UX/UI case study · Mental health app · 2023

Spark: booking a counsellor, privately

A mental health app that helps people find a counsellor and book a session without the worry of being seen.

Role: UX research, UX and UI design
Timeline: 6 months, 2023
Tools: Figma, FigJam
Team: Solo course project

Spark cover: “Booking a counsellor, privately, without the worry of being seen” beside the brain mascot welcome screen and the Find your doctor screen.

Context

A private journal, a mood check-in and a way to book help

Spark helps people check in on their mood, keep a private journal, and find and book a counsellor. I interviewed and surveyed 7 people aged 20 to 70 to understand what stops them from asking for help.

The problem

“Privacy was the top concern for people aged 21 to 30.”

Process

From interviews to hi-fi screens

Research, affinity mapping, two personas and empathy maps, a journey map, user flow and sitemap, then low-fi, mid-fi and hi-fi screens. The journey map’s main pain point was “trust issues due to privacy”.

Key decision · Privacy

Keeping a booking private

1 · Before

The moment that could worry someone

Booking confirmations and reminders named the counselling session and counsellor in full. On a lock screen, a parent, roommate or colleague could read it.

Before: lock screen notification reads “Your counselling session with Dr. Shruti Kedia is confirmed for 10:00 AM tomorrow.”

2 · After · The control I added

Private notifications, on by default

Reminders show only “Spark” and the time. Details appear after Face ID or a PIN.

After: lock screen notification reads only “Booking confirmed for tomorrow, 10:00 AM. Open Spark to see the details.”

What someone can now control

Now each person decides what others can see. Reminders show only “Spark” and the time, session details appear only if they turn them on, Spark can ask for Face ID or a PIN when it opens, and the badge count can be hidden. Notes and journal entries never appear in notifications.

3 · What people said

“This needs to be private”

Testers found it easy. They said details should stay hidden in case others look, and that most apps don’t offer this. So it stays on by default.

Spark privacy settings: Private notifications on, App lock on, Show session details in reminders off, Hide app badge count off.

Final work

Find, compare and book in three steps

Onboarding, sign up and mood check-in, a private journal, home and notifications, finding and booking a counsellor, and a profile.

Welcome screen with email and password fields, a Log in button and Google and Facebook sign-in. — Sign in

Find your doctor screen with a search bar and counsellor cards showing experience, next available time and Book Now. — Find a counsellor

Select Time screen with date tabs and afternoon and evening time slots. — Choose a time

Confirmation dialog: “Thank You! Your appointment is booked” with a Done button. — Booking confirmed

Reflection

Privacy has to be visible in the product

Next, privacy needs to be visible in the product itself, not only in the research. Private notifications were the first step; a journal lock and data controls come next.

Next project