My Role as Product Designer
Drove all research efforts, including initial problem exploration, user surveys, interviews, and branding
Developed full brand awareness, including logo design, illustrations, and user interaction
Sourced expertise from a therapist to address knowledge gaps in the product
Performed usability testing and refined designs based on user feedback
My Impact
Managed the entire project, directing our small team
Enhanced the app’s task success rate (TSR) to an average of 90% through iterative design and UI principles
Crafted a brand praised by intended users 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.
Note: This project, created in 2022, focused less on profits but it's worth noting the significant and expected growth in the market for mental health solutions.
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 User Screening
How Can We Help?
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 in their lives?
What are the barriers to care people face?
Are people open to anxiety help?
Discover: Semi-Structured User Interviews
Let's Talk About YOU!
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.
What's the Verdict?
Define: Solution Ideation
What Do Our Users Need?
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).
I had us explore every avenue, from AI chatbots to the metaverse, deeply considering our users' needs, until we settled on a mobile and smartwatch app.
Why a Smartwatch and Mobile App?
Users need a mobile, time-efficient, and cost-effective solution due to their hectic schedules. Target user insights and market research suggested the use of smartwatch technology was a viable option.
Define: Competitive Analysis
What Do You Have That I Don't?
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.
Define: Sitemapping
We Need Blueprints, People
I created a sitemap for both the mobile app (figure 1.0) and smartwartch (figure 1.1) and confirmed it with the rest of my team.
Figure 1.0: Mobile app information architecture
Figure 1.1: Smartwatch app information architecture
Develop: Usability Testing
We Only Take Constructive Criticism Here
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
Develop: Style Guide
She's In-Charge of 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
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
What Did I Learn?
This is one the personal projects I'm more 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.
