InPower
The community wellness app
Overview
Inpower is a mental health alternative social media app for those who have suffered abuse, harassment and cyberbullying and are looking to be part of a safe space online. As it’s currently in its Beta development phase, they desire a new ChatBot feature to help users socially & commually.
Role
Product Designer
Skills
Product Design
Research
Duration
Sept ‘24 - Nov 24’
Challenge
How might we create a safe space for users to express their emotions and thoughts without the fear of judgment?
Opportunity
Design a tool that allows individuals to get support and guidance.
A new feature where users can chat with a virtual friend who is there to offer guidance and support, all within a safe space and without fear of judgement.
User Research
A way to increase social & communication skills.
I gathered market research to identify how and what an AI feature would help users with having an healthy community. I found that there are limited opportunities for personalized experiences surrounding mental health. But before we know what our users would like and how it affects them, we needed to define our objectives which were:
Understand how much knowledge users have about chatbots and AI.
Determine the reasons behind why users utilize chatbots and AI.
Understand what features users use the most and what they look for.
Discover what users like and dislike about the use of chatbots and AI.
Competitive Analysis
Accountability is a need for users for community.
Next, it was time to research the most popular competitors in the market in the mental health space. We wanted to see what areas could be leverage that others brand we’re focusing heavily on. I found that almost none of them had this aspect of an accountability partner to help you talk through their issues.
User Research
My interviewees consistently used AI & Chat features for educational purposes but not for help issues with mental health.
During the discovery phase of my project, I conducted user interviews to get a better understanding of the problem.
Having experienced the stressors and unfortunate stresses of life, I assumed that individuals who were involved in traumatic experiences needed a healthy outlet and community to be able to cope and grow.
To challenge this assumption, I conducted user interviews with a focus group of 7 individuals who often use AI in different capacities. I listened for pain points, motivations, and aimed to understand the thought and very real process of handling certain circumstances.
What did I discover?
The interviews revealed that users want users like the idea of a bot that can learn from interactions and cater to their individual personalities/needs.
User Research
Who are we designing for?
After conducting the user interviews through taking surveys and a series of questions, I had a great vision and idea of who we were designing for. This consisted of the users pain points, frustrations, and goals of the user. Was the solution truly defining the problem? I designed personas that depicted what our users were seeking.
Feature Set
What features are needed?
I developed a comprehensive list of features tailored to user needs. Each feature was thoughtfully designed to enhance the user experience, incorporating tools like breathing exercises, mood tracking, and journaling, while ensuring they aligned with user expectations and goals. These features were also discussed with our client to ensure the necessary features were implemented.
Ideate + Prototyping (Low Fidelity)
Ideas & Development
At this point, I was ready to start the Design portion with all the insights needed. We started with some great sketches based on ideas and development forecasting from our stakeholders about what they required and the different features needed to enhance their app development from beta to ready to launch.
Ideate + Prototyping (Mid Fidelity)
How do we enhance their app development?
At this point, I was ready to start the Design portion with all the insights needed. We started with some great suggestions from our stakeholders about what they required and the different features needed to enhance their app development from beta to ready to launch. At this point we worked on the user flows to map out the pathways users will take.
Based on the key pain points & needs discussed with our users. It led us with a great range of potential solutions for our users. I let participants freely interact with the low-fi wireframe prototype and provide feedback for screens to determine changes needed for improved user experience. The design system we developed supported the goals of our stakeholders and fit the expectations of our users.
Before creating the high-fidelity prototype screens, we also developed a UI kit based on the colors, fonts, and styles of the InPower app. This UI kit served as a shared resource for my team and I, streamlining the design process by providing a consistent visual framework. With the UI kit in place, we were able to save time and design more efficiently while maintaining cohesion with InPower’s existing look.
Key Insights & Usability Testing (Mid-Fidelity)
What can we take away from our testing?
Key Insights
Some users like the idea of the chatbot being personified and having a personality but don’t want to feel that it is pretending to be human when it is not.
One user is against the belief that chatbots/AI can exist to give certain advice due barriers in the environment such as policies, confidentiality, and more.
Most users see the benefit of using chatbots and AI as a tool for work/life overall but wish to have boundaries with the knowledge that it is a tool, rather than a friend.
Some users worry about the overall impact forming friendships with bots will have on human’s social skills and humans in general as a society.
Usability Testing
Using feedback from usability testing, I identified 3 key areas for improvement:
Clarity
Make it clear to users that Meeka is a bot and not an actual therapist.
Full In House Experience
Making sure the user knows that the resource is being sent from InPower’s resources section
rather than redirecting them to an outside website would help the user feel safer within the app.
Variety of Options
Users desire that instead of receiving 1 resource suggestions or check in variations, users would like more resources for the users instead of redirection to other resources.
Refining (Iterations)
What works and what doesn’t work for our users?
After dissecting the usability testing feedback, sifting through suggestions from the users, and viewing what works and what doesn’t work for our users. We made iterations to provide the users with the best user experience to cultivate an environment where users have the necessary features to tailor to their needs.
Final Screens Showcase
Chat With Meeka Conversation Feature
Check In Feature
Take Assessment Feature
Welcome Screen
Final Screens
The Final Product
Prototype in Action
CONCLUSION + LESSONS LEARNED
What I’d do differently next time.
This was my first-ever client project! (We Made It!). More than the actual output, however- I’m immensely grateful to have through an entire UX process so I can see what it’s actually like. On that note, a few things I’ve learned.
Iterate as much as you can. As I designed and developed, I didn’t let my creativity flow as it should have. I accepted the first idea would be the best idea. Rather than continually stepping back from my designs and rethinking different design directions. Staying in a place of being open - minded to all sorts of solutions.
Focus more on inspiration. As my mentor said, there’s nothing wrong with looking at other resources and applications for inspiration. Design is all around us, especially past designs that users have enjoyed.
Make It Simple + Don’t Overcomplicate it. There’s nothing wrong with simple. I think at times as creatives we desire things to be new and fresh and there’s nothing wrong with that. Continually design and make new solutions for the world to be better. But at times we can make things too complicated and it can discourage users from great experiences because their used to familiarity of how something works.
You didn’t fail. From noticing mistakes in my UI to uncovering more foundational UX problems in my app, I’m thankful to have constantly asked for feedback from my peers and my mentor. In the end, I pushed to have the best app as best I could, and did not let my own thinking stop me from questioning if my own decisions were truly best for the user.