dryft
Design Conceptualization & Prototyping
dryft is a mobile app designed to empower individuals in their journey toward sobriety by centralizing supportive, active, and social events within the recovery community in the Twin Cities.
MY ROLE
UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Usability Test Moderator
METHODS
Secondary Research | Competitive/Comparator Analysis | User Surveys | Love Letter/Break-Up Letter | Affinity Diagramming | User Journey Mapping | Mid-Fidelity Prototyping | Usability Testing | Information Architecture Diagramming | High-Fidelity Interactive Prototyping
Deliverables:
Interactive Prototype
Video Walkthrough
Project Background
Alcoholics Anonymous and Traditional Recovery Systems
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was created in 1935, and has been around that long for good reason. It has a foundation of social support and provides a space where individuals can connect with others who have faced similar challenges - one of the most powerful resources for a person on a recovery journey. But the framework hasn't changed much over the 90 years it has been around and isn't necessarily an attractive resource for younger generations.
The Growing Sobriety Movement in Younger Generations
Recently, the sober movement has gained momentum across the US - particularly amongst younger generations. Within the Twin Cities alone, there are a significant number of community leaders, businesses, and organizations that are curating sobriety-focused communities and events targeted towards younger individuals on a path of recovery. These communities and events are focused around providing meaningful support, connection, and activities outside of AA and traditional recovery support systems.
The Problem
AA Works - so why is it missing the mark with certain audiences?
AA is a proven successful support system for many individuals on a recovery journey. But, in my research, I found an opportunity area that came from three discoveries:
The average AA attendee is a 52-year old white male, and the AA framework is based on religion and spirituality.
If an AA newcomer is having a hard time identifying with their fellow attendees, it can be a barrier to opening up, sharing stories, and feeling comfortable getting vulnerable in this space.
Even though there are a plethora of communities and events that are popping up around the Twin Cities, it can be really frustrating for a user to find all of this information in a centralized location.
AA attendees prefer to attend meetings where they can relate to the other members in the room
Younger individuals pursuing sobriety often encounter ongoing challenges in finding supportive, alcohol-free social activities that align with their lifestyle and recovery goals. Traditional support systems like AA offer valuable resources and are proven to work. But these support frameworks don’t necessarily meet the diverse needs of all individuals, especially younger adults who seek more dynamic and engaging experiences outside of formal meetings.
Where can a person find sober-friendly events that are more aligned with their identity and lifestyle?
Individuals have to search through a plethora of search results on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. Or they have to find these events via word-of-mouth. But, it’s difficult for a person to hear about these communities word-of-mouth if they aren’t already involved in the community.
The Research
I wanted to design a meaningful and impactful product, so I dove in to gain a better understanding of this problem space. I began with researching the current landscape of sobriety support via secondary research. I also sketched out a user journey map to hone in on the thoughts, feelings, and emotions a person would go through during their sobriety support search.
Goals
To gain insights around the current landscape within existing resources and communities
To better understand a users journey from initial sobriety research through finding communities and resources that work for them
To identify primary users’ desires, needs, and pain points within the sober resource and community space
Secondary Research:
User Journey: I explored the path individuals take from their initial search of sobriety resources through trying out various support systems.
AA Framework: I determined what works and doesn't work within the AA framework and similar traditional support systems.
Local Sober-Friendly Spaces: I compiled a list of local community leaders, businesses, and organizations that are putting on sober-friendly events in the Twin-Cities. I documented how and where I found the event information.
Current Solutions: I looked through existing platforms like Reframe and Meetup come up with a design strategy based on my observed strengths and weaknesses of those apps.
User Journey: 1) deciding to find support for sobriety 2) finding and attending AA meetings 3) searching for alternative options
Figjam board documenting screenshots and architecture of Reframe (sobriety support app) and Meetup (event app)
Screenshots of search results from Google, DuckDuckGo, and the single Facebook group I discovered that advertises events.
User Survey:
In order to truly understand pain points and opportunity areas within an individuals sobriety journey, I created a comprehensive user survey and sourced participants. In the creation of the survey, I focused the survey on three main areas:
Perceptions of AA via love letter/break-up letter: Gain a deeper understanding of what users appreciate and dislike about AA and their experience with meetings
Recovery journey priorities: identify what is most important to individuals throughout their recovery process
Pain points: gain insight into user challenges related to community, support, and mental health in the recovery space
The Findings
“The opposite of addiction is connection. As long as new folks can find that in a way that resonates for them, they can succeed.”
There is a need for a centralized digital space where all of these local events could be easily accessible to individuals seeking active and social sober-friendly activities.
“I hope projects like this app will help our communities 1) be aware of other recovery models, and 2) help people become more accepting of other ways than just the 12-step model. ”
From analyzing my survey results, I uncovered 3 key themes regarding the current sobriety landscape and users' desires.
Varied AA Attendance: The majority of participants attended AA regularly, particularly in the beginning of their sobriety. Other users had never attended an AA meeting due to the religious undertone and demographic
High Value Placed on Community and Support: All users stated that finding a sober community and using the support of their family and friends was crucial to their success in recovery
Ongoing Need for Support: All users stated that they had an ongoing need for community and support - showing that there is an opportunity area to create an accessible and reliable resource
AA works and has for a long time.
But AA doesn't work for everyone
It is built on spirituality and religion, which doesn't resonate with all members
The average AA attendee is a 52-year old white male, and less than 37% of attendees identify either as female or non-binary/gender fluid/non-conforming.
The 12-step model isn't the only path to recovery, and it can be challenging for people to find recovery support outside of this model in Minnesota.
If an individual can't relate to the people in the room, their capacity to get anything out of a meeting is diminished and it can be uncomfortable to open up and get vulnerable
“I associate AA with men, and don’t like that they push you to trust in a higher power. It makes me uncomfortable and is the reason I don’t attend meetings.”
The Solution
Using my research findings, I began by sketching out some low-fidelity wireframes for my vision of the app. I wanted to ensure the app would be user-friendly and intuitive for users to find all information on upcoming local sober-friendly events.
“Events” Sketch: Events are split into different categories (i.e. active, food & drink, social, casual) for easy browsing. The search input allows users to find specific events near the inputted location. Event cards display only crucial information (date, time, location, price), with a visually appealing image.
Focusing on three key user flows, I created a mid-fidelity interactive prototype for usability testing.
Flow 1: navigating to the “Events” page and RSVPing to an event
Flow 2: searching for a specific event
Flow 3: navigating to the “Grow” page to explore mental health resources
Events Page that includes event cards separated into categories for easy browsing, with the opportunity to explore more types of events.
Home Page with populated RSVPed events showing the user what their page will look like upon interacting with and saving events.
“Grow” Sketch: The grow page is a place for personal development and mental health. It can include mood tracking, daily gratitude journaling, and trigger/craving tracking. All of these features help improve mental health and can improve self-awareness which is particularly helpful in early recovery. Other potential features: tools and activities suggested when a user logs a craving/trigger, collection of self-help articles, mocktail recipes.
Event Modal that triggers upon clicking to show more in-depth event information and allows the user to RSVP to the event,
Grow Page giving the users options for interactions including meditations, a craving tracker, a gratitude journal, articles, and podcasts.
Low-Fidelity Sketches:
“Home” Sketch: the home page will provide a counter prominently displayed at the top that tells the user how many days they have been alcohol-free. There are two categories that will display: 1) Upcoming Events [events the user has RSVPed to] and 2) Saved Places [restaurants that the user enjoys that curates a sober-friendly drink list]. The right sketch shows what the home page will look like prior to a user interacting with the app.
Interactive Prototyping:
Home Page with a alcohol-free day counter, daily affirmation, populated saved places, and clear button navigation to explore events.
Search Results when the user searches the keyword “book club”, showing events that fit the search term
Evaluation & Iteration
In order to identify some areas of improvement, I conducted usability testing focusing on desirability, usability, and meaning for the user.
Key Insights:
Terminology was confusing for some users, particularly involving the “upcoming events’" headline on the homepage.
2/3 users were not able to successfully enter their search input triggering the next wireframe.
Users desired more incorporation of a community aspect within the app
I implemented some of the feedback I received from usability testing and went back to the drawing board. To start, I created a design system to guide me as I built out my high-fidelity interactive prototypes. The biggest challenge I had was redefining the “grow” page in order to incorporate more interactive and community focused features within dryft.
I incorporated my design system to keep consistency throughout my prototype. I adjusted terminology to improve the usability of my app. I overhauled the “grow” page, renaming it to “connect”, and adapted the features to function as “threads” where users can interact with one another, share stories, thoughts, and feelings.
Usability Testing:
High-Fidelity Prototype:
Final Delivery
My work culminated in a 5 minute presentation where I covered my research process, key findings, and the reasoning behind my design choices. I focused the entire design of dryft around community, connection, and support.
I also created a video walkthrough tutorial of my interactive prototype explaining the rationale behind my design choices while showing the interactive features I chose to include.
Next Steps
Usability testing: conducting another round of tests would prove beneficial in order to refine the “connect” page in particular. What sorts of interactions are most desirable for the user group? How would like most like to interact with dryft?
Feature expansion: adding more features such as event tags, gamifying sobriety count milestones, and adding a few key mental health resources would improve the interactivity within the app.
User Interviews: conducting interviews with the secondary user group (business owners, community leaders, and organizations) would help refine the app to ensure it would meet the needs of potential user groups for dryft.
Key Learnings & Challenges
Developing this app met my intersecting passions of mental health, wellness, and community. Creating and refining the design was an enjoyable challenge as I continued to refine the prototypes.
Wearing all the hats of a UX researcher and designer was a challenge and reinforced my desire to work as part of a team.