The Cultivated Mindset

A single app that helps people share and obtain advice on all of life's topics easily and effectively, all in one platform. The vision of the app is inspired by other mobile app mental health services like Headspace and Better Health, where you can access services online. The app is geared towards people who want to engage in mental health services but can't afford it, do not have the time for it, can't find a provider, and would prefer to receive advice and wisdom from people within their community.

Context

Oftentimes people want to seek out advice and wisdom from others without judgement and do not have access to mental health services, can't afford mental health services, or want to receive instant support.

Role & Duration

Role: Founder and CEO of The Cultivated Mindset, Lead UX Researcher, Lead UX Designer

Project Duration: 16 Weeks

Problem

I found that people that wanted to work on their mental health and grow themselves have few options to gain access to resources outside of therapy, and faced limitations, such as: ineffective processes, long waiting time to access a therapist; and lack of availability of therapists within a close time frame.

Solution

The application provides people with the option to both provide advice and wisdom they feel comfortable sharing, and to access shared advice from others in an easy and effective manner, all in one platform. In addition, the app is geared towards communal use, wherein users can connect to people in their communities and build their support network.

Question

How might I help people seek and provide advice on all of life's topics easily and effectively at any time?

Research & Ideation

I mapped the available solutions for advisement and mental health platforms. Then, I interviewed relevant communities who use those services regularly, and conducted user surveys to get a broader perspective. I analyzed the available online and mobile mental health platforms to understand the conventional structures, and to map the tools and aspects that could be applicable to the current platform and summarized my findings and marked the aspects I could incorporate into the platform for better solutions.

With the findings I brainstormed possible solutions, tools and features I would like the app to have in order to improve the available mental health and advice-seeking services, and to create an accessibility-first interface. I started with quick sketches, completed corrections and additions, and tested each iteration along the way.

User Personas

Initial Sitemap

Wireframes

Conclusions

I finalized the structure and design of the app and concentrated them into the most relevant and useful activities: seeking and providing advice easily in one place, effectively browsing for available advice topics, easy and smooth navigation between advice seeking and advice sharing interactions.

Overall, I was satisfied with the results achieved within the limited timeframe. This is just the beginning for the app, and a little taste of the potential it will have. I hope in the future that I can continue to develop it, expand its abilities, and form a complex system to cater to all the needs a platform of this up-and-coming nature would require.