Socialheads

The Brief

Design a secure messaging app that connects social workers with young people (ages 10-25) in need of care.

The platform balances safe communication, safeguarding techniques, and case management tools.

Design Approach

In order to define user needs and develop focused solutions, the Double Dimond model (created by UK Design Council) was used to guide the design process.

The following design work was developed through the four stages of the Double Diamond:

Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver

Stakeholder Interview

In order to identify the key design goals, an interview was held with stakeholder Jeremy Pitt.

The interview led to the development of three goals:

Empower professionals with tools that support rather than overwhelm.
Support young people with an app that feels safe, welcoming, and personal.
Help Socialheads find creative solutions to fit the needs of the target audience.

user Interviews

Interviews were conducted with social workers, mental health workers, and counselors that work with youth.

The interviews led to the identification of these user needs:

Secure yet flexible digital communication tools
Simplified case management and tracking system for high case loads.
Messaging infrastructure with clear professional boundaries.
Digital tools to support interventions.
Structures and support networks that ensure professional safety.

* Notes from user interviews organized using affinity mapping method

user persona

Katie, 30, Social Worker

Behaviors

Responds to young people with empathy, even outside of office hours.
Communicates while maintaining professional boundaries.
Avoids informal tools.

Goals & Motivations

Provide timely support by ensuring that any serious issues are managed later in a safe, structured setting.
Reach young people through the digital channels they actually use and trust.
She believes support should be flexible and personalized.
Provide support while being transparent about her role, processes, and confidentiality boundaries.

Pain Points

Finds it hard to quickly build trust with young people.
Worries her role as a mandated reporter will break the trust of the young people she works with.
Too many tools leads to confusion and miscommunication.
Young people don’t check emails and avoid phone calls.

How to help Katie

Provide everything Katie needs in one unified platform: messaging, safeguarding tools, case notes, etc.
Include an emergency protocol within the platform.
Easy access to high priority case materials.

Ideation

The initial ideation process led to the following ideas:

Combination of mobile and web access to the platform.
Secure case files with password.
Organize case materials digitally.
Categorize cases by subject.
Emergency report feature.
Priority list feature.
Appointment log/Calender feature.
Case note-taking feature.

Site map

After usability testing a low fidelity prototype, a site map was created to narrow down and add to the list of features included in the design. The following changes to the feature list were changed:

Mobile app only.
Log in to account replaces password protection feature.
Subject categorization and priority list features were dropped.
Reminders replaces calender feature.
Audio and video call.
Pin notes and reminders.

User flow

Following the site map, a user flow chart was created to demonstrate a hypothetical user’s journey through the app.

The design

Home

Emergency report feature at the top of the dashboard. The button is large and red for visibility purposes.
View pinned reminders and notes on the dashboard.
Navigation menu at the bottom.

Report emergency

After pressing the report emergency button, the user will be directed to select the subject of the report.
The user can then select the recipients of the report: the subject’s emergency contacts, the police department, and ambulance services.
The user will then be directed to describe the nature of the emergency before submitting.