Reload | A Stress Management App

Executive Summary

Designed a native app from scratch to assist people dealing with work-related stress. The app offers isruptive educational and community engagement features, creating a safe, confident, and supportive environment for users coping with stress.

UX & Information Architecture

Redesign

Desktop

E-learning

2019

1 Month

The Brief

Burnout Research

World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy. Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

The difference between work stress and burnout is that the first one is a response to a perceived threat, when the later one is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by chronic and excessive stress (LinkedIn).

According to the latest statistics, 75% of employees have experienced burnout (Everyonesocial). In more detail, employees stress is at a record high since 2020, due to COVID-19 and the way remote working has drastically changed working behaviours. Globally, 44% of employees stated that they experienced a lot of stress the previous day. Moreover, 2023 is the second year in a row work stress reached record levels (Gallup).

User Survey & Analysis

In addressing work stress and burnout, the working hypothesis is that education, coping techniques, and a support system can help individuals effectively manage work-related stress. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a detailed survey using a multiple-choice questionnaire format. The survey aimed to identify work stress triggers, related symptoms, and effective coping techniques. The collected data was then analyzed, yielding promising results.

Upon analyzing the data, a clear strategy emerged. The app should primarily address users' challenges related to a lack of motivation (20.6%) and difficulties in regulating their feelings (20.6%), which were identified as the top two issues they face. To assist users in overcoming these challenges, the following coping strategies were found to be most appropriate:

For being self-motivated:

Human interaction support (30%)
Exercise/sports support (20.2%)
Listening to music (16%)
Mental health services (12.8%)

For regulating feelings:

Human interaction support (30%)
Exercise/sports support (20.2%)
Listening to music (16%)
Mental health services (12.8%)
Considering a job change (12.8%)
Engaging in painting (4%)

By combining the identified user issues and effective coping techniques, we can outline the potential focus areas of the app. The initial concept revolves around enhancing human and community interaction, motivating physical activities, and offering music-related resources. Further research is needed to validate these initial ideas.

Marketing Research | Competitors Analysis

In our marketing research, we used a Feature Comparison Chart and a Market Positioning Map to identify apps designed for managing work-related stress and burnout. Our primary goal was to assess the market in this niche. Our findings revealed that the market is underdeveloped, with most apps being generic psychological support and mindfulness-focused applications.

Marketing research suggests that prioritizing human interaction and community, exercise, sports, and music would better serve users. Competitive analysis confirmed this as a unique opportunity, as most competitors concentrate on professional mental health and relaxation. The question now is: How can we capitalize on this opportunity?

User Research

We designed a targeted questionnaire to gain deeper user insights. Through 10 user interviews conducted via platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, we collected diverse and valuable responses, with a designated moderator in each session and other team member taking notes.

Affinity Diagram

We structured insights from the interviews using an Affinity Diagram, resulting in 11 distinct clusters, some with sub-clusters. Applying Dot Voting highlighted two major clusters: 1. coping mechanisms, and 2. functionalities.

The first cluster centers around helping individuals manage stress with typical stress management techniques, low and high tension exercises, and workload structuring. The second cluster emphasizes creating a supportive community. These clusters were chosen due to their mention by all interviewees and their potential impact.

User Persona

User Journey

Problem Statement

Simone’s problem could be summarized in: “Adults who experience work stress, need access to information, stress management tools and to connect with other people because they are overwhelmed by the sense of degradation, fear and apathy”. Problem statements can provide clear direction and focus.

Ideation | Crazy 8

MVP

Reload is a wellness app focusing on helping people experiencing work related stress. With its disruptive educational and community engagement functionalities, our MVP will have available features such as achievable goal plans, community board, activities suggestions and plans. These features will ensure that users feel safe, confident and supported while coping with stress.

MoSCoW Method

Let’s make these ideas a product | Lofi | Concept Testing | Mifi

Prioritizing ideas using the MoSCoW Method and focusing on the MVP, we developed our Lofi prototype for concept testing with five users. Their feedback highlighted several patterns:

Users found the icons in the bottom menu confusing
Sub-concepts within the Activities and Community screens were unclear
The "edit" button on the Profile screen did not align with users' mental models
The distinction between the Goals and Achievement concepts needed clarification
Users found the stress levels graph on the Home page unclear, and its source was unknown

The concept testing was generally successful, with users understanding disruptive stress management concepts like community support and activities. However, there is room for improvement in communicating subcategories. Proposed enhancements include:

Adding a list of participants in the Groups & Activities section
Introducing options to create groups, activities, and stories within Categories and Community screens

The insights from Concept Testing have seamlessly influenced the design of the Mifi wireframes:

Bottom menu: To enhance user comprehension, we added labels below icons.
Activities & Community screens: Detailed descriptions have been introduced to clarify sub-concepts.
Profile screen: We executed a comprehensive redesign, removing the "edit" button and experimenting with features like arrows, frames, and the process of editing personal details.
Goals and achievement concepts: Both pages received a complete overhaul and were repositioned within the navigation.
Home page: Additional screens were introduced to ensure a more intuitive user experience and a smoother flow.

In addition, we introduced new screens and functionalities to enhance the user experience:

Specific Activity Screen
Create a Group Screens
Loading Screens
"How Are You Feeling" Screens

Usability Testing

After conducting interviews with six users, we obtained valuable insights. While users generally found the app's structure intuitive and completed tasks easily, a notable issue emerged. When asked to locate their profile settings, 65% of users clicked on the hamburger menu in the header, rather than the profile icon.

These insights from Usability Testing guided adjustments in the Hifi wireframes design. Notably, the profile link was relocated from the left of the top Nav menu into the hamburger menu for improved user navigation.

Visual Competitors Analysis

Moving from Mifi to Hifi, we observed a surprising homogeneity in the market. Competitors uniformly adopted cheerful yet somewhat uninspiring interfaces and visual strategies. This industry-wide conformity provides a distinct opportunity. So, how can we effectively differentiate and brand 'Reload'?

Branding | Moodboard | Moodboard Testing | Style Tile

The brand attributes were established: 1. Empowering, 2. Supportive, 3. Communal, and 4. Fun. Utilizing these attributes, a Moodboard was created. Subsequently, a successful Moodboard testing was conducted, during which users readily associated the desired qualities with the board.

We took an integrative approach to the style tile, distinguishing Reload by emphasizing its empowering and supportive attributes while maintaining a balanced, non-overwhelming design. The primary color is energetic yet non-threatening, with additional contextual colors and fonts drawn from the moodboard. Our typography choices were influenced by fonts like Sora and Truculenta.

Hifi Iteration 1 | Design critique

During the Design Critique phase, it became evident that the extensive use of the energetic primary color was overwhelming for users. This approach also made Reload closely resemble its competitors, leading to a misalignment with the brand and concept.

Hifi Iteration 2

The insights from the Design Critique were incorporated into the Hifi Iteration 2 design by:

Redesigning the top and bottom navigation bars
Revamping specific forms
Removing the gradient on the feelings screen
Adding an empowering screen between the feelings screens and the dashboard

Desirability Testing

Hifi Iteration 2 wireframes were employed for Desirability Testing, which was a success. The results confirmed that the app effectively communicated the attributes of empowerment, safety, community, and fun.

Lets’ finish it | Hifi It2 & Prototyping

Let’s wrap it up! Our Learnings

The project was captivating and posed some challenges, yet its human-centered approach was incredibly motivating. It provided several key takeaways:

Data frequently reveals unexpected insights
Simple design and solutions improve understanding
UX/UI professionals exhibit different behaviors in concept and usability testing compared to non-specialists
Active listening to users often yields the solutions they require
Effective teamwork can achieve remarkable results

Moving On!

The project has concluded, yet the drive to create a user-assisting app remained strong. Users consistently returned to the idea of a dark mode, a bold and edgy concept with the potential for a distinct advantage.

VASILIS ELEFTHERIOU