Spill the tea

About

Emotional well-being through journaling and support

This app is designed to create a safe, inclusive space where users can express their thoughts, manage stress, and foster personal growth through daily thought journaling.

By connecting users with like-minded individuals and offering professional insights from therapists, the app promotes emotional well-being and self-awareness. Through personalized tools and peer support, it empowers users to understand and navigate their emotions, driving positive mental health outcomes.

Teammate

Mehak Kothari

Mentor

Sara Strickler

Skills used but not limited to:

User research, Conceptualizing, Problem-solving, Visual design

Problem

According to studies, 91% of Gen Z adults reported experiencing stress-related symptoms like anxiety or depression, and 79% feel lonely, making them both the most stressed and loneliest generation in the U.S.

Challenges

Fears of tackling loneliness

Fear of Judgment

Fear of being judged or misunderstood by loved ones often leads to reluctance in sharing true feelings.

Burdening Others

Many feel sharing mental health struggles may burden loved ones, leading them to suppress emotions and deal with issues in isolation.

Lack of Understanding

Friends and family may lack understanding of mental health, leading to dismissive or unhelpful advice.

Research

Understanding the audience

1:1 Interviews

We conducted 10 interviews to identify the key challenges and emotional pain points that users experience when seeking an outlet for venting and managing stress.

Contextual Inquiry

We conducted 3 group studies to observe how Gen Z naturally shares thoughts and emotions in social settings, focusing on communication styles, vulnerability barriers, and peer support needs.

Target audience

Key personas

Self-Motivated Explorers

Discovered the app on their own

Therapist-Guided Users

Therapist recommended the app

Therapists

Therapists recommending the app to clients

"I wish I could share what’s on my mind without feeling like I’m bothering anyone or being judged. I just want someone who gets what I’m going through."

Challenges:

Feels isolated and lonely

Anxious about sharing feelings with new people.

Goals:

Find emotional support without feeling vulnerable.

Talk to someone about her life without burdening them.

Engage with others facing similar experiences.

"I need support that fits my schedule and keeps me accountable between therapy sessions."

Challenges:

Struggling to manage stress and anxiety between therapy sessions.

Difficulty staying consistent with self-reflection and emotional tracking.

Goals:

Incorporate therapist-given tasks into her daily routine for ongoing support.

Easily share progress with her therapist for more effective sessions.

Engage with others facing similar experiences.

Opportunity Areas

Identifying & defining opportunities

Space to vent out

Create a safe, guided space for users to freely express their thoughts and emotions, helping them release stress without fear of judgment.

Peer-to-peer connection

Facilitate connections between users facing similar challenges.

Therapist Integration and Support

Identify stress triggers and provide actionable insights, with the option to connect with therapists for professional guidance and personalized recommendations.

HOW MIGHT WE

create a safe and inclusive space for individuals to express their thoughts and foster personal growth by utilizing insights from daily journaling

system thinking

Current and future end to end experiences

Flow of a conversation

Mapped the journey of the user when having a conversation and interactions to understand the current behaviors of the users.

Future state map

Designed the ideal flow of the experience to enhance user experience and address current challenges.

Service map

Outlined user interactions and internal processes to ensure a seamless experience, identifying pain points and improvement opportunities.

Ideation

Concept explorations

Quick emotional check-ins to track patterns and get personalized insights.

Chat with an AI personality for support and guidance while expressing emotions.

Complete therapist-assigned tasks and share progress for feedback.

Solution

Key features

Homepage

A personal space to express, track, and understand your emotions, all in one easy-to-navigate dashboard.

Conversations

Get guided prompts to express your thoughts, with AI personalities to create a more conversational and connected experience.

Analysis

Get personalized guidance from your therapist with tailored prompts to support your emotional growth.

Therapist integration

Visualize your mental health journey with insightful data to help you and your therapist see your progress.

Past conversations

Easily access past conversations or choose to delete them instantly, while still tracking your progress in reports for continued growth.

Learnings

Empathy for the challenges of early adulthood

This project helped me better understand and relate to the challenges people face in early adulthood, particularly the mental shifts that come with becoming independent and living on their own. The pressures and stressors of "adulting" can have a deep impact. Through this experience, I became more empathetic toward individuals in this age group and more aware of how to design solutions that address these unique challenges.