Capstone Project Document Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Science in Interactive Design & Development Kanbar College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce Thomas Jefferson University By Myra Lloyd April 30, 2018
Table of Abstract 4 Project Description 6
Why is Planet needed? What will Planet do? How will Planet work?
7 8 9
Business Plan 12
Mission Statement Stakeholders Product Objectives Short-Term Goals Long-Term Goals Success Metrics Growth Strategy SWOT Analysis Business Model Canvas
13 13 13 14 14 14 15 16 18
UX Research & Design
20
21 26 30 31
Competitive Analysis Personas Sitemap Wireframes
Contents Testing & Iteration
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39 41 44 46
User Testing Feedback Recommendations Revised Designs
Visual Design 50
Brand Identity Brand Styleguide UI Kit Moodboard UI Mockups
51 52 53 56 57
Production 58
Functional Requirements 59 Development Methodology 70 Production Schedule 71
Candidate Background
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73 74
Resume Portfolio Sample
References 76
Abstract
Planet is here to help. There is an endless stream of fun things to do every weekend, but millions of people suffer from loneliness, isolation depressed moods, and anxiety. These inhibit people from leaving home, and then the isolation exacerbates these lowered mood states. Planet is an app that makes use of behavioral activation therapy techniques to combat low moods and get users to a better state of mind. The app encourages users to plan fun outings, encourages them to go, and then performs a mood assessment and reflection afterwards. The focus is on young adults 21+ because they are often experiencing new independence and changes in their lifestyle. Planet aims to make users feel better by using methods taken from behavioral activation research. It suggests outings that interest the user, records and tracks moods over a period of time, and promotes socialization and growing relationships with friends through going to fun outings together. The goal of Planet is to increase the quality of life enjoyment of its users in an easy, fun, and meaningful way.
Project Description Why is Planet needed? What will Planet do? How will Planet Work?
Why is Planet needed? Depression and anxiety are some of the most common obstacles Americans face today. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 30% of Americans experience anxiety and over 16 million have had at least 1 major depressive episode in the past year. Cognitive behavioral therapy is commonly used to help people who are suffering from these mood disorders, but it can be complex and costly. Many people experience the symptoms of anxiety and depression, but are not diagnosed or receiving professional treatment. Many more people experience these symptoms without the prevalence to lead to a diagnosis, but they still a affect social enjoyment and mood. A much simpler therapy known as behavioral activation has been shown in medical studies to be no less effective than cognitive behavioral therapy in treating both anxiety and depression as well as being a method easily applicable to anyone wishing to elevate their mood.
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What will Planet do? Behavioral activation at its core is scheduling and experiencing mood boosting activities and then recording feelings afterwards. These are often social outings like going to a concert or brunch with friends. It is used to reduce isolation and avoidance which are both symptoms and a causes of anxiety and depression and can lessen opportunities to engage with their environment in a positive way if left untreated. This creates an endless cycle of negative emotions and thoughts. Behavioral activation can be as simple as scheduling outings 1 week in advance, doing them even if feeling unmotivated, and then recording moods and feelings afterwards. The goal is to take feelings that lead to avoidance and isolation and rethink them in ways that lead to better enjoyment and emotional regulation. Increased going out and life activity lead to more opportunities to challenge cognitive distortion and feelings of enjoyment and accomplishment. 8|Planet
How will Planet Work? Consider Katie’s story:
1. Katie experiences isolation and lowered mood from not going out
2. Katie downloads Planet and creates a profile tailored to her
3. Planet suggests fun things to do and prompts Katie to invite friends
4. Katie starts adding fun plans and seeing her friends more often
5. Katie tracks her outings by checking in often and reflecting
6. Katie experiences and visualizes her mood improvement over time
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Planet aims to make users feel better by using methods taken from behavioral activation research. It suggests outings that interest the user, records and tracks moods over a period of time, and promotes socialization and growing relationships with friends through going to fun outings together. The app will first ask the user questions about his or her tastes in outings, recent history of outings, availability schedule, and perform a baseline mood assessment to build the profile. The web app will suggest fun and interesting things the user can do to help in the planning process. The user can select as many outings as he or she wishes and write in anything he or she would like. The user fills out a title for the outing, when the outing will take place, and who will accompany the user. These outings will be added to the user’s page of plans, and the user will be alerted to attend. Each time the user goes out or once a week if the user has not, he or she is notified to perform a check-in evaluation and mood assessment. His or her outgoingness and moods will be tracked so the user can see progress. 10|Planet
If the user does not select an outing, the user will be encouraged to try to be more outgoing in the future. Every Sunday the user is reminded to check in and perform the mood assessment if he or she has not done so as well as select outings for the upcoming weekend / free time approaching. This is to foster continual engagement and use for the most benefit. The user can also set reachable goals and unlock achievements by meeting various criteria like consistency or variety. Planet aims to help users who find themselves feeling isolated and experience depressed mood and anxiety around going out and foster increased activity and socialization. Planet is not a clinical treatment or cure for any mood disorders or mental health conditions. If a user is suffering from a severe mood disorder, he or she should seek professional help.
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Business Plan Mission Statement Stakeholders Product Objectives Short-Term Goals Long-Term Goals Success Metrics Growth Strategy SWOT Analysis Business Model Canvas
Mission Statement An App Against Isolation & Loneliness Planet is an app that connects people with a focus on personal social goals, building relationships, and measurable mood improvement through planning fun outings.
Stakeholders Myself Professor Rob Hardcastle Professor Rob Goldberg Professor Neil Harner Social Worker Consultant Potential Users Potential Investors Potential Employees
Product Objectives Improve quality of life for users by using Planet over a long period of time. Have a stable revenue stream. Continue to develop the service. Educate users about behavioral activation and emotional wellbeing.
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Short-Term Goals To present my concept and prototypes as my senior capstone project. To create an interdisciplinary team to create this experience for real users. To further the idea with a Kickstarter campaign and social media marketing.
Long-Term Goals To reach out to a large user base by helping users feel better and improve quality of life. To achieve the growth strategy and have a financially sustainable business with a working team, investors, and good press. To have tested and researched enough to know what users need and deliver expected results and extra features.
Success Metrics Great interest online via social media and press. Meet the goal of a future Kickstarter campaign to fund development, launch, and support. Appreciation by professors and students at 14|Planet Philadelphia University / Jefferson.
Growth Strategy The first version of the app will be very basic, but then new features will be rolled out as development continues and capital is gained. Better algorithms, machine learning, and other technologies will be implemented to give users a smoother and more personalized experience. Along the way we will gain support on social media and advertise as much as possible. We will focus on young adults and college students because these groups have some of the best event opportunities and experience isolation that comes with being in a newer environment. We will listen to their pain points and learn as much as possible to improve our app. At first, money will be collected through ads, but we will have a subscription model without ads and other premium features. The subscription model is to benefit the user by incentivizing them to use the app over a period of time. Planet’s functions work best when used over a longer period and users can see better data trends after prolonged use. As we gain more users and premium users, we will accumulate more capital to feed future development goals. Planet|15
SWOT Analysis Strengths Original concept and app idea. Backed up by research and studies from medical journals. Large potential user base and intrigue. Users can visualize data of their mood improvement over time. Opportunities Opportunities for a lot of features and community integration. Potentially integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence. The current market allows for lots of exposure.
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Weaknesses Skill and experience of the creator. User testing could become too personal for the user’s comfort due to subject matter. Users may be unwilling to try it Users may not stay engaged long enough for the app to work properly. Threats Users may see their moods plateau or decline. Users may go out and have a bad experience that discourages them from future use. People who live in rural areas have fewer use options than those in metropolitan areas. Planet|17
Business Model Canvas The Business Model Canvas Key Partners
Key Activities
Key Resources
Cost Structure
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UX Research & Design Competitive Analysis Personas Sitemap Wireframes
Competitive Analysis
Aloe Bud Aloe Bud is a self-care app that was funded through Kickstarter. Aloe bud focuses on daily interaction and micro journaling. The user checks in every time he or she performs self care activities and the app tracks the activity.
IRL IRL is a social app based around making plans with friends. The user connects his or her contacts list and then chooses friends to invite to do a variety of things. The user can also send labels to friends. The app has little incentive for continual engagement because it carries no records and is more of an event suggester.
Mend Mend is a post-breakup check in and progress app. The app has the user check in, listen to an audio message, and journal. A progress path is created and the number of days since contact with the ex is featured prominently. Mend uses conversational UI and activity tracking. There is also a premium subscription and a week trial.
Reflectly Reflectly is a journaling app that tracks daily moods and uses artificial intelligence to prompt the user with a variety of questions. Stories can be sorted, but flow like a notebook.
Moodpath Moodpath is a depression screening and mood tracking tool that prompts the user with psychologically probing questions and shows mood patterns over two weeks. The user can then export a report to send to a therapist. The app also features informational resources and is a great educational tool on mental health.
Personas Planet is an app that anyone can make use of. To better outline it’s functions, here are three target users that show three scenarios where Planet is a wanted and valuable addition to a lifestyle. The focus is on young adults and professionals, but it is important to include someone who is older to show how it is easy to settle into life and become uncomfortably complacent. The two younger personas show the complexity and chaos of finding oneself in a busy new environment. Many more personas and scenarios can be applied to this product, but these are the main three to focus on for now.
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Alex Age: 19 Occupation: College Student Income: under $5,000 Household Status: lives with a roommate
Alex is an engineering student who lives in a dormitory with a roommate. He is from out of state and is new to the metropolitan area the school is in. He has made a few friends, but finds it difficult to make new ones and often spends weekends playing video games alone while his roommate is out. He often feels like the friends he’s made are not very close, and he feels distant and isolated even though he goes to a big school. He likes indie rock, action movies, and adult cartoons. He dislikes hearing that college is the best years of his life, because he feels like he is not making the most of his experience.
Callie Age: 25 Occupation: Journalist Income: $60,000 Household Status: lives alone
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Callie enjoys working in a big city, and she enjoys knowing that she worked hard to get where she is in life. Because of her workaholic attitude, she often just collapses on her couch in her free time. She dislikes scrolling through her friends’ and coworkers’ fun social pictures after the weekend, but she finds herself in the same routine each time she catches a break from her job. She wants to make new friends and join some sort of interest group. She likes modern art, cats, and politics. She dislikes going into work on Monday feeling like the weekend never even happened.
Bianca Age: 37 Occupation: Writer Income: $45,000 Household Status: Married, no children
Bianca is a writer who works from home. She enjoys her work, and spends most of her time at her home office. She lives with her husband who works full-time. They are often so busy that they rarely go out or on dates, and Bianca does not get to see her friends often even though they live close by. She finds that time passes slowly and she feels lonely from not leaving the house as much as she’d like to. She likes books, fancy cocktails, and international travel. She dislikes feeling like she’s become a boring form of her former more lively self.
Web App Sitemap
This sitemap shows how the pages are interconnected on the website. A typical user path would be to start at home, create a plan with the plan page and a modal, check the plan later in the profile section, go out, report back to check in, and then to see the progress graph fill out after continued use.
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Web App Wireframes
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Mobile App Wireframes
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Testing & Iteration User Testing Feedback Recommendations Revised Designs
User Testing User testing was conducted throughout the designing and into the developing process for Planet. Early testing was done on the initial wireframes for the app experience through shuffling static images and an early InVision prototype. Later testing was done with Usability Hub’s timed tests and full color mockups for both the web app and the mobile app. Here is an excerpt from notes from one session where the subject was presented with wireframes in an InVision prototype: I presented interactive wireframes to my test subject, and he instinctively started tapping around the screens and utilizing the bottom navigation. The main feedback was to add more screens to fill the gaps where expected interaction was failing. He kept trying to scroll up and down on the pictures, so I realize that I need to utilize InVision’s editing tools to enable scrollable wireframes. He kept tapping inactive states expecting an outcome that I have planned, but not implemented. He also tried interacting with text fields and his responses were all instinctive and immediate. He found the wireframes intuitive, but lacking in substance. He rated it all around good and with Planet|39 a lot of potential.
Usability Hub proved to be extremely effective in user testing. The simple tests and exercises revealed valuable results. The five second tests with short answer responses proved effective in determining the information that viewers were able to most quickly synthesize and how the brand was creating an impression. First click tests also helped plan call to action commands and layout of buttons. Preference tests and design questions also helped determine design and illustration styles. Usability Hub would have been useful if it was used earlier in the process for testing early ideas iterations for Planet.
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InVision made it simple to show people the app and see from over their shoulder how they immediately respond. Many people were confused at first to what Planet had to offer, so the design was improved to be more informational. With InVision, users’ swiping and tapping instincts were shown right away. This proved to be effective in the testing process.
Feedback User research was imperative to gauge the interest in Planet as an idea and something important to others. Before my capstone was Planet, it was Pathpoint. Pathpoint was an AR navigation app focused around large events like pop culture conventions and music festivals. During the research process, a couple of surveys were conducted and their results heavily influenced the decision to pivot to the idea for Planet. Survey #1 I got 52 responses from my original survey which asked questions about the last large event the respondent attended, what was good, what could have been better and some basic information about the respondent. 50% of the respondents had attended the event with a small group of friends, and music was the most common event category. Some of the negative comments were about feeling isolated and depressed, and that is what lead to the pivot from my original idea Pathpoint to Planet. The positive responses were mostly about the venue, good times with friends, and the quality of whatever was on display. Planet|41
The what was positive / what was negative questions are similar to what I want to address with my app, so it was very interesting to see how conversational, detailed, and expressive the responses were. Many people went to the same types of events, but had very different positives and negatives. Survey #2
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My second survey got 27 responses was more in depth and asked users about their interests, going out habits, and free time. Most of the respondents were 18-24 (59.3%), and then 25-34 (22.2%). Gender was about evenly split slightly favoring male. 55.6% of the respondents indicated they were introverts, only 11.1% indicated themselves as extroverts. 55.6% of the respondents preferred to stay in than go out, they mostly went out a few times a month (37%) and then a few times a week (25.9%), and they indicated not enjoying going out alone. Only 29.6% of the respondents indicated they prefer going out alone. 51.9% of them also indicated experiencing a dip in mood on Sundays and feeling worse than neutral after not going out for a while. I also asked what do they like to do out, in, and their interests. The interests lined up with their preferred staying in activities. Video games, reading, and watching movies and TV shows were the most common.
Of the going out activities, most of them revolved around eating and drinking. A few respondents indicated active activities such as dancing, hiking, and driving. Some of the responses had an activity, but had “with friends” attached indicating that they prefer it with company. One person said “just getting out” as his preferred going out activity. Almost none of the preferred going out activities lined up with respondents’ indicated interests. I think that people would prefer to go out more if they knew about more events having to do with their interests and that their friends would want to come too. I think food and drink are such popular responses for going out because they don’t require uncommon common interests to be enjoyable and easy for all parties involved. Conclusion After changing the project’s focus from events to mental health and planning outings, I conducted research into behavioral activation and cognitive behavioral therapy. After taking the new idea and research to people, much more excitement was expressed about the idea. Through the feedback it became apparent that Planet is more feasible, wanted, needed, and deliverable as a minimum viable product in the project’s scope and turnaround time. Planet|43
Recommendations Since this product is so immersed in mental and emotional health, it made sense to consult with someone in the field. I consulted and worked closely with a professional social worker throughout the design and development phases of this project. He helped to make sure my designs were on the right track and help me with sensitivity and conveying the right message to users. He also was the main user tester and gave the most feedback. His recommendations helped me take the designs to a gentle and calm place without condescending and handholding users. He also helped me make it clear that this is not a treatment nor emergency care for any health conditions. He was also a big advocate for the conversational UI designs. Conversational UI Many facets of the designs were influenced by the recommendations and observation of others. A big part of this is the conversational UI. It was something I had recently experienced with new apps and I witnessed its live development at a UX focused Adobe Creative Jam earlier in the year. I wanted to have a user flow that was friendly, seamless, and intuitive. Conversational UI was perfect for this and made 44|Planet the whole process more personalized and fun.
It was important to reduce typing as much as possible to facilitate natural conversation and easy responses since it takes more time than filling out a form. Also, the social nature of it with a perceived chat-bot helps to introduce and foster socialization within the app. This indirectly suggests socialization outside of it via texting or starting a conversation in person. Socialization is one of the main goals of Planet. Using a friendly face and a purposeful topic, users will want to initiate conversations within the app and this fosters continual engagement. Misc Objectives Throughout working on this project, my development and expected deliverables shifted constantly. This lead to me undertaking quite a lot of research into possible paths for the final deliverable. I took online courses in PHP and Javascript. I also learned all about different frameworks like Ionic, Framework7, Beauter, Skeleton, and Bootstrap. I also learned all about Wordpress, databases, and backend development. Due to my higher skills in UI design and branding, I switched my technical focuses from these endeavors due to time management, but I was able to learn a lot about functionality, and other means of implementation of this project. Planet|45
Revised Designs
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Planet An App Against Isolation & Loneliness Planet is an app that connects people and events with a focus on personal social goals, building relationships, and measurable mood improvement.
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Visual Design Brand Identity Brand Styleguide UI Kit Moodboard Mockups
Brand Identity The ideas for the branding all revolve around a comfortable and gentle look and feel while also being visually interesting. This goes for the color palette especially. The chosen colors all harmonize well together. Purple is known as a relaxing and calm color while it also calls back to outer space and galaxies. The branding is space themed because of the loneliness of space, but also the sense of wonder in exploration. Space is quiet, vast, and full of extraordinary finds just like real life. Planet draws from this energy and theme. The illustrations also go off of this with the space cadet Celeste leading the way. She was drawn to be cute, perky, and friendly while also staying true to the circular designs of the logo and the other accompanying illustrations. The typefaces also draw from this theme. Work Sans is safe and familiar, and Space Mono is exciting, technological, and interesting. These adjectives relate to the themes Planet is trying to convey to its users. Planet|51
Brand Styleguide
Space Mono Space Mono Work Sans Work Sans Work Sans Work Sans
#7E57C2
#9575CD
#D1C4E9
#90CAF9
#FFD740
UI Kit
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Moodboard
Mockups
Production Functional Requirements Development Methodology Production Schedule
Functional Requirements A hosted website showing the UI design, intentions, and functionality of the project:
www.planet-app.space A pixel perfect full color mockup prototype of the mobile application:
InVision Prototype
The website drops the user in as if she has been using the app for about a month and is already logged in. This is to simulate the app in its best light: after some time of use and results are visible. This also helps to show the goals and intentions of Planet. The prototype walks the user through new profile set up and the first use cases. This walkthrough shows a typical new user’s path to show how intuitive and informative the UI is. Planet|59
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Loading Screen
Getting Started
Home Screen
Making a Plan
Home Screen
Check In
User Data
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Development Methodology Development of the latest iteration in this document began with Bootstrap 4 and frontend web development in HTML, CSS, and JS. I utilized many of the components and referred back to the documentation. Before this project, my skills in front-end development were rudimentary at best so I had to learn almost everything on the fly. This impeded my process, but taught me valuable skills and understanding of what developers consider during a project. I also used a Codepen my professor sent me on Slack of a piece called Conditionalize.js to help with the user flow of the check in system on desktop. Before that I was using Javascript command prompts which was not at all a best practice nor was it user friendly. I also used the Adobe Creative Suite to create illustrations and graphics for the application. Sketch and InVision were used to create and implement the prototype.
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Production Schedule
This chart shows the general production schedule and project timeline since my proposal was green lit in January. There is a lot of overlap between designing and developing because I kept iterating on my initial sites and prototypes and completely changed the designs multiple times. This was mostly due to testing. Planet|71
Candidate Background Resume Portfolio Sample
Resume
Portfolio Sample www.myralloyd.com
References
Boswell, J. F., Iles, B. R., Gallagher, M. W., & Farchione, T. J. (2017). Behavioral activation strategies in cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Psychotherapy, 54(3), 231-236. Dillner, Luisa. (2016). Can doing fun activities cure my depression?. Dr Dillner’s health dilemma. The Guardian News & Media. Ekers D, Webster L, Van Straten A, Cuijpers P, Richards D, et al. (2014) Behavioural Activation for Depression; An Update of Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness and Sub Group Analysis. PLOS ONE 9(6): e100100. Hopko, D. R., Robertson, S. M. C., & Lejuez, C. W. (2006). Behavioral activation for anxiety disorders. The Behavior Analyst Today, 7(2), 212232. National Institute of Mental Health. (2005). [Anxiety Disorders Statistics.] Any Anxiety Disorder Among Adults. National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Mental Health. (2015). [12-month Prevalence of Major Depressive Episode Among U.S. Adults (2015).] Major Depression Among Adults. National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Manos, R. C., Kanter, J. W., & Luo, W. (2011). The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale–Short Form: Development and Validation. Behavior Therapy, 42(4), 726-739. Retrieved November 9, 2017. Richards, David A et al. (2016). Cost and Outcome of Behavioural Activation versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Depression (COBRA): a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. The Lancet , Volume 388 , Issue 10047 , 871 - 880 Soleimani, M., PhD., Mohammadkhani, P., PhD., Dolatshahi, B., PhD., Alizadeh, H., PhD., Overmann, K. A., M.A., & Coolidge, F. L., PhD. (2015). A comparative study of group behavioral activation and cognitive therapy in reducing subsyndromal anxiety and depressive symptoms. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 10(2), 71-78.