SilverCloud Companion
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The SilverCloud Companion is a goal-setting app that lies in the smaller moments of a user’s everyday.
The app works alongside the larger SilverCloud platform, sharing information with the user as they move through their own program.
The Problem
The SilverCloud Digital Mental Health platform is not giving adequate importance to goal-setting as part of their depression and anxiety CBT programmes.
This has left users without guidance when it comes to setting goals and tracking progress, leading to confusion and frustration; often exacerbating the problem.
The Goal
Restructure the current goal-setting and daily practice tool within the SilverCloud “A Space from Depression and Anxiety program”.
The high level goals were to:
Ensure that users are equipped to set suitable and actionable goals throughout their journey.
Provide users with the means to engage with their programs at any time, in any place.
My Role
Product Designer
The Timeline
12 weeks, 2021
Discovery
Over the course of a month I conducted over 300 minutes of interviews with experts. These experts ranged from psychologists to people with diabetes, occupational therapists and those suffering with their mental health. I realised early on that the expert in my scenario wasn’t just those who “studied” mental illness but also those who live it.
As well as active primary research I also carried out extensive secondary research as well as a month long auto-ethnography experiment.
I signed up to 3 separate goal-setting apps, each offering a different experience. I documented my journey for a week on these apps, keeping a journal as part of my research. I also included a handmade, tangible goal-setting chart that I kept in my room.
This experiment allowed me to research and analyse the lived experience of someone using a goal-setting or habit-building app.
Define
Once I had conducted all my interviews I was able to review the data and organise my findings into emergent themes, using affinity diagramming. Included in this mapping was over 2000 user feedback entries which I was able to get from SilverCloud.
From there I was able to define themes and insights
Key-findings
Therapists usually have a huge role in coaxing and prompting goals from clients and without traditional face-to-face therapy users feel a lack of guidance and lose confidence.
Goal-setting is an integral part of CBT yet SilverCloud’s goal-setting feature isn’t centralised to the user journey.
Users are not checking in with the app regularly and find themselves forgetting about their goals.
Once a goal is completed the user can no longer see the goal and as such cannot measure progress.
Self-tracking acts as a powerful tool that can enhance the user’s awareness of their habits and behaviours.
There is currently a lack of visual prompts and instructions.
Forming habits and breaking down goals into manageable ones plays a massive role in the achievement of a larger goal.
Users cannot effectively comment on or strategise how they will achieve their goals within the goal tool
Anonymity within a community of familiars is reassuring to users and allows for open, honest dialogue and support
The Daily Practice tools is buried within Goals so difficult to access and even easier to forget.
No reward system for users, no ‘pat on the back’.
Users tend to be confused and overwhelmed when using the tool leading to frustration and poor user experience.
Insights
In order to be able to achieve goals effectively it is essential that the user is guided to set suitable goals throughout their journey
Language and words used play a huge role in how users think about and visualise their goals
Goal-setting should be a central point of focus for the user throughout their journey
The program as it exists now is to complex and the user isn’t incentivised to choose the goal-setting tool over another.
Users need to be encouraged to check in with themselves as well as the program in a gentle, courteous manner
Measuring goal progression is extremely rewarding and helps the user maintain focus, increases their motivation and sustains momentum
Personalisation is a strong tool that gives the user a sense of ownership and control over their own goals
Goal support and community networks are powerful motivators and encourage accountability.
Development
After conducting over 300 minutes of interviews, reviewing 2000 user feedback entries, auto-ethnographical research and initial secondary research I was able to create my user persona and respective experience map.
