Bodhi

A social app to offer help or guidance through tough times

Self Initiated Project

Overview

I’ve had some experience designing digital experiences through self-initiated work, online courses, and college classes. But I wanted to challenge myself to complete a project on a tighter timeline. So I started my project by researching other designers’ concepts and case studies to find some inspiration. I then found some example briefs by doing an online search and settled on this one.

Process

Discovery
Ideation
Sketches
Design
Testing
Re-design & Final
Reflection

Methods Used

Secondary Research
Personas
Sketching
Wireframing
UI Design & Prototyping
Usability Testing

Timeline

3 days

The Challenge

Sometimes strangers who have gone through similar situations can give the best advice when we’re going through rough times in our lives. How can you design an environment where people who are seeking help, feel safe to connect and support each other?

My Goals

My goal for this project is to become more comfortable with the UX design process and to become more efficient with resources. It's going to be extra challenging for me because I have a tighter time line and am doing this as a solo project.

The Solution

A video that captures the step by step actions explorable in the prototype.

"I like being able to see other people that are going through similar situations. It’s nice, it makes it easier."

- Kevin, User Tester

Research

Secondary Research

Why is it important to connect with one another?

  • Loneliness can be more harmful to your health than obesity and smoking
  • Social isolation has been linked to higher blood pressure, increased anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts
  • Individuals with many social connections feel higher self esteem, empathy, increased happiness, and a longer life

How do you form new relationships?

To help form relationships with strangers you can ask questions, look for differences between you(differences allow for curiosity to propel conversations forward), talk about similarities, and show general interest in their life. You can meet strangers by joining groups or clubs, taking a class, volunteering, introducing yourself to your neighbors, or by striking up a conversation with anyone around you.

How can we create connections?

In many cases you will form connections with another person by engaging with them and finding something in common. You may also create connections with someone who offers you some help, a different perspective, advice, emotional support, or validation. Sharing experiences is another great way to connect with others.

Here are some more ways to deepen connections with others:

  • Listen with empathy and understanding
  • Be present and focused with each other
  • Remember their name
  • Establish go’s and no go’s (boundaries)

Insights

Social connections are crucial to a healthy life. Without social connections, the risk of physical and mental health concerns rises.

Connections can be created by joining a group of likeminded individuals, or by finding people that share a common interest. Having a shared interest allows the opportunity for bonds to occur and is a great conversation starter.

These bonds can be strengthened by listening with empathy and understanding, by being present and focused with each other, by remembering their name, and by respecting each others boundaries.

User Persona

Sam had key characteristics that helped propel my design thinking which were; Sam wanted to feel supported, wanted a sense of community, and didn’t have anyone around him that he could ask for help.

Even though Sam didn’t make an appearance in the final design, his persona helped to shape the “People like me” feature and the onboarding flow.

Ideation

Brainstorming

I wanted to establish the overall feel of the app and have that help inform the decisions I was making so I started building the app as if it were a character.

The tone of voice

In an effort to create a safe environmentfor users to share these intimate andpersonal moments of their lives, thetone of voice throughout the experienceshould portray a sense of safety, caring,and support.

  • Encourages the user
  • Acknowledges the difficulties navigating life’s obstacles
  • Has a positive mood
  • Is gentle & empathetic
  • Is harsh
  • Has a negative mood
  • Is sarcastic, or “short”
  • Tells the user what to do
Screen shot taken from user signup

Go’s and No Go’s (Boundaries)

Users will have the ability to define what form of support they desire; advice, validation, perspective, concrete help, sharing experiences.

The choices that the user makes will become their “Go” option for help. The choices that the user does not choose will automatically become their “No Go” options. Users have the ability to change these “Go’s and No Go’s” every time they make a new request. These boundaries will be displayed within each post so that the commenters know how to best support the poster.

Matching users together

1. During signup, users will select experiences they would like to discuss with other users.

2. Users will also choose experiences they have encountered in the past.

Using these lists during signup we will be able to match users with each other based on the items they select.

Anonymity

In an effort to create a safe space for users, there is the option to make requests anonymously. This removes the profile details of the user making the request, and gives them a unique identifier (ex. Anonymous Squid).

What does “Bodhi” mean?

Bodhi is a Buddhist term that roughly means awakening or enlightenment through knowledge and wisdom. “Sometimes the term is understood to refer to the manifold process of awakening by which one comes variously and eventually to know the truth of things ‘as they truly are’ there by enabling liberation from suffering and rebirth for both self and others.”

The logo

I wanted to have a logo for Bodhi that conveys the feeling of support and connection. The logo I chose to incorporate into this design includes three circles with lines that almost connect each one. This conveys a sense of connection as the circles represent people. Coincidentally, the circles also form a triangle, the most structurally strong shape. Implying that connections create strength.

Design

User Testing

“I like being able to see other people that are going through similar situations. It’s nice, it makes it easier.”

Results

I gathered some great feedback from my users which I used to further improve my design.

Giving more information

Users were unsure of what the concrete help, validation and perspective options mean. So I added in descriptions for each option and changed the question wording.

More choices

Users want to see more general feelings and categories like “Stress” during onboarding. So I added in more general topics and increased the number of choices. I also arranged them into a grid to make it easier to see a large number of options without needing to scroll.

Connecting with others

Users wanted to know more about the experiences so they could have some talking points. So I added in the option to add a description to the experiences you are currently encountering.

Final Design

Reflections

While I was able to create an environment for users to connect with each other and feel supported, I didn’t do it in my projected time frame. I ended up spending a total of 2 weeks on this project throughout the span of a month. I think 3 days was overly ambitious for this project but it did give me a great foundation to work from.

I’m proud of the product I was able to create and I think it was a successful venture in trying to make my UX design process more efficient. I learned how to think critically about a brief with little background information and use the research and resources at my disposal to make a product. I think I could use some improvement in UI design but I have a better idea of how to set up a design system at the start of a project now.

I also found that creating a comfortable environment for users requires more attention to the small details and a reduction in confusion. Adding more descriptive information in areas that can be confusing or new to users (like choosing how they’d like to be helped - validation, perspective, etc) helps to make a positive experience for them. If I were to continue with this project, I would work on improving the visual design and focus more attention to the User onboarding experience.