👁 Project 1
👩💻 ABOUT THIS PROJECT
🎬 DESIGN PROCESS AND TIMELINE
🔍 PRIMARY RESEARCH
SOCIAL ANXIETY
Definition: A long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations.
Common, everyday experiences may be hard to endure when you have a social anxiety disorder, like Interacting with unfamiliar people or strangers, attending parties or social gatherings...
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), approximately 15 million American adults have a social anxiety disorder. Symptoms of this disorder may start around the age of 13. And about 36 percent of people with social anxiety don’t speak to a healthcare provider until they have had symptoms for at least 10 years.
According to the survey, females are more likely to suffer social anxiety especially from 18 to 29 years old. Luckily, most of them suffer mild and moderate anxiety levels, which they can also try to figure out by themselves.
👀 COMPETITIVE RESEARCH
🗣 INTERVIEWS
Interviewees
To gain insight into this subject, I conducted interviews with 6 individuals between the ages of 22 and 25. These individuals self-assessed their anxiety levels on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
Content
I posed a series of 15 questions to each participant, which covered a range of topics such as attitude, ideal situations, reasons, symptoms, and negative influences related to the topic.
Key takeaways
1️⃣ UNIVERSALITY:
Both introverted and extroverted individuals can experience social anxiety in specific situations, such as public speaking, regardless of their personality type.
2️⃣ AMBIVALENCE:
Individuals who experience severe social anxiety tend to prefer challenging themselves rather than remaining in their comfort zone, despite this tendency not being reflected in their behavior.
3️⃣ REQUIREMENT:
Being surrounded by familiar individuals can make it easier for people to handle public situations.
😎 PROBLEM STATEMENT
HOW MIGHT WE
bring comfort and encouragement to people with social anxiety
to let them get challenges easier
?
✏️ SKETCHES
To generate ideas, we employed the Crazy 8s technique. After conducting interviews and gathering insights, we produced 19 sketches. These sketches were then categorized into four groups: Challenge and Rewards, Digital Friends, Physical Tracking, and Supportive Communities.
✏️ LOW-FI PROTOTYPES
Based on the sketches, I made 3 directions of the prototypes.
VERSION 1: DIGITAL FRIENDS
Users have the option to give their virtual companion any name they choose, whether it be a idol or best friend. Alternatively, users also have the option to use pre-existing characters for those who do not wish to personalize their own. The virtual companion is used in combination with challenges to assist users in overcoming social anxiety.
VERSION 2: SUPPORTER
A 3-stage plan is implemented, beginning with support from others, progressing to self-support, and ultimately supporting others. Users are matched with a real person for one-on-one help with specific issues. They can communicate with the supporter who will provide suggestions and guidance.
VERSION 3: CHALLENGE & REWARDS
Users can select a specific challenge they wish to tackle, such as public speaking. A weekly plan is provided to guide users through the challenge step-by-step. Upon completion of each task, rewards such as digital medals are awarded as encouragement.
USABILITY TESTS
I interviewed 6 people aged 22 to 29. They self-reported their anxiety level, from 0 to 5, which is from the lowest to the highest. And then tested them with 3 prototypes.
INSIGHTS
Individuals with varying levels of social anxiety have diverse preferences.
Digital friends vs. Real friends
Individuals with severe social anxiety may find it difficult to communicate with real people, so they may prefer using digital friends. On the other hand, those with milder social anxiety may prefer making real-life connections and find digital friends to be uninteresting. However, both groups acknowledge that digital friends can provide an escape into fantasy but may not offer effective progress in overcoming social anxiety.
Individuals with severe social anxiety may find it difficult to communicate with real people, so they may prefer using digital friends. On the other hand, those with milder social anxiety may prefer making real-life connections and find digital friends to be uninteresting. However, both groups acknowledge that digital friends can provide an escape into fantasy but may not offer effective progress in overcoming social anxiety.
Challenges & Tutorial
Individuals with higher levels of anxiety tend to prefer this aspect of the platform, while those with lower levels of anxiety may find it too formal.
In summary, to aid those who are most in need (those with higher levels of social anxiety), I ultimately decided to focus on developing the CHALLENGES & TUTORIALS aspect of the platform.
👩💻 USER PERSONA
👩💻 USER JOURNEY MAP
▶️ USER FLOW
✏️ MVP
✏️ HIGH-FI PROTOTYPE
After iterations, solved the problem of accessibility
Sign Up Progress
Users have the option to either sign up or log in, or they may choose to skip this step.
Home page
By scrolling down, users can access new features and general introductions. The prominent yellow button labeled "Start practicing" is intended to guide users to the next step.
Select a task
Users have the option to choose from four primary tasks that align with their specific needs.
Start practicing
Within each section, there are three levels, and each level includes a task and recommended readings or videos. As users make progress, they have the option to connect their Apple Watch to monitor physical changes.
Get a reward
Upon completing a task, users receive a flower as a reward. To view their accumulated flowers, users can drag down the page.
View feedback
Eventually, users will be directed to the tracking page where they can review all the details from their practice.
🎨 STYLE GUIDE
There were two visual directions, one is energetic while the other is calming. I posted them on the wall and let classmates vote. Finally, I selected the calming one.
I selected 12 kinds of flowers and made the illustrations as rewards after finishing each task. All these flowers contain the meaning of encouragement.
👩💻 USABILITY TESTS
I did 6 usability tests through interview sessions in person or via Zoom.
📱MAIN PAGES
Landing page
Account Creation
Home page
Task selection
Task page
feedback & collection page
Tracking page
🔥Conclusion
The UNxiety focused on helping individuals with social anxiety, which was a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Throughout the development process, it became apparent that understanding the specific needs and struggles of those with social anxiety was crucial in creating an effective solution. By conducting thorough market research and gathering feedback from individuals with social anxiety, we were able to design an app that addresses the unique challenges they face.
It uses a gradual approach, starting with small social challenges and gradually building up to more complex tasks. This approach allows users to take small steps towards overcoming their anxiety and gradually build their confidence. Additionally, the app includes features such as a journaling feature and the ability to connect with other users for support and encouragement.
One of the greatest challenges in developing this app was finding a balance between providing a helpful tool and not overwhelming users with too much information or tasks. Through continuous iteration and testing, we were able to strike this balance and create an app that is both effective and user-friendly.
Overall, UNxiety has been a powerful reminder of the importance of user-centered design and the impact that technology can have on improving mental health. It has been a privilege to work on a project that has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of those with social anxiety.
Thank you for reading!
