About the project
Neurobuddy is a passion project that stems from a real interest of discovering a way of connecting neurodiverse people through a digital platform.
Mental illness and neurodiverse conditions like autism and different cognitive capabilities impact every day life and relatioships. The intention of this app is to connect people who feel lonely and isolated and help them lead a happier life.
Goals and tools
Goals
1. Discover the potential users of this platform.
2. Understand the user needs and develop wireframes based on this insights for an MVP.
3. Create key screens showcasing the potential use of this app.
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">Methodology used
Design thinking, agile methodologies, atomic design and atomic research.
Tools used
Interviews & surveys
User personas and journeys
Competitor analysis
Wireframing and UI design
Our target is mostly neurodivergent women, we have to keep in mind that womanhood implies it’s very own set of challenges when it comes to physical and mental health.
Conditions like menopause, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder or any other hormone related issue can heighten pre-existing mental health conditions or tendencies like anxiety or depression, as well as worsening symptoms of ADHD.
Neurodivergence or neurodiversity is a fairly new concept and the boundaries of what it encloses are a bit fuzzy, for this app we considered anything that implied that mental illness as well as some other conditions are
The most prevalent are ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders.
*Note: Some cognitive conditions in this survey were dyscalculia, dyslexia and other learning capabilities. For mood disorders we mentioned depression, dysthimia and bipolar disorder. For anxiety disorder we considered OCD, panic disorder and general anxiety disorder.
42%
of our respondants have between 4 and 7 meaningful relationships in their lives.
83%
of the participants said they felt a significant degree of loneliness in their day-to-day life.
81%
rank meaningful relationships as VERY impactful and important in their lives.
- Over half of our participants find it difficult to create lasting bonds with new people.
- Our respondants answered that they struggled keeping up with their relationships.
- More than 72% people assign a very great importance to meaningful relationships
- Almost everybody said that they would like a social media app for neurodivergent people.
Profile
- 3 mexican participants.
- Ages from 18 to 30 years old.
- Mixed genders.
Main objective
Discover what are the social needs and personal experience of neurodivergent people.
Goals
- Understand how our users feel towards social life, friendships, partnerships and their general focus on relationships.
- Discover in what digital or analog ways our users are creating or reinforcing pre-existing relationships.
- Analyze what they would like to have in order to feel happier or with a stronger sense of well-being.
Key Themes to Explore
- Understand about the pattern of thoughts and behavior.
- Explore the impact of relationships and their importance to the interviewee.
- Discover more about the ways people connect and create relationships
Mariana
25 years old
Film maker
Daniel
26 years old
Marketing specialist
Mariana
25 years old
Actress
They have friends and relationships but they struggle feeling truly understood, this causes loneliness.
Their hyperfixations make them feel intense or quirky, they wish they had friends who shared similar passions.
Most want new people to connect with but social anxiety, self-steem or habits prevents them from doing so.
People struggle the most with keeping in touch with their friends, they forget to or don’t know how to proceed.
Sophie | "Neurodivergent Ambivert"
- 26 years old.
- Lives with her partner in a rented appartment.
- Works a corporate job and sometimes does freelance.
- Interested in gaming, reading and skating.
About
Lindsay is a young woman who is trying to find herself and her way in life. She was diagnosed with ADHD and has anxiety and major depressive disorder. Being in her 20’s and neurodivergent is tough, she feels like she doesn’t find the time to nurture her relationships or she doesn’t know how to navigate a world in which she was to start talking to new people to make friends.
Personality
Goals and frustrations
- ✅ Mastering work-life balance and a good mental health.
- ✅ Having time to explore hobbies, passions and explore new relationships with friends or partners.
- ❌ The stress of everyday life and imposter syndrome.
- ❌ Doesn’t have time to exercise or eat healthy in her current routine.
- ❌ Feels isolated and social media is amplifying anxiety instead of helping her.
What did I learn in this process?
I spent a lot of time thinking about the concept of creating an app, I dipped my toes in business analysis and got think in other ways outside of the UX UI box. I did a business canvas and some other exercises that helped think how an app concept can also be a real profitable product.
For this project, I think it would have been easier if I found colleagues along th way. I also spent a lot of time thinking about the UI and in the end I went for a minimalistic approach. This was my first solo project for an app concept and I really enjoyed it! I learnt a lot about brainstorming and managing my own time.
