Hackathon | UX Research, Strategy, Ideation, Design
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Secured 1st Prize Nationally : https://www.lyeminent.com/contest.html
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This mindfulness app was built to benefit physical and mental well - being in a holistic way. This tracks the user's progress and pushes them to commit to a healthier lifestyle. The design and visual language evokes positivity that can help alleviate stress or anxiety for users.
PROBLEM
People continuing to struggle for support despite the vast availability of personal metrics and health apps
Lack of awareness and inclusivity of all kinds of users
People using personal videos, timers, etc to guide them and not utilising the apps
People tend to uninstall these apps very often, difficult to retain the users
Need an easy and accessible solution that they can use throughout the week without payment wall
SOLUTION
Inclusive solution to diversified age range and curated according to different emotional states
Provides multiple ways of well-being through music, podcast, meditation, therapy, etc as required. Not restricted to meditation only
Helps in tracking weekly progress and guides them to consult a doctor
Engaging and vibrant visual language that makes the user feel part of the story
MY TEAM & ROLE
First hackathon I worked on. My role was that of a UI/UX Designer
As part of UX, I worked upon competitive analysis, defining the USP, user research , wireframing, design and prototype
As part of UI or Visual Design, I worked on developed cutomised illustrations and a tailored branding for the app 'Meind'
TIMELINE
This hackathon was completed in a span of 1 week's time
First 3 days were utilised in the discovery and ideation process
The next 3 days were used to build the wireframes, the final design and to compile it into a presentation for review
THE PROCESS
Understanding the Current Market
The Headspace app has been one of the most used mindfulness app currently. With Headspace and Calm, they have focussed on making the app interactive, simple but engaging with vibrant colors and motifs that evokes empathy, hope and motivation to the user.
Key takeaways from them : utilising a vibrant visual language that connects with the users, having a personalised space, making the app inclusive and try to create a community that motivates the user.
Based on google analytics, here the Blue Graph depicts the search word "Mindfulness" where mostly people have searched for the actual meaning of it. And the Red Graph depicts "Headspace" in which people have 90% rise in search words for the apps like Mystic and Calm.
This shows there is a gap and lack of awareness of the current understanding of mindfulness and the apps that are catering to it. While at the same time these app have high user ratings on app stores. So, one of our primary goal is to make the app easy and intuitive for all kinds of users that can improve upon the current functionalities of other apps.
Understanding the Users
With limited access to big user base, I extrapolated information from the user research conducted by Maria Sabando in a medium article.
" From the survey done on 117 people, I learned that at least 60% of people mediate. This percentage of people that meditate do so primarily to get positive feelings and to increase their focus "
Majority of people have downloaded a meditation application at some point but discontinued
Most do not track their progress or use any other device for the same
People practise diverse set of activities under the umbrella of 'Meditation'
To understand the user expectation and habit, I interviewed a set of 8 people among my friends based on the insights of the research. Key takeaways were:
6/8 have tried meditation but 3/8 have used a meditation app
2/8 were able to continue it beyond 3 months
All of them listen to music and podcasts, videos as a source of relaxation
All of them are aware of the stress and anxiety they experience, but very less of them act upon it
Ideating in the Areas of Opportunity
Users have different methods of practising mindfulness so how can we include different tools in the app
Ideation : Have a consolidated list of music, podcast, video, note - making across different categories like ’Sleep’, ‘Anxiety’, ‘Focus’ etcUsers do not recognise or act upon any negative feelings. How can we make them aware of their mental state and take action
Ideation : Nudge the user to take a quick daily Mood - Check Questionnaire. Content can then be curated based on the output. The tech can recognise any behavioral patterns from previous user data and if required therapists can also be recommended.Users are not tracking their progress and hence not motivated enough. How can we track the progress but not overwhelm the user with information
Ideation : Having a daily statistics page that encourage them with badges and rewards. Alloting them small micro tasks like finishing a 10 min video.Not all kinds of user of different age group find these meditation apps approachable.
Ideation : As part of onboarding asking the user about their current state of mind and age group, and the view of the page differing based on that input. Dividing them into core groups beforehand filters the information easily.
Defining the User Flow
We tried to retain some of the best features of Calm & Headspace and Incorporated the ideas above to build a seamless user flow that is inclusive and accessible.
THE DESIGN
Onboarding Diversified Users
In order to deliver curated content, when logging in the app asks for the current mental state and your age range. Since the practises and expectations are different based on that.
We have used micro animations to exemplify the states 'Anxiety', 'Overthinking' , 'Sleeping' and anything new. Those were few most recognised and familiar state among users. The animation and visuals help to communicate the message better and makes the user feel welcome right from the start. We are as well introducing the mascot that has been used throughout the app.
Home Page
This offers a range of recommended playlist, podcast etc based on user data entry. It also has micro tasks that can be added to their to-do list right from this page itself.
The user can navigate to any other state of mind as necessary. Consistent information has been displayed.
Tools Exploration & User - based Meditation
The app gives a list of well - being practises across different mental state focussed categories like 'Concentration' , 'Disappointment' etc. This gives user a wide range of opportunity to explore and not limited to certain mindful states. We have used familiar verbiage as well to bond with the user easily.
The meditation (for example) provided would differ based on beginner or advanced level. The steps help them educate and get comfortable with meditation. The meditation track can be pre-set to stop at any interval considering users have short attention span and they would not want to manually set a 3rd party timer.
Stats and Mood Tracker
Mood Tracker is a small questionnaire to have a sense check of the user's mental state. The app nudges it to complete it from the home page as well. It also shows their mood trends for last week that help in self reflection.
Stats shows the activity of the user, the sessions they have done and a daily average time they spend. Thus, users wouldn't require a tracking application to understand their mindfulness habit trends.
Personalised Illustrations
Orange is a vibrant and enthusiastic color that exudes warmth and joy. That resonates with the concept of mindfulness and in building the theme of the brand. The vibrant character illustration adds a personalised touch of storytelling and builds an empathetic bond with the user. It engages the user through the journey and delivers the message with clarity faster.
🤯 Phew! You have reached the end of this project!
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