myndful is a mindfulness app created as a product of a research study "An Exploration of Emotional Design Techniques for Mindfulness Apps". It aims to provide a more personal and simplified approach to practising mindfulness digitally.
UXPin • Adobe Illustrator
The majority of research carried out was academic with focus on the key areas of emotional design, psychology of emotion and mindfulness.
Based on the research, I conducted a preliminary user study to determine the demographics of the app's users, general understanding of mindfulness and the impact that certain design aspects (colour, shape & typography) have on a user's emotions.
Using the results from the preliminary study I created two user personas.
It was important to consider accessibility to create a positive user experience for all users. I considered the legibility when making decisions on typography and colour scheme. I also took into account the visual hierarchy of each screen, which is beneficial to all users but especially those that use screen readers.
I carried out a character legibility test using "Il1ce John axMce" to determine which typeface was the easiest to differentiate between each character and therefore increase legibility.
When it came to design, I broke the process down into stages of understanding the functionality requirements to then build it up to a high-fidelity prototype.
I first focused on the Information Architecture of the app. Drawing out the sitemap and the red route user flows helped me to map out the screens and journeys I needed to design.
I then sketched out some quick wireframes of each screen so I could establish the layout and the type of content that would be on them.
I then created the screens in Illustrator so I could get an idea of the final UI and how the calming colour would play into it.
A high-functioning prototype was created in UXPin which allows for users to input their own data, temporarily stored in variables to better simulate a working app.
I created the prototype app to have a very simple UI as not to distract users from the content and also not to increase cognitive load by displaying information clearly. I made sure the styling was consistent throughout to create a sense of familiarity throughout the experience.
A study was conducted which asked participants to test the prototype and then fill in a survey on their experience and thoughts.
The respondents were asked whether the app had any effect on their emotions, the ease of use and the words they would associate with the design. These questions were to gauge whether the design had the desired effect of creating a positive user experience.
The general design of the prototype was effective as it received positive feedback from the testers however, from the small-scale study carried out, it is difficult to determine whether it would be beneficial for the practice of mindfulness. Also, the responses from the participants were based on opinion rather than measurable impact on emotion.
Going forward, a controlled study would need to be carried out over a longer period of time to test the effects on mindfulness. The study could be carried out using A/B testing of the two colour schemes (blue vs. orange) that I developed which would help provide more conclusive results on whether warm or cool colours impact emotion in the context of alleviating poor mental wellbeing.