Case Study: IKIGAI · A native Android App
During the sixth week of the Bootcamp, we carried out a project divided into two sprints:
Sprint 01: Design Thinking
BRIEF
The National Wellness Institute wants designers to reimagine how people can adopt and maintain a routine that enhances their wellbeing.
RESEARCH
Objective
· What needs people with anxiety?
· What they miss in their social environment?
· How can we improve their personal experience?
Client
The National Wellnes Institute:
- MISSION · Enriches the lives and careers of wellness professionals.
- VISION · It is to be the worldwide voice of the wellness community.
- VALUES · Well-being, adding value to its members.
- VALUE PROPOSAL · Well-being of its users and increase the number of members.
Desk research
Spanish population:
96% Suffered stress in 2018.
39,5% Suffer anxiety as a symptom of stress.
65% Suffered from anxiety in 2019.
Anxiety is twice as common in women as in men.
‘For a long time, mental and emotional issues have been considered something to hide’
‘Offering them an alternative therapy is a great option to improve their mood since it is not so difficult for them to accept going to a painting or theatre class’
‘The WHO between 2014–2023 develops a strategy that aims to take advantage of the contribution of alternative therapies for the health and wellbeing of people’
Interviews
5/5 Users began to advance when they found people like them and left toxic relationships.
4/5 Users affirm that despite having friends and family, during challenging times, they feel alone. It is because they think no one can understand them.
4/5 Users comment that they have used mindfulness apps but stop using them because they get bored, and they seem impersonal.
4/5 Users affirm: ‘When I am feeling good for a while, I ‘forget’ and stop doing the activities that help me be better’
3/5 Users have felt rejection sometimes when discussing their ailment with a family member or friend.
USER JOURNEY
PROBLEM STATEMENT
‘Women between 25–34 years old who suffer from anxiety try to find an environment where they feel identified and a community. But despite many efforts, they do not manage to reach it, even having friends and family. They feel alone, which makes them feel like they are not going to be understood’
PRODUCT VALUE PROPOSAL
Improve the emotional health of people who suffer from anxiety by generating a tool that allows them to learn about events and alternative therapies in their city and build a social network that helps them.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES · MAIN CREATIVE CONCEPT
The app shows a collection of activities that lead you to obtain the IKIGAI. In order not to show the app as a therapy. Due to health personnel interviewed affirm that some patients are reticent to go to support groups or therapies.
IKIGAI is a Japanese concept that means ‘reason for being’
The Ikigai answers four questions to locate ourselves in the world:
- What is your element?
- What activities make time flies?
- What is easy for you to do?
- What did you like when you were a kid?
LOW AND MID-FIDELITY TEST
5/5 Users want to enter as a guest without registering to see how the app is.
4/5 Users ask to modify the search options on the home page.
4/5 Users miss the event date visible on the card before clicking the event.
3/5 Filter by event topic.
At the end of the first sprint, we defined the next backlog, from which the Product Manager chose three new functionalities to implement in the second sprint.
BACKLOG
- Classify events by type.
- See who will attend events.
- Being able to contact other users through the application.
- Register for an event from the application.
- Know the companies that carry out each activity.
- Opinions of users who have already carried out the event.
- Check the availability for each event.
Sprint 02: Lean
HIGH FIDELITY TEST
In the second sprint, three rounds of high-fidelity wireframe testing are done by us. The first test performed is a usability test with a task analysis. There are the following insights and test results:
‘I have a kindle, but I prefer to check out books from the library’
‘I usually do not use apps, if I need to relax, I go to a meditation class. Otherwise, if I cannot go a day, I look for a video on YouTube’
'My first feeling when seeing the onboarding screen was that it was an app that was going to provide me with some kind of activity with which to feel better'
5/5 Users do not understand the activities icon.
4/5 Users prefer the filters in the explores section, not in the home. They wish to make decisions little by little.
4/5 Users miss the time of the event before clicking on it.
4/5 Users want to know the maximum number of attendees to an event.
4/5 Users prefer more ‘white space’ because they focus on what they are looking for.
3/5 Users get confused if the application has many movement effects.
3/5 Users do not like capital letters because they feel the app is yelling at them.
3/5 Users want to provide the application with the least amount of personal data possible.
The second test, a desirability test, is carried out with the Microsoft Reaction Cards Test:
The users choose five words out of fifteen that words define the app. The five most chosen words among the users interviewed are:
Accessible, Clear, Optimistic, Frustrating, Simplistic, Comfortable, Boring, Inspirational, Usable, Calm, Undesirable, Easy to use, Confusing, Organized, Safe
5/5 Users like the app congratulate them for signing up for an event. Positive reinforcement.
The third test is another usability test. The following results in our case study reflect the next steps to take:
3/5 Sort activities by date, time, location…
4/5 Availability of long-term courses, not just one-day therapeutic activities.
3/5 Add an Ikigai community and philosophy section in the profile section.
HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
USER JOURNEY
METRICS
⬆️ Conversion Rate.
business goal = user goal
🔄 Returning visitors.
Returning visitors = business goal
CONCLUSIONS
Comparing the users interviewed before learning about alternative therapies and, after taking them, we observe a change. The way how they cope with challenging times is different. Thanks to these therapies, little by little, they create a community to lean on.
