A visual timeline for April 2026, showing a user role of UX Designer, highlighting the problem of young adults needing informal mental health support due to lack of trust in digital resources, and the goal of creating a trustworthy mental health app that emphasizes anonymity, personalization, and ease of use.

Welcome! This is an in-progress project to provide accessible mental health resources for young adults who cannot afford therapy.


Research

  • Understand how young adults cope with mental health without therapy.

  • Identify what makes users feel comfortable and safe using a mental health app.

  • Identify the desired features and support what users actually want from the app. 


The research Goals:

Notable findings:

  • 66.7% of users are hesitant to share their thoughts and emotions with a mental health app.

  • The majority of users want privacy and the ability to stay anonymous.

  • 88.9% of users have never used a mental health app.

A digital infographic with four points about mental health apps. The points are titled "Trust and familiarity," "Hesitation," "Unclear value/low motivation," and "Easily overwhelmed," each with a brief description underneath.
Text excerpt describing research on young adults' mental health app usage and attitudes.
Bar chart showing percentages of different data privacy features: Ability to stay anonymous (66.7%), Clear privacy policies (66.7%), No data sharing with third parties (77.8%), Professional-backed content (55.6%).
A pie chart with five segments: a large orange segment labeled 66.7%, a medium green segment labeled 11.1%, a medium blue segment labeled 11.1%, a smaller red segment labeled 11.1%, and a very small yellow segment.
Pie chart showing that 88.9% is represented by one color and 11.1% by another color.

Summary

Paint points

Diagram showing a user at the center with four labeled sections around it: 'Says' in red, 'Feels' in orange, 'Thinks' in blue, and 'Does' in green, each with descriptive text.

Empathy map

A digital graphic introducing Alex Martinez, a 22-year-old college student from Fort Worth, Texas. The graphic features a photograph of Alex smiling outdoors, and text detailing his demographics, goals for mental health support, frustrations with existing mental health apps, and a quote about the importance of privacy in mental health apps.

User persona

Text explaining that Alex is a young adult overwhelmed and stressed, hesitant to use a mental health app due to privacy concerns, seeking a simple and personalized solution for managing mental health.

Problem statement

A table titled Persona: Alex Martinez outlining steps for using a mental health app, including actions, tasks, emotions, and improvement opportunities.

User journey map


Competative Audit

Evaluate existing mental health apps to understand how they address trust, anonymity, personalization, and ease of use, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Competitors

  • Headspace

  • Calm

  • Talkspace

Objective

A presentation slide with a yellow background, titled 'Headspace'. It lists 'Type: Direct competitor'. Under 'Strengths', it mentions 'Structured programs', 'Beginner-friendly', and 'Strong brand identity'. Under 'Weaknesses', it notes 'Limited anonymity' and 'Subscription barriers'.
Blue infographic highlighting a product called 'Calm,' categorized as a direct competitor. It lists strengths such as premium visual design, sleep support, and immersive experience, and weaknesses including heavy paywall and limited personalization.
Green poster with white text describing Talkspace as a clinical competitor, listing strengths like licensed therapists, professional care, and insurance options, and weaknesses like being expensive and less approachable.
Comparison table of features for Headspace, Calm, and Talkspace mental health apps, including categories like anonymity, personalization, guided content, professional support, and accessibility.

Insights

  • Users value anonymity, but competitors rarely prioritize it.

  • Subscription models create barriers for hesitant users.

  • Most apps offer broad solutions rather than tailored support.

Current competitors excel in mindfulness, therapy, or wellness content; there is a clear opportunity to create more approachable mental health solution centered around privacy, personalization, and user trust.

Conclusion

Full audit


TO BE CONTINUED