Including efficacy questionnaire in a mental health chatbot | UI/UX
Wysa :)
Whatever we experience in life either good or bad, we always want someone to be there to share with or listen to us. Anything good cannot be celebrated if it is not shared and it’s hard to reduce stress without venting it out. This insight is the core of the Wysa app.
This app comes in a form of a cute little penguin which is there for you in times of happiness and sadness. It’s backed by scientific research, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and other scientifically proven techniques which helps in the mental wellbeing. Subjects ranging from stress due to loss of a loved one, break up, sleep issues etc are taken well care of by Wysa.
Whether you are happy or sad, you can turn to this app anytime which will surely help to bring a smile on your face. We can’t always be there for all the people in the world when they are anxious and need someone to listen to them, I’m glad to be a part of the wysa team which has been able to create a positive difference in so many people’s lives.
PS: there are a variety of positive and motivational gifs which will surely give you a dopamine release :)
DASS 21
The DASS 21 is a 21 item self report questionnaire designed to measure the severity of a range of symptoms common to both Depression and Anxiety. In completing the DASS, the individual is required to indicate the presence of a symptom over the previous week. The dass21 was required in the app for pre and post assessment to exhibit if the app is able to help people.
Problem Statement
The main focus of Wysa is the chat interface, the other tools for self help can be accessed by the right hand drawer in the app. Now the challenge was to include the set of questions at the time of onboarding in the most subtle manner so that it doesn’t break the experience of the user.
Following are the problems of having 21 questions:
1. user might not have the patience to go through all of them
2. since the focus of the app is the chatbot, it shouldn’t be a hindrance in the user experience
3. if the user is mentally exhausted, too many questions might seem like a big task to him.
Quick Notes
This product is used by the people who face anxiety issues and seek someone who could hear them out. Access to psychological help might not be affordable by everyone, that’s where wysa can play a huge role in providing assistance to such people. The Goal is to include the set of questions (DASS21) without breaking the flow, to asses the efficacy of the app.
Ideation
#1
Providing the form as it is, in a single scroll
Pros and cons:
21 questions are quite a lot, hence giving those in a single scroll would be a really long scroll. It might deviate the interest and focus of the user.
Though this can also prove to be a quick process as there is no change of screens and user would be able to edit and view replies.
#2
Questions within the chat
Pros and cons:
Providing 21 questions within the chat can be a tedious for the user, also editing the previous answers can become a task.
I came up with this idea as the rest of the onboarding (connecting googlefit etc) happens within the chat itself.
#3
Questions appear one by one
Pros and cons:
Questions appearing one by one can be really helpful in maintaining the interest and focus of the user. Here, numbering the question is important so that the person is prepared as to how many questions are remaining.
This format would also allow the user to go to previous one easily, edit and also look forward to the next question
Thoughts while iterating
- To give “next” and “previous” as options or not
Not providing with the option of next will reduce the number of clicks by taking the user to the next question automatically at the same time this would not allow the user to see the option he had selected. But since the user shouldn’t spend much time on a single question (should answer quickly as to what comes in his mind first), I removed the “next” option in my final . iterations
2. The arrangement of answers
I began with arranging the options like it is done in 2. It saves space and looks clean, however while using our handset it is easier to make vertical movement of our thumb as compared to horizontal.
Hence 1 seems to be the better option.
3. Why permission first
In my initial iterations I thought of asking the questions right in the beginning but this would have affected the consistency as the questions need to be asked again after a few weeks. Hence like the other permissions, I gave the similar treatment to DASS21 questions.
- Why within the chat
The USP of the product is the chatbot, gives a feeling to the user that a real person is there to listen to him and talk to him. Therefore it seemed like a good idea if Wysa guided the user to the set of questions. - Exit option
During my iterations I was contemplating about giving the exit option or not, Not providing the exit option will reduce the chances of the user exiting it.
If the user exits the app and reopens it, he would be asked if he wants to take the assessment. Once the user has completed the questions, he would be directed back to the chat. - Trimmed questions
I trimmed the length of the questions so that the user can easily skim through the questions and quickly answer them.
Final Screen
Final flow
Screen shot of the detailed flow
Link to detailed screens:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KU0lrUC-F5rQ1lvQMziaukSnKWYYrivX/view?usp=sharing
Link to quick presentation:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WW5rgCic4CwcCYrRXEnOOcFM0yGJSq0u/view?usp=sharing
That’s all folks! :) if you know someone going through mental wellbeing issues, do share wysa with them. Share wysa, spread happiness, make a difference ❤
