REDESIGN:
minddoc
Project Type
solo project
Duration
6 Weeks
My Role
Product Designer (Research, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, Usability Test)
Project Overview
MindDoc Redesign:
Smarter, Effortless Mood Tracking
MindDoc is a mental health care app that helps users track their mood daily by recording their emotions and answering guided questions. The redesign enhances accuracy and ease by reducing user effort and integrating wearable data. This creates a more seamless, personalized experience, making mental health tracking intuitive and effective.
AS IS
REDESIGNED
Instant Mood Check-In
The redesigned home screen shifts from a passive layout to a more engaging, self-reflective experience.
AS IS
REDESIGNED
Detailed Emotion Tracking
Users can go beyond basic mood logging by reflecting on intensity and triggers, gaining deeper insights into their emotions and patterns.
AS IS
REDESIGNED
Enhanced Mood Insights
The redesigned dashboard lets users switch between short- and long-term views—making it easy to zoom in on specific moments or observe long-term trends.
AS IS
REDESIGNED
Personalised Alerts for Healthy Habits
The redesigned MindDoc Block feature turns notifications into mindful prompts—helping users step away from distractions and build healthier routines through mood check-ins and journaling.
DISCOVER
More people are using digital tools to manage their mental health.
Digital healthcare is rapidly growing, with more people using technology for well-being. Mental health apps are gaining popularity, helping users track emotions and spot patterns. Research shows mood tracking improves self-awareness and supports better mental health choices. As technology advances, these apps make care more personalised and accessible.
Secondary Research
Understanding the Challenges in Mental Health Tracking
I conducted secondary research to explore how users interact with mental health tracking apps. My research focused on understanding how people track their emotions, what difficulties they face, and how technology can improve the experience. This helped me uncover key areas for improvement in the MindDoc app redesign.
Insight 01
Increasing Mental Health Challenges Among the Young Population
According to the research, 42% of Gen Z has received a mental health diagnosis. The most common conditions include anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD (Clinical Relevance section).
Insight 02
The Role of Mood Tracking in Managing Mental Health
Mood-tracking apps act as a bridge before seeking therapy, helping users gain self-awareness and regulate emotions. Like fitness apps for mental health, they boost motivation through self-tracking, journaling, and gamification, aiding in managing anxiety and depression.
Insight 03
Gen Z’s Preference for Mobile Apps Over Traditional Therapy
Gen Z prefers mental health apps over therapy due to psychological barriers, such as discomfort in sharing feelings or fear of judgment. Self-guided digital tools feel more private and approachable, making them a preferred first step in mental health care.
User Research
Identifying Barriers in Mood Tracking
I analyzed recent App Store reviews to understand how users interact with mental health tracking apps. Using affinity mapping, I identified common themes, challenges, and areas for improvement. This process helped uncover key pain points and opportunities for enhancing the MindDoc app redesign.
DEFINE
Why do users struggle to maintain mood-tracking as a habit?
Empathy Map
Understanding Users’ Painpoints
I created an empathy map to better understand users by analysing what they say, do, think, and feel. A key finding was that users often feel annoyed and frustrated when the process becomes repetitive, leaving them with a sense of not making progress. Additionally, the limited keyword options make it difficult to express emotions accurately.
User Story
Understanding Real Needs through User Stories
To uncover real pain points and engagement barriers, I created user stories based on research insights and App Store reviews. These stories represent diverse users with different goals, from first-time app users to those managing stress or seeking therapy.
Problem Statement
Defining the Main Problems
Based on my research, I identified key issues affecting user engagement with mood-tracking apps.
Problem 01
Limited mood expression prevents users from accurately recording their feelings.
The restricted selection of emotions limits users' ability to express themselves, leading to frustration and reduced personal relevance.
Problem 02
Users rarely revisit past records, making tracking feel meaningless.
Without clear insights or reminders, users don’t look back at their past entries, making mood tracking feel unhelpful and discouraging continued use.
Problem 03
Generic alerts feel intrusive, making users ignore mood check-ins or delete the app.
When reminders feel routine or impersonal, users are more likely to ignore them—or even delete the app—leading to lower engagement and long-term abandonment.
DEVELOP
How might we make mood tracking more engaging and sustainable for long-term use?
How Might We Questions
Exploring Solutions for Key Challenges
I conducted a How Might We (HMW) ideation session to reframe key user pain points into design opportunities. This helped explore ways to make mood tracking more engaging, flexible, and insightful.
2X2 Matrix
Prioritising Key Features
I used a 2x2 matrix to evaluate features based on high vs. low value and high vs. low effort. This helped me identify high-value, low-effort functions that are both impactful and viable, ensuring better user engagement with minimal implementation challenges.
DELIVER
How can we turn our key features into user-friendly interfaces that encourage long-term engagement?
Idea Sketches
Exploring Concepts Through Idea Sketches
I translated prioritised features into idea sketches to visualise potential solutions and explore different design directions. By quickly iterating on early concepts, I identified opportunities to improve user engagement, support flexible mood tracking, and present more meaningful insights.
Wireframing
Mapping Key Flows Through Wireframes
I created low-fidelity wireframes to define key layouts, flows, and user touchpoints across the app. This process helped visualise how users interact with each feature and screen, allowing me to test and refine the overall journey.
Updated for better clarity, spacing, and a calmer visual tone.
Final Designs
Realising the Solution: Final Design Execution
Instant Mood Check-In
A motivational home screen that lets users quickly track their mood and review past records for better self-awareness.
Detailed Emotion Tracking
Users can go beyond basic mood logging by reflecting on intensity and triggers, gaining deeper insights into their emotions and patterns.
Enhanced Mood Insights
The redesigned dashboard provides clear visualisations of mood trends over time, helping users track patterns and gain deeper self-awareness for better mental well-being.
Personalised Alerts for Healthy Habits
Customised notifications help users step away from distracting apps and engage in mood check-ins and journaling, building a healthier and more mindful routine.
Usability Test
Usability Test
To evaluate the effectiveness of the redesigned features, I conducted a usability test with four users. Participants were asked to complete key tasks using the initial prototype while I observed their behaviours and pain points.
In addition to task performance, I gathered quantitative feedback using the System Usability Scale (SUS). The average score was 81.25, indicating strong usability overall. However, qualitative feedback revealed that users felt uncomfortable with the visual design—particularly regarding colour, spacing, and visual clarity.
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Iteration
Visual Design Iteration
In response to usability feedback, I refined the visual design to feel cleaner, softer, and more emotionally supportive. By adjusting layout spacing, simplifying the interface, and softening the colour palette, I aimed to reduce cognitive load and improve user comfort. This iteration brought the app’s tone closer to the emotional needs of its users—calm, clear, and supportive.
Initial Version
Refined Version
Reflections
What I Learned
Redesigning MindDoc deepened my understanding of how design can support emotional well-being. Key takeaways from this project include:
01
Empathy in Design
Designing for mental health requires deep user understanding—what they feel, need, and struggle with—beyond surface-level usability.
02
Importance of Visual Comfort
Elements like spacing, colour, and layout greatly affect emotional response. A calm, clear interface helps users feel safe and supported.
03
Iteration Based on Feedback
User feedback revealed gaps the initial design couldn't predict. Iterating based on real insights helped align the product with users' expectations and emotional needs.
Visual design felt cluttered and uncomfortable for users during testing.
Works
Sustaininvest
Waymate
Product Designer
Katherine Heo
© 2025 katherine HEO.
LONDON, GMT +0