Thrive

Problem

Individuals struggle to cultivate a consistent and holistic approach to well-being in their daily lives, facing challenges such as:

Feeling isolated in their wellness journey
Difficulty establishing healthy habits
Lack of motivation

Approach

I strategically phased my UX initiative into three key stages, leveraging a systematic approach to enhance organization and foster an intuitively cohesive user experience:

Feeling isolated in their wellness journey
Difficulty establishing healthy habits
Lack of motivation

Competitive Analysis:

Headspace

Key Elements
‍Headspace showcased good use of space, and a simple UI to not overwhelm their user.

Rounded corners, avoiding potentially uninviting UI elements
Simple graphics and colors, not overdoing their design elements
Very simple menu selection

Competitive Analysis:

Fabulous

Key Elements
‍Fabulous focuses on the journey that users will go through, emulating the real-life journey they go through; helping users visualize their growth, in addition to:

Beautiful graphics throughout the entire user flow
Implements gradients that are inviting and capture emotion
Encouraging language that motivates the user

Inspiration:

Duolingo

Key Elements
‍
‍Duolingo is known for gamifying the experience of learning a language, increasing user retention, and also...

Utilizes Characters/Personas to increase engagement
A bright and inviting color palette that invites the user
Not afraid to add personality to the design, making it very attractive

UX Personas

Emerging Themes in Research

These three apps were able to make the journey of mental health more fun and engaging, allowing users to stay committed to their goals. Headspace focused on bright colors and simple graphics, and Fabulous focused on the story-telling aspect of the app and how it really users stories. Duolingo embraces the idea of interacting with the users, as the characters display a large range of emotions that add reliability to the interface.

What worked well in these designs:

Less is more, designs weren't too complex for the user
Inviting color schemes
Well-planned content models for each menu item

How could I implement these key elements:

Rounded corners: inviting UI elements
Simple and bright color palette
Have characters display a range of emotion
Allow users to connect with the personas, possibly through relatability
Encouraging messages throughout the user's experience

Userflow

Sketches

Wireframes

This project involved extensive experimentation, encompassing various elements such as grid layouts, color schemes, utilization of negative space, character animations, and prototyping. The intricate design process reflects meticulous attention to detail across multiple aspects.

Based on my research and experimentation, the final product needed to offer a welcoming, intuitive experience that empowers users on their mental health journey. By making the app easy to navigate and relatable, it encourages consistent engagement and fosters a sense of personal growth.

Takeaways

Navigating the complexities of Thrive turned out to be a more intricate journey than I initially envisioned. Starting with ideation, figuring out how to seamlessly incorporate personas into the user experience posed a unique challenge. I had to decide whether these personas would be interactive characters or revealed gradually throughout the journey. Through this project, I learned to...

Define a clear user flow within a tight timeline
Prioritize features and experiences carefully. In the end, I settled on guiding users through onboarding, showcasing different personas, and finally unveiling the interface
Pay attention to micro-spacing intricacies and focus on creating an intuitive design system that could evolve organically