Skill & Hurdles - Thryvia

Designing a collaborative reflection exercise for bipolar care

Project Overview

People living with bipolar disorder often experience cycles of mood changes that can affect sleep, motivation, decision-making, and daily functioning. Support from family members or trusted supporters can be extremely valuable, but conversations about what is helping or hurting can be difficult.

I designed Skill and Hurdles, a short guided activity in a mobile mental health app that helps a client and a supporter independently identify strengths and obstacles, then compare perspectives in a shared view.

The final result becomes a structured artifact used for care planning and personalized support throughout the app.

Note on Case Study Context

This case study is a portfolio-safe adaptation of a real product feature originally designed for a different mental health condition. The original project included clinical research, usability testing, and real-world implementation but is protected by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

To demonstrate my design process while respecting confidentiality:

The flow has been reframed for bipolar disorder
Branding, UI, and proprietary product details have been removed or altered
Research insights and outcomes represent realistic equivalents based on bipolar mental health literature and digital mental health best practices

This case study focuses on design thinking, interaction design, and product decisions rather than proprietary assets.

My Role: Lead UX Designer

Responsibilities included:

Synthesizing clinical and user insights
Defining the interaction model
Designing the end-to-end flow
Writing interface microcopy
Creating wireframes and prototypes
Conducting usability testing
Iterating based on feedback

The Problem

Clients, supporters, and clinicians often enter care conversations with different understandings of what is working and what is difficult. Clients may feel judged.

Supporters may hesitate to raise concerns. Clinicians spend valuable session time trying to uncover basic alignment.

For individuals with bipolar disorder, mood fluctuations can amplify these communication gaps.

The Opportunity

Create a short guided activity that:

• helps individuals reflect on their skills and hurdles
• allows supporters to contribute their perspective
• builds shared understanding
• generates structured data for personalized care

The Solution

I designed a five-minute guided activity that allows clients and supporters to independently identify strengths and challenges, then compare perspectives in a shared view.

The final output becomes a persistent artifact used for care planning and personalized support within the app.

Key Insight

People and their supporters often notice different types of signals.

Individuals notice internal experiences like motivation or mood shifts. Supporters notice behavioral patterns like sleep disruption or impulsivity. Capturing these perspectives independently creates more honest input and better conversations.

The Experience

1. Start With Skills

Users first select 3–5 personal strengths.

Beginning with strengths improves engagement and reduces defensiveness.

2. Identify Hurdles

Users identify challenges affecting their well-being.

Examples include:

• disrupted sleep
• impulsive decisions
• low motivation
• difficulty maintaining routines

Challenges are written in plain behavioral language rather than diagnostic terms.

3. Supporter Perspective

Supporters complete the same activity independently.

This captures both perspectives without influence.

4. Compare Perspectives

The comparison screen reveals:

• shared observations first
• differences framed with neutral language

This framing reduces defensiveness and encourages discussion.

5. Create a Shared List

The final list becomes a persistent artifact used to:

• guide therapy conversations
• track progress
• personalize app recommendations

Impact

Testing with clients, supporters, and clinicians showed:

• strong preference for starting with strengths
• increased comfort for supporters raising concerns
• improved efficiency during clinical conversations

Clinicians reported that the shared list shortened alignment time in sessions.

What I Learned

Designing collaborative mental health tools requires balancing:

• emotional safety
• clarity of communication
• usability during fluctuating mood states
• privacy and control
• meaningful personalization

Small interaction choices, like showing agreement before differences, can dramatically change how safe a feature feels.

Next Iterations

Future improvements could include:

• mood-aware UI adaptations
• stronger connections between hurdles and action planning
• examples to help supporters identify useful observations