Take care of your first beforetaking over the world
A mental health companion app designed to make emotional wellbeing feel accessible, warm, and deeply human.
Where it all begins
Mental health issues among young people have become an increasingly serious concern in Indonesia. According to data from the Ministry of Health of Indonesia in 2023, within the last month, 61% of young people experiencing depression reported having thoughts of ending their lives. In comparison, 1.7% of young people who were not diagnosed with depression reported having similar thoughts.
SadarDiri was conceived as a bridge: a digital space where people can begin their mental wellness journey with zero pressure, guided by gentle prompts, mood tracking, and self-reflection tools that meet them exactly where they are.
What's really broken
Research shows that many mental health apps feel overly clinical and impersonal, which discourages users from continuing to use them. In addition, many platforms prioritize commercial goals such as subscriptions and monetization, causing them to lose focus on their primary purpose of supporting users’ mental well-being. Furthermore, some applications present long and overwhelming questions at the very beginning before users can explore the app, which can make them feel stressed and judged rather than supported.
Who we're designing for
Background
Indonesian young adults 19 years old, balancing academic demands and early career pressures with little access to mental health support.
- Name: Dio Ricky
- Role: College Student
- Location: Tangerang
- Character: Persistent
Goals
- Find clarity amid emotional noise
- Build self-awareness
- Manage stress
Pain Points
Emotionally guarded, reluctant to seek help, and overwhelmed by unprocessed anxiety with no approachable outlet.
- Stigma around mental health makes them hesitant to open up
- Existing apps feel clinical, foreign, or too time-consuming to maintain
- Difficulty naming or articulating emotions, leading to bottled-up stress
What did we do?
After identifying the core problems, my team and I began the ideation phase to explore possible solutions for the mental health application. We started by discussing how the platform could better support users and make mental health resources easier to access. From there, we organized the information hierarchy and highlighted the key features to keep the experience simple and intuitive. To bring these ideas to life, we created the initial information architecture and low-fidelity wireframes to visualize the user flow and overall structure of the design.
What we set out to do
User Goals
Our goal is to provide users with an accessible and supportive platform where they can better understand their mental health. The app should help users express their feelings, access helpful resources, and feel supported through a simple and comfortable digital experience.
Business Goals
The goal of the platform is to increase awareness of mental health and encourage young people to seek help earlier. By providing accessible digital support, the platform aims to become a trusted space where users can engage with mental health resources consistently.
Design Principles
- Simplicity
- Empathy
- Accessibility
- Trust
The interface should be simple and easy to understand so users can focus on their well-being without feeling overwhelmed.
The design should create a safe and supportive environment where users feel comfortable expressing their emotions.
Mental health resources should be easy to access anytime, ensuring users can quickly find the help or information they need.
The platform should create a sense of privacy and reliability so users feel confident using the application.
Self-awareness starts with feeling safe enough to look inward
SadarDiri proved that the most powerful design intervention in mental health isn't a feature—it's a feeling. When users trust that a space won't judge them, they open up. And that openness is where healing begins.