the mood and self-care tracker and journaling. This allows users to reflect on their habits, encourage positivity by managing their self-care activities, and keep track of their moods. The dashboard is important for the useful information it provides and the centralization it brings to the application.
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The badges and rewards system was made to encourage journaling and other self-care activities by providing positive incentives. By completing tasks within the app, users are able to earn achievement rewards and milestone badges. Achievement awards can either be redeemed by the user or sent as gifts to their close friends. This design rationale is pertinent to the popularity of this app since it is one of the main forms of encouragement and is an incentive for the user.

Reflection

Gratia serves as a mobile platform facilitating self-reflection and forming connections. It enables users to journal and maintain relationships conveniently on their mobile devices, eliminating the need for traditional, time-consuming journaling methods.
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‍Accessibility and Convenience
‍Unlike traditional journaling, which requires dedicated time and physical journals, Gratia ensures that users can document their lives and check their wellbeing on the go. This accessibility is particularly beneficial for frontline workers or busy new graduates adjusting to new roles.
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‍Privacy and Data Ethics
‍Gratia prioritizes user privacy and data ethics, especially given its collection of sensitive emotional data. The platform commits to protecting this information from unauthorized sharing, selling, or misuse. Users are encouraged to add only trusted individuals to their Circles, minimizing risks associated with sharing personal reflections and emotions.

‍Conclusion
‍Gratia not only facilitates personal growth through self-reflection but also fosters responsible connectivity, making it a valuable tool for maintaining meaningful relationships while prioritizing user privacy and data security.

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