Leaf
A mental health platform where users express emotions through drawing, offering health insights and support via an AI assistant.
UIUX
Health AI
User Research
Project Type
Solo Project
Timeline
7 Weeks
My Responsibilities
User Research, Experience Design, Interface Design
Tools
Figma
01 Overview
Project Overview
My design addresses user challenges in emotion expression, focusing on creativity, intelligence, and connection as key factors.
Background
Mental health issues are increasingly prevalent among college students:
73%
of college students have mental health issues
80%
of them felt overwhelmed before
45%
have felt things were hopeless
Design Brief
Design a mood track application for collage students to help them express and understand their emotions.
02 Research
Competitive Analysis Results
Most applications rely on texts to express emotions, have little or no diagnose.
User Interviews
I conducted interviews with 8 users (5 females and 3 males) between the ages of 18 and 24. Below are the questions I asked.
Task 01
Reflecting themselves in expressing emotions.
When do you record your mood？
How much time are you willing to spend doing this each day?
How long have you been recorded your mood?
What do you like about this app?
What do you dislike about this app?
Task 02
Reflecting themselves in understanding emotions.
Can you understand exactly how you feel?
Do you know the differences between a bad mood and a mental health problem?
Do you seek professionals to help you understand/deal with your emotions?
Do you seek friends to help you understand/deal with your emotions?
Do you have any other methods to understand and control your emotions?
Analyze Interview Data Points using Empathy MAP
Persona
03 Define
Insights On User Problems
The main user problems are defined in three areas: creativity, intelligence, and connection.
#Creativity
01 Outdated Tracking Method.
Most apps rely on text to track emotions; there is not enough customization.
#Creativity
02 Low Motivation.
Inconsistency in app usage, often only during periods of low mood, and a tendency to discontinue use after initial tries.
#Intelligence
03 Emotion is Abstract.
75% participants shared that they have difficulty understanding their emotions and identifying thoughts.
#Intelligence
04 Not Diagnosed.
Current apps display emotion records but do not effectively detect and analyze mental health status, which may lead to self-diagnosis.
#Connection
05 Sharing is Hard.
62.5% felt it difficult to find the like-minded person to talk and share thoughts.
#Connection
06 Getting the right professional help is Difficult.
The data shows it takes 10 months to wait for a chance to receive services.
04 Ideation
Concept
If something abstract can be quantified, we can understand it more accurately.
Most emotion researchers agree on that there are five universal emotions shared by all humans.
source: https://atlasofemotions.org/
What if AI could help us understand our emotions and provide support?
06 Design Iterations
User Flow
Design Iteration 1
The functionality hierarchy of the main interface.
Design Iteration 2
Instructions of drawing emotion.
UI Style
