This is
“In a Pinch”
In a Pinch is a mobile first app based around mental health, and de-stressing for those living a fast paced life. Considering that the app isn’t meant to replace professional help, In a Pinch is comprised of quick easy ways to level yourself out while in a pinch.
Project Duration
1 month
Project Overview
The Problem
When it comes to mental wellness apps, users want a little more customization without falling victim to the paywall. Most users believe meditation playlists, music playlists, and short form content should be included in their applications.
Most of these features are key in making sure users are able to get in the right headspace
The Goal
Using In a Pinch aims to offer quick simple stress management tools within a few taps of your phone, while offering customizable features that best suit user needs.
My Role
UX Design
Responsibilities
For this project my responsibilities were to conduct user research, wireframing, prototyping, and user interface
User Empathy | Getting to know the user
This project is focused on helping people manage their stress and mental health. To better understand what is missing in the market I first took a dive into what apps were already available, and in what areas they fell short.
For most users the apps on the market lacked personalization, and kept too many features behind a paywall. When it comes to personilization, users also want to be able to add to their “meditation” and “music” playlists.
To my surprise a good amount of users wanted quick and easy stress management features as simple as an inspirational quote on their home page.
The Pain Points
“I enjoy this app, but would love to see encouraging quotes, some inspiring stories”
With the consideration that some users just need a quick little inspo boost, we will be sure to include space for encouraging quotes on our main screen.
“Half of the meditation is hidden behind paywalls when they should be included”
With most apps hiding additional audio features behind a paywall, it is going to be a priority to include space for custom playlists
“After a long day it would be nice to quickly find my favorite music”
Since users want to access their playlists and favorite breathing exercises quickly, they’ll be able to get to any screen in less than 5 clicks with this format
User Persona: Sylvan
Starting the Design
Wireframes
For Pinch mobile the most important thing was the ability for users to get to any of their stress relieving activities fast. The best way to do this was by offering the feautures at a glance.
Digital Wireframes
For the first iteration of the main screen the buttons at the top seemed to be best for streamlining the start of the user flow. Users tend to scan the screen from left to right so it would be one of the first menus they would see
Once making a selection from the home screen users will always have access to the app’s main user flow in case they want to take a crack at something else
Fine Tuning the Design
After the Usability Study
Once the prototype was finished, next up came usability studies. The main goal of this study was to test if users will be able to get to their stress relieving activity of choice without ending up more frustrated than when they came. This means we needed to know how frictionless the user flow was, and if it can be completed in few steps. We left this study wth a handful of insights:
Because of the wording of the music playlists, users were unsure which playlist was recommended by the app.
A few users did not quite understand what some of the app’s icons mean. This called for either labeling, or a change in icons.
Some study participants were unsure of some of the app’s features, and needed a little more to help guide them through the flow
Insights Applied
Because of the wording of the original frames some users were unsure of their suggested playlists. Now users have the option to browse and pick playlists on their own
Older viewers had a hard time understanding some of the app’s icons. A great solution to this is to include descriptive titles for everything
Accessibility
Pinch uses clear navigation options that will be refined and updated frequently
Text uses spacing to group certain elements together to ensure clear differences between related and unrelated content
Forms are appropriately labeled to avoid confusion
In conclusion…
This project has shown me that users are looking for a more personalized platform. Custom playlists, favorites, login information, and tailored suggestions are all things that make users feel at home.
It is also worth it to note that users want platforms that have personality. Since this app is focused on mental health, and mood it was important to include playful and vibrant imagery that add to the user’s comfort.
As far as stress and being in a pinch, this app is sure to get users to their destinations in as few as three taps of the screen. More research will show how to make this even better.