From our class, we were given some guidance on what we need to consider when it comes to the creation of our product/service. Some important thing that we took note of was what problems does our product/service solve, and the demographic.
1. What problem does the product/service solve?
Based on our previous group discussions, we ultimately decided to do an updated hotline service application. We did so because we wanted to,
Bring awareness to mental health issues
Remove the negative stigma around mental health
Provide a space for those suffering from mental health
And one of the reasons why we chose an app is because we wanted to utilise Digi's expertise in mobile network services, as they have their own Digi application for their users. So in the application, we plan on providing 4 types of services to the users.
1- Assitance/Meditation tab
In this section, we would provide helpful tips and ways to assist you. E.g. Anxiety. So when one feels anxious, they can do activities such as breathing exercise, where you breathe together with the gif to control and relax your breathing.
2. Hotline
In the hotline section, the user can choose whether they want to call or text with a Befriender hotline worker. We decided to provide different choices because some people feel more comfortable texting as opposed to calling.
3. Journal
For the journal section, users can create a journal entry to document how they feel or just a place to vent about things. Basically an online diary that you have the option to share to the community or keep it only hidden for you to read.
4. Community
The final section is the community section. In this section, users can read published articles and posts by other users.
We then divided each section to work on. I chose the journal section.
2. Demographic
Our main target audience for this application ranges from teenagers to young adults. One of the reasons why we chose said target audience is because mental health issues in the younger generation are often overlooked by their parents. And when they bring up said issues, they are often dismissed as being too hormonal, the feelings being 'just a phase', or they'll receive condescending question such as "What do you have to be depressed about?" (Ferguson, 2016).
This dismissal causes them to bottle things up and agreeing with their parents. Maybe they are overreacting, and maybe all of these are just typical puberty hormones. This dismissal issue is especially prevalent in Asian households, where mental health is treated as something that should be hidden away lest there be a chance where the household name would be tarnished due to one member of the family suffers from mental health (Lauber, Rössler, 2007).
Bottling up one's emotions or acting as if it doesn't exist tend to do more harm than good as your mental health will slowly, but surely be jeopardized from them wanting to fit in and acting as if everything is okay. This coupled with stress from school and working will further affect one's mental health. So, through this application, we want to create a space where one can share their struggles and qualms about dealing with their mental health issue, while also providing a space where they can connect with their peers that feel the same way so they don't feel as if what they're feeling isn't normal.
The demographic aspect of the application is also another reason why we chose to create a mobile app. This is because the younger generation is more likely to use said apps as the majority has a good grasp on smartphone and their interface as opposed to the older generation.
References:
Lauber C, Rössler W. Stigma towards people with mental illness in developing countries in Asia. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2007;19(2):157-178. doi:10.1080/09540260701278903
Ferguson, S. (2016). 4 Harmful Ways We Dismiss Teenagers' Mental Health Issues. Everyday Feminism. Retrieved 4 August 2020, from https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/12/dismiss-teenagers-mental-health/.
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