How we designed a safe space for people to talk about their feelings.
Depression affects 264 million people worldwide. When long-lasting, it may become a serious health condition that can lead to suicide. Medical estimates indicate that around two-thirds of all depression cases go undiagnosed. Kintsugi wants to change that.
Kintsugi is the first talk therapy app that leverages AI to scale access. Using voice analysis to detect mood changes, it can detect early signs of depression twice as accurately as human practitioners.
As a product designer, I worked closely with the team crafting the art direction, UI design, product features & user testing. Challenged by the idea how could we create a place for people so they want to speak out their feelings?
Developing look and feel.
The application is designed to look and feel warm. We have created a set of 3D illustrations, which became essential in conveying a friendly feeling. Giving the Kintsugi feel of a friend and outlet.
Designing design system.
To speed up the development, we have created a modular design system in Figma early in the process. Defined UI components allowed us rapid-prototyping and reduced design-development turnarounds. Dark mode colors were included, too.
Encouraging people to speak out!
Kintsugi uses voice biomarker technology to gauge your levels of anxiety and depression on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 clinical modules. The longer you speak, the more accurate prediction you can get.
To encourage people to speak more, we used an emotional response. When speaking, emoji pops up. People left longer recordings. Which made the prediction more accurate.
Getting into a habit.
People looking for ways to make daily journaling part of their routine can opt-in daily reminders encouraging that behavior. It's based on scientific insights on habit building used by Apple, Facebook, and Google.
Habit-forming products use the formula Trigger, Action, Reward, and Investment. Journaling is encouraged daily, thorough supportive reactions of the community. When you change your mind, you can always opt out.
Rated 4.5 out of 5
based on 155 ratings in the App Store
★★★★★
TeleBoomer
Kintsugi made voice journaling meaningful. I can’t imagine a better habit to develop - talking from the heart about what’s going on between the ears.
★★★★★
Emax007
This is the future of mental health and managing mental fitness
★★★★★
eclecticrants
I really enjoy the application as a daily check-in tool and to trascribe my thourghts throughout the day. It’s been a great addition to my self-care routine.