A gamified CBT app for student mental well-being
ROLES
User Research, Product Design, Visual Design
COLLABORATORS
2 Experience Designers,
1 Researcher
DURATION
6 Weeks, 2024
TOOLS
Figma, After Effects, Illustrator
OVERVIEW
Navigating the famous ‘Stanford Duck Syndrome’
Stanford Duck Syndrome describes the phenomenon of students appearing calm and composed on the surface while secretly struggling with the pressures of a competitive environment, much like a duck paddling furiously beneath the water.
The constant pressure and self-comparison can lead to stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion.
The Gap in Self Care Practices
Self care is key to combatting the Stanford Duck Syndrome. While 73% of students acknowledge the need for self-care, But there is still a gap in translating this awareness into consistent practices. (U-M School of Public Health)
The Need To Overcome Thought Patterns
As humans, we all develop habitual thought patterns that shape how we interpret situations and respond to challenges. While some patterns help us grow, others can trap us in negative loops. Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward healthier thinking.
Untangle: A gamified way to learn about overcoming thought patterns
From UX audits, 6 interviews, and 40+ survey responses, we saw that people had problems with shopping, but even after that.
CHALLENGE
Dealing with negative thoughts is hard
Through literature reviews, 8 user interviews, and 15 survey responses, we understood the gaps in self-care
Unaware of biased thinking
They did not identify that their perception of a situation might be skewed
Lack of commitment and time
They don’t know what benefits come from changing their thought perspectives and ‘reframing them’
Can't combat negative thoughts
They do not have an understanding of what tools can help them challenge their negative thoughts
We categorized these problems into different types of learning gaps
Interviews, Surveys, Competitive Analysis, Julie Dirksen’s Learning Gaps Model
With this, we asked
How might we empower college students to recognize, reframe, and overcome unhelpful thought patterns?
PROCESS
CBT Techniques as a framework
In consultation with a psychologist, we chose to focus on CBT techniques as they are widely used, effective, and a manageable foundation for teaching reframing.
Expert interviews, Literature reviews
Learner’s User Journey
We used the ‘Facets of Learning’ model to outline the learner’s journey and had clinical experts vet this flow.
Exploring emotional concepts through fictional scenarios
From our interviews and initial idea testing, we found that users preferred exploring emotional concepts through fictional scenarios, so we decided to design a game.
‘Facets of Understanding’, User Journey Mapping
The game is based on the idea of practicing CBT to overcome a thought pattern by collecting thought, feeling, and action scrolls after a scenario
In Julie Dirksen’s model on capturing learner attention and motivation, she talks about using “shiny things” to attract the learner's attention.
We focused on two: the immersive, relatable visual style of the game and subtle gamified nudges that keep learners curious and coming back.
Attracting Learners with Shiny Things
Designing a Framework for the Game
Using Narrative to Make the Abstract Concrete
The character, Mae goes through life events, encountering mind demons that represent negative patterns. They must collect antidotes by practicing reframing.
Meet Mae. Mae’s goal is to reach a meadow
Mae needs to brew potions to tame mind demons
A collected antidote can turn a demon into a pet, symbolizing emotional growth and befriending negative thoughts.
We created a Buzzfeed-style quiz for social media to give learners a low-stakes, engaging entry point. They go through unlocking one potion to get 'hooked'
Leveraging Popular Channels as a Hook
DESIGN