Moodlet is a tool to help adolescents recognize how daily habits affect mental health. As the UX researcher and designer, I led the project from discovery to delivery, designing a mobile app and responsive website that allows teens to discreetly track their emotions and identify potential triggers.
For a more detailed look at this project, including designing the responsive website, check out the Google Slides Case Study.
Depression and anxiety in adolescents has been on the rise in the last decade. Often, adolescents do not know the signs of decreasing mental health, let alone have the ability to understand their triggers and how their mood is controlled by their daily behaviors.
Design a tool for adolescents to use to track and reflect on their moods and daily behaviors, which will help them learn the patterns between positive and negative mental health, as well as a way to learn how to maintain positive behaviors and improve on negative behaviors
March 2023 – April 2023
UX researcher and designer from conception to delivery
In order to gain a better understanding of the issue, I chose to enlist the help of my contacts currently working in K-12 education and the University of Texas Austin to help develop survey questions to give to my target audience. The questions were compiled into a form and sent to Texas middle and high school teachers to give out during advisory.
After analyzing the responses, I created empathy maps to better understand the users and their needs. Through my research, I discovered my primary user group:
Those who could name their emotions but did not understand why they felt a certain way.
Key Research Findings:
While diving into Estebans thought process, I created a journey map and conducted a competitor analysis (see my Detailed Case Study) to help come up with the potential solution below.
Adolescents need an easy to use app and website where they can discreetly track their emotions and learn potential triggers that could be affecting their mental health in positive and negative ways.
Since teenagers are the target audience, it made the most sense to design the mobile app first.
I drafted five iterations of each screen on paper, keeping Esteban’s problem statement in mind.
I used stars to note my favorite elements of each to take into the digital wireframe.
Participants in the final usability study were excited to test out the product, and 100% stated they would use Moodlet if it was a fully developed app. 80% of participants said they would use the mobile app over the website.
With continued and consistent use, users would be able to take control of their mental health by maintaining healthy daily habits that would set them up for success in college and adulthood.
Kristin Lucas – Updated 2025