Tickero is an interim currency aimed at improving mental health through self-help. It works alongside the pound sterling and rewards users with discounts on services such as gym memberships and entertainment passes after they accumulate TICK points. The points are earned through conversations with Tickue, an AI-powered conversational interface, which also tracks the user's mood and activities using a wearable device called TICKBod.
The main objectives of the brief were to devise a currency with a system of trade and exchange accompanied by prototypes that support it.
We are witnessing a rise in the number of individuals suffering from mental health conditions. Many of these individuals may not realise they are suffering from such conditions; if they do, they aren't performing enough self-help. This is where Tickero comes in. It's an interim currency meaning it works alongside the pound sterling. It does this as the rewards system focuses on service discounts to improve a person's self-help routine. For example, gym memberships, entrainment passes and travel. The user must accumulate TICK points which can are then transferred to a discount on one of these services.
Tickero utilises a conversational interface where the user and Tickue have a conversation about the day's events, feelings and more. This is where the points are accumulated. TICK points are rewarded to the user after every discussion with Tickue. The more the user communicates with Tickue, the more they are exposed to their mental health and possibly improve their well-being.
The system is entirely speculative, with a speculative artefact measuring the user's mental well-being, mood and activities. I have prototyped a necklace - TICKBod - which the user wears around their neck. TICKBod communicates with the Tickero app on their phone and understands the user's activities and mood through various onboard sensors such as a heart rate sensor and GPS to determine where the user is. If the system determines they are socialising by being out with others and not at home. Furthermore, the use of microphones that listen to the user and specific phrases such as 'I'm tired' and 'I feel terrible'. All the data gathered is then used by Tickero to determine how many TICK points they earn.
I took the interview approach to gather valuable information on what my system should do and how it should work. I devised open-ended questions and interviewed a handful of participants. Summarising the responses, the main points that arose were:
An in-depth response can be viewed here.
I created two user personas from the interviews for the most likely individuals who would use my system.
I explored the design and functionality of a few mental health apps already out in the market. I looked at what made these apps special, why someone would use them, and what entices users. First, I looked at 'Moodpath - Depression & Anxiety Test'. It is designed well, and the responses on mental health are backed by other statistics and research. Moodpath uses a conversational interface, limited to specific answers. Questions asked to gain insight into the users' feelings are followed up with options. Emoticons are used as a way of expressing emotion by the user.
From this research, my interface will incorporate similar elements, such as a conversational interface and picking from certain emoticons. I'll also aim for Tickero to be smarter than what's already out there, the AI that powers the conversational interface. I want the user to be able to input their own words, and the system should understand from that rather than specific responses.
I aimed to build a brand identity that would be recognisable from the colours used. Purple is used for iconography throughout the interface and as the primary colour for the brand. Blue is used as the background colour throughout the interface screens. I have selected these colours because of the contrast between purple and grey.
I started to develop the idea, iterating through several interface design iterations through low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes were based on the flow from when the user logs into the app and views their TICK points.
Below is a screenshot of the interface developed through Adobe XD. The screens below focus on the user journey from logging in to potentially donating to someone on the Tickero network, claiming a reward, viewing the day's events and starting a conversation with Tickue.
