Copup
Addressing the rampant anxiety problem among young Indian adults.
Client
Conceptual
Responsibilities
UI & UX Design
Industry
Mental Health
Timeline & Status
8 weeks - Complete
My Role & Impact
Initiator and lead UX/UI designer
I led all research efforts, including initial problem exploration, user surveys, interviews, and branding, while managing the project and guiding our small team. I created the full brand identity with logo, illustrations, and user interactions, and brought in a therapist to help fill product knowledge gaps. Through usability testing and iterative design, I improved the app’s task success rate to 90% and built a brand users described as warm and inviting.
Context
88% of Young Indian Adults Suffer From Anxiety and Stress (Indian Express)
India has seen a surge in anxiety cases, particularly among young adults (18-27) since the pandemic began. Heavy workloads and limited personal time make it challenging for them to cope. Given that traditional therapy can be time-consuming and costly, this created an opportunity for Copup, an anxiety relief tool.
Solution
Introducing… Drumroll, Please … Copup!
Users connect their smartwatch to their phone via Bluetooth to monitor heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator of anxiety. If there’s an extreme change in HRV, a pop-up prompts users to confirm whether the change is due to anxiety. They then receive therapist-approved coping mechanisms to use immediately from the watch. The accompanying mobile app allows users to self-reflect and track their anxiety episodes, helping them understand occurrences and identify effective coping strategies.
Discover: Market Validation and Surveying
Understanding Our Target Market and Their Challenges
I created a Google survey for young Indian adults (ages 18-27) who experience anxiety to gain insights on the topic following a workshop with my team. I focused on the question, "Do users really need a new resource to help manage their anxiety?" to guide the survey questions, ultimately receiving 31 valuable responses.
What about people's anxiety can we address?
How taxing is people's anxiety is their lives?
What barriers to care do they face?
How taxing is people's anxiety is their lives?
Discover: Semi-Structured User Interviews
Identifying Our User Base
Through the survey, I helped us confirm the value of our product and identified our target audience (split into 3 specific groups): a) individuals more inhibited by anxiety, b) those who feel unsure or uncomfortable with their anxiety, and c) late university students or recent graduates. I reviewed the volunteers and selected 8 individuals to interview who best fit these criteria.
The Verdict
Define: Ideation
Defining the Solution via Ideation Workshops
Realizing our limited perspective on anxiety relief, I consulted a therapist with 13 years of experience. She guided us to focus on building distress tolerance and mindfulness using DBT skills, along with journaling and self-reflection, which shaped our brainstorming process (below are my ideations).
From solutions involving the metaverse to designing a service for users to get in touch with voluntary therapists/specialists, we exhausted every avenue. After a couple weeks of deep brainstorming, considering the user's needs and value proposals, we settled on our platform.
Why a Smartwatch and Mobile App?
Realizing our limited perspective on anxiety relief, I consulted a therapist with 13 years of experience. She guided us to focus on building distress tolerance and mindfulness using DBT skills, along with journaling and self-reflection, which shaped our brainstorming process (below are my ideations).
Define: Competitive Analysis
Understanding the Market Landscape
While brainstorming, I analyzed existing apps that are direct competitors and identified a gap in the market for apps that capture anxiety in real-time and offer actionable solutions. Presenting this to my team, we recognized it as a key advantage for our product and began outlining our features.
Develop: Sitemapping
Structuring the App's Navigation
I created a sitemap for both the mobile app and smartwartch and confirmed it with the rest of my team.
Layout of Mobile App
Smartwatch App Layout
Develop: Early Usability Testing
Iterative Design: Testing Mid-Fidelity Prototype in Phases
I completed the low-fidelity wireframes and linked the screens into a prototype. I then conducted two sets of usability tests: one moderated with 4 target users and another unmoderated with 10 users via the site Maze. I used Task Success Rate (TSR) as my main KPI. After discussing with my team, I iterated on our first designs.
User Task Success (TS)
01. User can sign up to use the app? (100% TS).
02. The user successfully gets anxiety help via the smartwatch? (87.5% TS).
03. User is able to view their anxiety episode report? (100% TS).
04. User can create a new journal entry? (87.5% TS).
Develop: Style Guide
High-Fidelity UI and Branding
I took on the role of UI design and brand development. My team and I aimed to encourage and relax our users by creating a sense of gentle friendliness informed by cultural research.
Research Findings
Mascot: Puppy
We chose a puppy mascot, as they are commonly regarded as emotional support animals. I designed this mascot using Illustrator.
Primary color: Orange
Chosen for its association with the quest for light and sanctity in India, we felt it would evoke a sense of new beginnings for users.
Secondary color: Sky Blue
Selected for its calming qualities, reflecting the tranquility of the sky and ocean in the culture.
Reflection
Reflecting on Copup
This is one of the personal projects I'm most proud of. There's so much room for improvement, but I learned the value of insights from experts in other disciplines and how to effectively communicate my ideas. I also focused on keeping the team on track with our project objectives.
Our next steps involve conducting formal clinical trials to ensure the app meets ethical standards and gathering data to support its effectiveness. I plan to measure usability using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which we couldn't assess earlier due to limited user incentives.
