Context
My own struggles with self-esteem drove me to design a helper system to boost self confidence
To me, Boost is a deeply personal project that I really needed not only as a designer but for me as a person. I wanted to know where to find confidence, and I wanted to learn about the pain points and experiences of other people on their own path to confidence.
Metrics
85% of people nationally report some form of low self-esteem, and it’s harmful for our day-to-day routine.
By self-esteem, I’m referring to one’s opinion about who they are and what they are worth. That lack of self-esteem negatively impacts important parts of life, like friendships, relationships, and work. How can we understand the root cause of our lack of self-belief, and address the pain points in solving our problems?
Target Audience
For adolescents to late-20s adults, who are looking for a self-image boost with school, work, and life
Spearheaded by the world’s biggest athletes, young adults are taking control of their mental health and putting it first. Digital product design for health care is a booming sector, and Boost adds to that boom while catering to a young, mentally-aware audience.
How can we help users with low self-esteem believe that in every part of daily life, that they are worthy and “enough”?
User Interviews
Self-esteem and confidence is defined by thinking patterns
Spearheaded by the world’s biggest athletes, young adults are taking control of their mental health and putting it first. Digital product design for health care is a booming sector, and Boost adds to that boom while catering to a young, mentally-aware audience.
Key Finding
We lose confidence when we expect to be perfect
Key Finding
We lose confidence when we consistently compare ourselves to others
Key Finding
We have all days where we can’t take care of ourselves fully
Defining User Groups
Based on my insights, I found that "not being enough" stems from perfectionism or comparisons, or both
I wanted my system to confront thinking patterns that drive perfectionism and constant comparisons. These two thoughts patterns are extremely intertwined with the idea of not being “enough”, and both thinking patterns influence each other.
Competitive Analysis
Similar services help users practice meditation and mindfulness
I spent time analyzing Headspace and Mindshift, which uses different methods to shift negative thought patterns. Headspace guides users through meditation, but more for anxiety and less for self-confidence. Mindset offers daily check ins and quick tips, but misses out on the opportunity to provide users further actions.
Ideation
I looked at quick exercises from behavioral therapy methods that positively impact thought patterns
Cognitive behavorial therapy and dialectical behavorial therapy have great methods for coping with negative thought patterns. Both Headspace and Mindshift applied behavorial therapy practices in their features. I wanted the user to engage with these methods as much as possible.
Idea
Coping Cards with positive phrases
Coping cards are meant to inforce positive phrases. The user learns positive phrases and practices believing them.
Idea
Just Breathe
Giving an outlet for users who don’t have the mental energy to try any exercises
Idea
Naming your inner voice
Bringing light to that inner voice that feeds into negative thought patterns helps us confront those patterns.
Idea
Receiving external
validation and praise
Users send each other affirmations to store in a “compliment box”
Task Flow
Translating my ideas into task flows helped me understand the finer details of different sections
My ideas around coping cards, breathing, and external validation felt like different possibilities for different sections of the app. Translating them into tasks associated with emotions helped me define the finer points.
Iterations and Feedback
Showing others early wireframes helped flesh out visual irks, like unclear type hierarchy
My core intent is always to visually translate solutions based on what I’ve learned from my conversations and other insights. Hearing what others had to say helped my decision making and my creative process.
Visual Style
Yellows, purples, and blues inspire calm and relaxation
My ideas around coping cards, breathing, and external validation felt like different possibilities for different sections of the app. Translating them into tasks associated with emotions helped me define the finer points.
Components
Having a component sheet was necessary for the large amount of illustrations and buttons
There were so many different components to keep track of, and there were a lot of duplicates across the board. Being able to edit a main component to change the rest was a huge game changer.
Final Deliverables
Boost sets itself apart by giving exercises for positively shaping thinking patterns, and helping you respond to your inner voice.
My final deliverables included an onboarding process, daily check-ins, exercises, guided breathing, a profile page, a compliments page, and check-in tracking.
Onboarding
that sets the tone in how we confront
our inner voice and negative self-talk
Coping Cards
to shift thought patterns
in a positive way
Just Breathe
when you don't have the energy
to do any exercises
Daily Check-In
to help guide you to positive
thinking patters
Check-in Tracking
to show you how much you
are growing and learning
Reflection
Completing this project means so much to me in my journey to find confidence
Obviously I still don’t have all the answers in terms of my own confidence, but I hope someone seeing a project like this might be inspired! I’d love to develop it further with code or an accelerator program.
Lesson Learned
The chance to share my work with professional designers is a big measure of success
I am extremely lucky to be part of an accepting community, where I can befriend designers who are willing to give advice to a student. These are the people who gave me in-progress feedback, so shout out to them!
Lesson Learned
You can always find inspiration, even if you’re not looking for it
I had a lot of user interviews to gather insights for this project. Some of them were just casual conversations with friends, and I expected nothing out of them. But it was those conversations that led me to my greatest findings.
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