Design Thinking Process

To create Olive, the Design Thinking Process was used to structure different work stages into sections. 

Understand

I started off getting a hang of the task at hand, what’s expected by me, and finding out what’s out there in the form of similar health apps. Is there a place for Olive?

I did competitive analysis on the apps that I found that were closest to what I had in mind, and yes, I think Olive can offer a unique twist and has a place in the market

Observe

In the observation phase, I did user research by conducting interviews with a limited group of potential users.

What would they be looking for in an app that will focus on their mental health? I made an affinity map based on their answers, and one thing that stood out to me was that a majority didn't know where to begin. So this is something I will bring with me, moving forward. Along with the rest of the answers, of course.

Point of View

I created a couple of user personas, based on the information I gathered in the inspiration phase, Monica and Alicia. Monica is a bit sceptical and more negative towards a health app. She doesn't know where to begin, is there any use for it for her? Alicia is more into using apps in general, and is already thinking about her health. She is more open to the idea of using an app to support her healthy ways.

Ideate

With two personas to design for, it was now time to create some basic user flows and wireframes based on the information I had at hand, and also try to think if there is anything I can add or do differently from the competitors. What will make my app stand out? A version of Paul J Meyer's Wheel of Life is not something I have seen used by many apps, so this shall be the foundation of Olive. This might help my users to find that difficult starting point, as well as something against which they can measure their own long term progress.

Prototype

I created a low fidelity prototype, and before even reaching the testing stage, I found that my idea of using submenus to keep the screen as uncluttered as possible was just annoying; it added an unneeded step in the navigation. 

Test

My first usability test gave me valuable insights about both my prototype and my potential users. The most glaring mistake I made was putting the “Library” icon in the top right corner, without a subtitle. I put it there as a temporary measure, got used to it and forgot about it. This error was caught during the user testing phase, and with each design iteration, backed by research and testing, the UI of Olive got more and more polished.. 

Give Olive a try by clicking here.