Neolth
A digital stress management platform for students.
Details
Role
Product Design Intern
Client
Team
- Sheena Patel (Business Design Intern)
- Media Hosseini (Product Design Intern)
- Botao Lu (Product Design Intern)
- Mansi Modi (Developer)
Timeframe
May 2020 – August 2020
Methods
Sketching, Data Collection, Contextual Inquiry, Affinity Diagram, Prototyping, & User Testing
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Fireflies, & Miro
Summary
The need to help individuals self-manage grows as stress levels among high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students rapidly increase owing to academic, social, and global health issues.
Stress reduces students’ quality of life and academic performance. Moreover, increased stress among students leads to self-harming behaviors such as suicide.
Empathize
A Mental Health Epidemic
The need to help individuals self-manage grows as stress levels among high-school, undergraduate, and graduate students rapidly increase owing to academic, social, and global health issues. Stress reduces students’ quality of life and academic performance. Moreover, increased stress among students leads to self-harming behaviors such as suicide
Being One of Many
As a graduate student, I empathized with others feeling stress in school. In fact, I felt stress throughout my academic career. I learned that others felt the same stress as I did. Thus, the project became more meaningful and personal for me.
Ending the Epidemic
The desired outcome of this project was to provide a tool that would reduce stress among students through self-management techniques.
How are The Users Managing Their Mental Health?
Several solutions currently exist for students to manage stress. These range from mobile phone applications such as Nod and SilverCloud to traditional professional counseling and medication.
Personalized Execises?
Educational Videos?
Reflections?
What are The Users Thinking?
Several semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom with potential users. From the interviews, I reached two overarching insights:
-
- Users lack available mental health resources and available resources are stigmatized.
- Users faces multiple causes/triggers for stress, as well as fluctuating levels for stress
Ideate
From Data to Persona
From the interviews that were conducted, the team synthesized and analyzed data to extract the main data points. From there, the team organized and clustered the information into groups, or personas, as shown below.
Primary Persona
Secondary Personas
Eye of the Brainstorm
The team completed several rounds of this creative idea-generating technique using Miro. Utilizing brainstorming techniques, I generated 100 design possibilities. Specifically, the team sorted ideas into different categories. The team voted on approximately a dozen ideas to pursue. The team critiqued and filtered down these design ideas to one final, researched-based concept.
Prototype
Perfecting the Prototype
After determining the concept, the team divided up assignments. I took on responsibilities for designing prototypes of the dashboard and the exercise pages. Of course, the prototypes underwent various iterations.
Starting with Low-Fi
Sidebar was added based on user interviews as users wanted multiple stress-relieving practices listed on the dashboard.
Progress Bar
Sidebar was added based on user interviews, as users wanted multiple stress-relieving practices listed on the dashboard.
Calendar
The calendar was added for users to track and see upcoming practices.
Graph
Users feel want to see how much the practices affect their health
Rising to Mid-Fi
The Calendar was implemented because users wanted to review their past practices and anticipate upcoming practices by viewing categorical icons.
Next Practice
Next Practice shows users their next immediate practice to save time and displays information.
Calendar Icons
The Calendar was implemented because users wanted to review their past practices and anticipate upcoming practices by viewing categorical icons.
Reports
More graphs have been added because users wanted to see more data about their progress
Reaching Hi-Fi
Users requested detailed data and visualization for their accomplishments and activities. Users wanted encouraging rewards.
Stats
Users requested stats to see their accomplishments and activities.
Badges
Users wanted encouraging rewards.
Activity Input
This adds the ability for users to log custom activities to the platform
Testing the Prototype
Over the iterations of prototyping, the team ran tests with potential end-users. These tests were presented via Zoom.
Based on the findings from these tests, the team was able to narrow down and perfect several iterations of the prototypes. Designs changed to incorporate user graphs of data, with awards for progress achievements and growth. We added a welcome graphic and a progress bar or meter, and we replaced the journal option with a self-care activity.
Test
Ready for Prime Time!
After several iterations, the team and I created a platform for users (students) to receive the stress help they need. At the end of my internship, I presented my findings and proposed platform to the CEO and co-founder of Neolth. The findings and the platform were accepted and implemented.
Desktop Dashboard
Final Dashboard
Mobile Dashboard
How Did I Do?
Since the redesign, Neolth has 63% higher user retention over 30-day period compared to the industry standard.
Neolth
Industry Standard
Daily Active Users
Minutes Used Per Week
30-Day Retention
My Neolth Experience Reflection
This was my first UX internship. It went well. My supervisor stated that she saw my growth as a designer during the internship. I felt the internship was a fantastic work experience.
My team was supportive. We participated in team bonding and a speaker series from entrepreneurs around the country. I have a passion for entrepreneurship and startups, so I relished working in this environment. I enjoy helping people and appreciate mental health struggles. The Neolth’s product – a mental health platform – has great value for society. I realized through this internship how much I learned and increased my desire to learn more and become better at design.
What Did I Learned?
I learned about the different types of stress that people experiences, as well as the different ways that people react to stress. I learned more about the target demographic persona (college) and secondary personas (high school).
In the brainstorming and prototyping process, I learned the importance of ideas and the value in refining and testing ideas. My 100 ideas brought variety and perspective to the table. I enjoyed being part of a team in which members bring so many unique suggestions to be combined and adapted.
What Would I Change?
TBD
Check Out Neolth!
neolth.com
