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TIMELINE—
October 14-16, 2022 ~2 days!
ROLE—
UX Designer,
UX Researcher
TEAM—
6 designers
TOOLS—
Figma
In Fall 2022, I participated in my first ever Hackathon! The hackathon took place over two days virtually, and I was in a team of 6 designers from all over the U.S. to create a mobile app solution for Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the leading national organization focusing on mood disorders.
During this Hackathon, we brainstormed, wireframed, prototyped, and presented (spoiler alert: we also won first place!)
Context
What is DBSA?
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the leading national organization focusing on mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, which affect over 21 million Americans.
What is Girls in Tech SF?
Girls in Tech was a global non-profit organization focused on the engagement, education, and empowerment of women in technology.
The organization had grown from San Francisco to more than 50 chapters located in North America, Europe, Asia, The Middle East, Africa, and South America.
What is Hacking for Humanity?
The 2nd Girls in Tech SF Hacking for Humanity Hackathon was held virtually Oct 14-16.
It consisted of around 160 participants, 22 teams, and the Hackathon was supplemented with team building activities, a scavenger hunt, talks, and training!
Timeline
The hackathon took place over 3 days virtually!
Design Sprint
We had just 26 hours to brainstorm, conceptualize, and wireframe our solution!
Participants
The hackathon attracted over 150+ participants from all over the U.S.!
Problem
The barrier of cost and access
We all have mental health issues 24/7. We shouldn't have to wait to see a doctor to take care of yourself.
If people can use self-management tools and free peer support, they will get better, and this can positively impact everyone's mental health.
Research
Competitive Analysis
Once we decided to partner with DBSA, we decided to compare different apps for a similar purpose and extracting the key features across all apps.
We conducted a competitive analysis and compared the ideal features that DBSA wanted in the app with other pre-existing apps on the market.
We chose Moodfit, Sanvello, and Remente for this portion of research.
Patient Journey Mapping
We sketched out the current state of how a person interacts with the DBSA app, and the ideal future state we would like a user to follow to access the resources they would need.
By mapping out these interactions, we were able to identify key pain points and areas for improvement in the user journey. This analysis helped us pinpoint where users may face friction, such as difficulties navigating the app or accessing relevant resources efficiently.
With this insight, we can refine the app’s design and functionality to create a more seamless and intuitive experience that better supports users in finding the help they need.
The Solution:
Community Forum for Peer Support
Get answers to your questions during off-hours
Leverage DBSA's nationwide network for peer support
Ask questions without fear of judgement, anonymously if desired
Receive moderated and personal support
Resources for support
Access in-app and non-DBSA resources related to your symptoms
Get personalized results based on Symptom Survey
Track medication changes, learn more about coping techniques, and measure daily symptoms
Wellness Wheel Health Tracker
Track progress through the Wellness Wheel surveys
Get personalized healing techniques through the survey
Use the data visualization to visualize your progress for different categories
24/7 Chat Bot for Instant Info
Access 24/7 support with resources, such as local hospitals, emergencies helplines, events, support groups outside DBSA, etc.
Receive information or help through either text or call options.
Periodic surveys for support
Take surveys with interactive, accessible graphics to measure symptoms, wellness, and health.
Take surveys on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Receive a holistic, well rounded feedback and suggestions based on the results.
Challenges
Time, and other constraints
Divide and Conquer…? 🧩
↳ We found it hard to delegate tasks to each other since we are all designers. But we quickly learned that since we were hacking virtually, this is the quickest and most efficient way to work better together and help each other out without burning out.
New tools, new territory 💭
↳ Not all of us were familiar with Figjam for ideation, since it’s a newer tool in the market. But all of us had used Miro or Mural prior, which made it pretty easy to learn.
Reflection
Choices and payoff
Achievements 💪🏼
↳ We are proud of completing our first hackathon and working as a team! We were all able to utilize our own strengths and skills to accomplish our project. We engaged in ideation, wireframing, and prototyping as a team. We are proud of implementing stakeholder goals as well as creating a user friendly experience, all within ~26 hours.
Delegation and Deadlines ⏱️
↳ We learned the importance of assigning roles and responsibilities early on in the process, and being clear with timelines.
Communication is key 🔑
↳ Engaging in pre-Hackathon team building activities was helpful to break the ice!
…and the cherry on top of the cake. 🍒🎂