PACE is a wearable device created to safely treat chemical imbalance in the brain. It is a prescribed medication and an alternative to other mood stabilizers.
This is a four-month project I created during my first semester in Interaction Design. The objective is to create a wearable device prototype with an accompanying app.
In my freshman year. One of my assignments is to design a smart wearable with an accompanying app. I was given 10 minutes to brainstorm ideas and write them down on post-it notes. And in another 10 minutes, we were told to cluster them into categories. by the end of the process, I chose mental health as a topic.
I wanted to create a smart wearable device that could help destigmatize mental health. Part of the challenge is that Mental health is broad.
Before beginning my process I asked myself 3 questions
1) what part of mental health?
2) what can it offer my users
3) how will it solve their needs?
-David Jones
Poet / Writer 1895 - 1974
I began with my preliminary research. I sought out existing technology that deals with brain functions targeting cognition improvement. And my research suggested that there are devices that use technology that can track brain activity and treat depression. My research eventually focused on Mental health stability. Specifically mood disorders.
I gathered insights from 3 participants to gain perspective— aged 49 yrs, 33 yrs, 16 yrs. The Interview revealed that the overall feedback is positive. Critical points of the Interview were
Based on further research, Youth are among the highest risk populations for suicide, and although PACE is for anyone who suffers from mood disorders, its primary target market is youth.
I created a User Persona and a User journey to gain a deeper perspective of their pain points. The user journey will also allow for opportunities to improve the concept. I also created a System map to showcase the product user flow.
The mobile app works as cognitive behavioural therapy, and it has three main screens. The home screen consists of daily recommendations. The second screen is the mood tracker. It allows users to rate their mood, energy level, sleep and appetite. Any imbalance activity can lead to an 'episode' (depression or mania). The third screen is where they can input their goals for the upcoming week.
The colour palette i chose are warm tones to give the feeling of calm uplifting mood. and I also chose a sans serif font as it is easier to read in mobile devices.
During my development stage, I created a series of preliminary sketches. To get a sense of what I wanted. However, on the second iteration, my design reflected what the users wanted which is streamlined and minimal.
And finally, I made a physical prototype.
What I learned from this project is the importance of narrowing down the scope. By focusing on a specific part of mental health I was able to conceptualize a solution to a specific problem.
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