Lifebuoy
Helping young people to manage mental health
In Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged between 15 to 24 years. Black Dog Institute contracted us to help create LifeBuoy, an app designed to address major gaps in the availability of digital tools that young people could use to effectively and safely self-manage suicidal thoughts and distress.
strategy. user interviews. journey mapping. prototyping. user experience. creative direction. ui design. user testing
Research
Black Dog Institute conducted thorough research that involved working with a group of 90 young people who had a lived experience of suicide, via focus groups and surveys.
Lived experience engagement was critical to understanding the needs and preferences of young people, so these could be integrated into the app.
Key Insights
Users wanted an interactive, colourful and nice looking app that could be used offline
A feeling of privacy/security was important
Users wanted to have features/tools recommended to them depending on their needs or situation (eg, level of distress, history of suicide or trauma)
Empathetic language was important
App features
Snapshot of research carried out by the amazing researchers at Black Dog Institute
Concept sketches
We developed a concept around exploring an island and changing the state of it from dark and unknown to full of life and activity as a means of delivering content and exploration. This aimed to encourage people to visit all of the content on the app.
Define the Problem
How might we enable youths to self manage suicidal thoughts through a smartphone app with:
ability to access immediate help via help lines
screener to establish current state of distress and recommended features based on the result
a toolkit of features based on Dialectical Behaviour and Acceptance and Commitment therapies
Goals
Complete development and test in a randomised controlled trial to gather initial feedback
Learn if by helping young people better tolerate, and cope with, distress we can prevent self-harm and suicide attempt
Establish a youth advisory group following the trial to advise on modifications and improvements to LifeBuoy
Finding the right look
We needed to create a look that was visually engaging. We worked with an illustrator who helped bring the exploration idea to life, and we were were able to leverage this to help lighten the mood on some of the more challenging content pieces.
Success
LifeBuoy was tested in a randomised controlled trial conducted between May 2020 and November 2020 to determine if it was effective in reducing the severity of suicidal thoughts in young people aged 18 – 25 years
The findings from this trial showed that the LifeBuoy was effective for suicidal ideation, and feedback from participants suggested key areas for improvement
Client: Black Dog Institute
Company: The Loom
My Role: Lead UX Designer
The Team: Jamie Fawdray - Senior UX Designer plus the internal Black Dog team
Illustrator: Sam Scopelliti
Developers: Black Dog Institute