Project Overview
Mello is a comprehensive mental health support application designed to connect at-risk Canadian young adults (18-30) with publicly available mental health services. Developed for Sun Life's "Designing to De-stigmatize" Design Jam in January 2024, Mello addresses the critical gap in mental health accessibility by creating an empathetic, inclusive solution that educates users about available services and empowers them to take proactive care of their mental health.
Problem Statement
"How might we improve awareness and access to mental health care supports for at-risk Canadians?"
Our Approach
Research and Ideation
Our design process began with extensive research into the mental health landscape in Canada. We analyzed the provided statistics, studied existing support systems, and identified key behavioral considerations that prevent people from seeking help. During our brainstorming sessions, we used whiteboards to map out initial concepts and gradually refined our understanding of the problem space.
We focused our efforts on understanding the target demographic of young adults aged 18-30, particularly students, as this group faces unique stressors including academic pressure, financial constraints, and life transitions. Through consultation with design jam mentors and coaches, we refined our approach to ensure our solution would be both practical and impactful.
Design Philosophy
Our design philosophy centered on three core principles:
Empathy First: Every interaction should feel supportive and non-judgmental
Accessibility: Remove barriers to mental health resources through seamless integration
Empowerment: Provide users with tools and knowledge to take control of their mental health journey
Solution:
Mello - Your Hub for Mental Health Care
Mello is an innovative mobile application featuring a friendly marshmallow mascot that guides users through their mental health journey. The solution addresses the identified barriers through three key features designed to make mental health support accessible, immediate, and personalized.
Feature 1: Conversational Intake System
The intake form maintains a warm, conversational, informal tone throughout the process, with Mello explaining why specific information is being collected. This clarity of information builds trust and helps users understand the value of sharing personal information. The system gathers crucial data including:
Current emotional states and experiences
Symptom identification and severity
Previous diagnoses or treatment history
Demographic information for personalized recommendations
Insurance and coverage information for accessible care options
By framing these questions as a friendly conversation rather than a clinical assessment, we significantly reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health support while ensuring comprehensive data collection for accurate service recommendations.
Feature 2: Emergency Haptic Response System
This feature addresses the critical moments when someone might be experiencing a panic attack, severe anxiety, or other mental health emergency. Mello guides users through evidence-based de-escalation techniques including:
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
The 333 method for anxiety management
Slow breathing exercises with guided pacing
Haptic feedback through device vibration to assist with grounding
The haptic component is particularly innovative, using the device's vibration capabilities to provide physical grounding support during crisis moments. This multi-sensory approach helps users regain control and return to a stable emotional state, as demonstrated in our user scenario where Sarah successfully manages a potential panic attack at a conference.
Feature 3: Intelligent Journaling and Analytics
The journaling system is designed for efficiency and consistency, allowing users to log their experiences in less than three minutes. Users can record:
Specific incidents or triggers
Emotional responses and intensity levels
Environmental factors and context
Coping strategies used and their effectiveness
Daily activities and their impact on mental state
After one month of consistent use, Mello's analytics engine identifies patterns and trends in the user's mental health data. This information becomes invaluable for healthcare conversations, providing concrete data points that help both patients and providers understand symptom patterns, identify triggers, and track progress over time.
The feature transforms subjective experiences into objective data, making mental health discussions more productive and treatment more targeted.
Results and Recognition
Mello won first place in Sun Life's "Designing to De-stigmatize" Design Jam, competing against numerous other teams across all evaluation criteria:
Utility: The solution directly addresses the needs of at-risk Canadians seeking mental health support
Flexibility: The platform can adapt to various mental health challenges and user needs
Emotional Quotient: The empathetic mascot and conversational design convey genuine care and inclusion
Innovation: The haptic crisis feature and institutional partnerships represent novel approaches to mental health support
Presentation: The team effectively demonstrated understanding of user needs and solution benefits
Post-Competition Implementation
As part of the winning prize, our team had the opportunity to integrate Mello's concepts into Sun Life's existing digital ecosystem. This implementation phase allowed us to present our ideas to senior leadership, demonstrating the practical viability and scalability of our solution. The positive reception from executives validated our approach and highlighted the potential for real-world deployment.
Key Learnings and Future Considerations
Design Process Insights
