Year: 2018 - 2020
Role: Principal Product Designer
Role: Principal Product Designer
tl;dr
I was responsible for WorryTree’s product design from 2018 - 2020. Founded by Louise Stevenson, WorryTree is a UK startup helping users to manage worry & anxiety through self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy via smartphone app. The application is available on Android & iOS.
Brief
WorryTree is a British mental healthcare startup providing cognitive behavioral therapy through smartphone application. Emkore Limited was contracted in 2018 to redesign and redevelop the app, and expand its reach from Android only to also include iOS users. As secondary objective, the new app would have to allow for easy future expansion in the form of new features and premium add-ons.
In line with its character, the client requested a “calm and simple” UI using optimistic and warm colors. The overall UX should invoke a feeling of familiarity and personal care.
In line with its character, the client requested a “calm and simple” UI using optimistic and warm colors. The overall UX should invoke a feeling of familiarity and personal care.
Deliverables
1. Design a single UX/UI for Android and iOS smartphone apps.
2. Provide design consultancy for the digitization process of cognitive behavioral therapy.
3. Provide UX writing.
4. Document designs for handover and for future expansion.
User Experience
Understanding the mindset of a user in mental distress was key in designing a successful UX. Since the app aims to reduce anxiety and worry, avoiding interactions that confuse or frustrate the user was paramount as this would potentially worsen a user’s anxiety.
I decided to place the core-feature of documenting worries prominently on the homepage, hiding all other content items in the navigation drawer. Doing so, I avoid overwhelming or distracting the user. Since it is often challenging to write out a worry concisely, I wanted to keep the worry documentation simple. To achieve that, I went with a linear process, guiding the user step by step through a series of questions.
I decided to place the core-feature of documenting worries prominently on the homepage, hiding all other content items in the navigation drawer. Doing so, I avoid overwhelming or distracting the user. Since it is often challenging to write out a worry concisely, I wanted to keep the worry documentation simple. To achieve that, I went with a linear process, guiding the user step by step through a series of questions.
After documenting and categorizing the worry, the user is asked whether they can resolve the worry. Depending on the answer, the user either describes an action plan, or chooses a distraction to help them redirect attention from the worry and anxiety to something more relaxing and/or productive.
To separate the intimate act of recording a worry or anxiety from acts dealing with management or education, I used a “handwritten” typeface for the headers throughout the worry documenting process, invoking a feeling of the familiar and personal. In addition, I added a subtle, minimal illustration of a landscape with rolling hills as a backdrop, inviting the user to step back and look at his/her worries from a distance.
To separate the intimate act of recording a worry or anxiety from acts dealing with management or education, I used a “handwritten” typeface for the headers throughout the worry documenting process, invoking a feeling of the familiar and personal. In addition, I added a subtle, minimal illustration of a landscape with rolling hills as a backdrop, inviting the user to step back and look at his/her worries from a distance.
User Interface
While we decided to discard the design of the first version of the app, I did want to provide some form of continuity between the original application and the new version. I achieved this by using the lush green color found in v 1.0, using it as primary color in my new UI designs. Expanding the palette, I used a warm yellow for highlights to balance the cooler green. Avoiding black, which can invoke feelings of mourning and somberness, I used a deep moss green for body text and secondary UI elements set against an eggshell white backdrop.
I used icons from FontAwesome Pro to illustrate functions & features and to add a touch of lightness to the design. In line with the client’s fondness for handwritten fonts, I used the “Sue Ellen Francisco” typeface for dedicated in-page headers, and Open Sans for body text and remaining header texts.
The result is a light and fresh design that augments WorryTree's core objective to alleviate anxiety and worry for its users.
I used icons from FontAwesome Pro to illustrate functions & features and to add a touch of lightness to the design. In line with the client’s fondness for handwritten fonts, I used the “Sue Ellen Francisco” typeface for dedicated in-page headers, and Open Sans for body text and remaining header texts.
The result is a light and fresh design that augments WorryTree's core objective to alleviate anxiety and worry for its users.
Credit
Jonas Hartmann, Lead Developer