For this project, the task was to pick one of this year’s RSA briefs to create into a project. I chose to do Brief 5: Amplify Connections, as I liked the message of bringing people together, especially after the pandemic. To sum it up, Amplify Connections is a brief in partnership with Sky, the broadcasting service, that aims to counter isolation brought on by the global pandemic through technology entertainment. By doing this, people can be bought together through digital means, and may be able to communicate with people they wouldn’t have before. Though social restrictions have ceased, the brief explains that technology may be able to transform our entertainment further, even post-pandemic.
As outlined by the brief, the problem that I identified is that many adults are feeling isolated. Statistics say that around 5% of adults suffer from depression, and whilst this is a large portion of the population, this then led to a 25% increase of depression and anxiety after the COVID pandemic. Whilst this pandemic deeply affected everyone due to the intense social isolation and lack of activities, statistics show that young people and women were the most affected by this increase.
The United Nations also identify ‘Good Mental Health Well-Being as one of their goals for sustainable development for a brighter future. I plan to help develop this in the app by promoting good mental health and well-being to assist those suffering from depression and anxiety.
My solution to this problem is to make a self-help app for those who don’t feel like they are in a good state of well-being, especially after the COVID pandemic. To target these groups I’ve identified in particular, the USP of my app is that it will connect you with your group of friends so you can be better connected to each other’s well-being. By doing this, hopefully people will feel more comfortable filling in an app about their day, and if their friends want they can check how they’re doing and comfort them.
By identifying the target audience, I was then able to run a poll amongst my peers to find out what problem affected them the most in terms of their mental well-being. The results of the survey showed that most people felt that poor sleeping patterns affected them the most, after which people said their time management affected their mental well-being, and lastly many people they had problems with eating regularly or healthily. Though the app would have many features, for this small project I decided to start with these three main ones to focus on.
I decided to separate the project into two sections. The first was to create a brand for the app, mainly focusing on creating a logo. The second part was working out the functions and development of the app, by creating assets and some menu design. These can both be seen by following the links below.
