Dawa: Designing for well- being
Personal project
Product designer
Product
App
Industry
Health & well- being
This project was born from a personal experience. During a difficult time, I realized that many people, just like me, faced barriers to accessing emotional and psychological support. High costs, a lack of available professionals, and the stigma associated with seeking help were the main obstacles. This motivated me to create an accessible digital solution—an emotional refuge where users could reconnect with themselves and deepen their self-awareness in an empathetic way.
Challenge
The challenge was to create an accessible digital platform that addressed both emotional and financial barriers, providing a stigma-free space for users to reconnect with their emotional well-being effectively. Additionally, it needed to be a tool that guided them through a personalized self-discovery journey without cost barriers.
Understanding the problem within
To deeply understand the landscape of mental health in our society, I conducted thorough research that combined documentary analysis and in-depth interviews with psychologists, therapists, and individuals who, like me, had faced emotional challenges. These interviews revealed key pain points, such as the lack of accessible tools for managing emotions and the fear of social judgment. Listening to their stories gave me a valuable perspective: self-awareness is essential for achieving emotional well-being.
Interview insights and key emotional areas
Building an emotional refuge
Research revealed that many people lacked the tools to manage their emotions, and that fear of judgment, along with the absence of self-care habits, prevented them from moving forward. This presented a clear opportunity: to design an accessible, stigma-free digital space that allows people to reconnect with their emotional well-being in a simple and effective way.
Based on the interviews, I developed three key archetypes that reflect our users' emotional situations. These archetypes were essential for personalizing the experience, allowing me to design specific features that addressed their needs and pain points. Among them, I selected "The Insecure and Distrustful" as the primary focus, as it represented the majority of the identified challenges and needs.
Creating a personalized experience
With this foundation, I designed surveys to gain deeper insights into the features users wanted. The collected data was key to defining the MVP's core functionalities, focusing on building a personalized system that provided resources tailored to individual needs. This system not only supports users in their journey toward well-being and self-awareness but also ensures a barrier-free environment, free from financial or social stigma.
I defined features such as: a self-assessment tool, an emotional journal, a space to create personalized well-being routines, and resources for self-discovery and mindfulness.
Design strategy
Sitemap
Wireframes
Visual design
I drew inspiration from the spiritual and holistic world, as well as current design trends. This led me to create an app with gradients that represent the fluid and undefined nature of emotions. Often, we don’t know how to express what we feel or struggle to find the right words; our emotions lack clear boundaries, and this approach aims to capture that essence.
With an empathetic focus, the interface was carefully designed using soft tones and legible typography to evoke calmness and a sense of security.
Solution
The solution was a simple yet profound digital platform, designed as a personal space where users could access tools to better understand themselves and establish routines to improve their emotional well-being. Additionally, it is built to evolve with them, adapting to their needs over time.
Upon opening the app, users are welcomed into a clean, straightforward space with clear and easy-to-follow instructions. The interface is designed to guide users on their emotional journey, with a personalized notification system that encourages them to track their progress.
Learnings and conclusions
This project allowed me to grow both professionally as a product designer and personally. It taught me the essential value of empathy in design and how our skills can address deeply human issues. Additionally, it helped me identify areas for improvement, especially when making decisions about visual design. My goal was to create an experience that was fully understandable for the user, while also standing out and offering something unique compared to the competition in this type of app.