Sonde
Pregnancy and childbirth are hard, and as many as 20% of women struggle with parental and postpartum depression. Sonde aims to find an alternative – and objective – way to help women who are at risk for this type of depression.
About
This app walks users through a series of voice-based exercises that are designed to collect a range of vocal biomarkers. The first step is to prove the technology is a viable alternative to traditional screening methods, but in the future, the potential for a consumer-facing app will bring mental health care to those who may not get it otherwise.
The Team
Product strategists, Project Manager, 2 Product Designers, Client Product Owner, Client Subject Experts, Clinical Psychiatrist
My Role
For this project I co-produced wireframes and mockups, as well as co-lead user testing. I also owned the creation of large prototypes aimed at communicating the end-to-end workflow.
Timeline
Fall 2016
1
Design Sprint
The project started with an abbreviated design sprint, where through a series of exercises we dreamed up ways to harness this new technology. Our goal was to find a balance between pushing the boundaries and respecting existing comfort zones.
Learnings
During user interviews, we learned about pain points in the current app and the complicated emotional intricacies of pregnancy. We learned how important it was to design an experience that was sensitive and thoughtful, being that depression is such a personal and emotional subject matter. We introduced a character to guide users through the experience, helping users feel more comfortable.
In our design sprint one of our clients storyboarded what would eventually become the cornerstone of the app: a doula. The idea of a doula resonated with the entire team because it felt like an approachable and trustworthy voice for the perinatal and postpartum women.
2
Wireframes and Prototype
My coworker and I split up the work when it came to wireframing the different workflows. However, being that I had more prototyping experience I built the prototype. Using Flinto, I created an end-to-end interactive experience that included custom transitions.
Onboarding
Navigation
Voice Exercise
3
Look & Feel
The visual style of the app features soft gradients, layering, and paper textures, creating a tactile experience that differentiates it from other research studies like HealthKit and ResearchKit apps. The Look & Feel creates a product that feels approachable, yet trustworthy – both important traits to perinatal and postpartum women.
While my strength was prototyping, my co-designer's strength was visual UI. After she set the creative direction, I was able to apply the visual styling to icons and other screens.
4
Keynote & Press
