Social Media x Mental Health

Designing a more mental health friendly place for social media users.

Duration: 9 Weeks

Project Type: Improving current app (Instagram), Individual Passion Project

Tools: Figma, Instagram, Zoom, Canva (Illustrations)

Keywords: User Experience Design, Digital Wellbeing, Mental Health, Inclusive Design

Project Overview: Social Media and its impact on Mental Health has become an age-old debate with no actions being taken. As a social media fanatic myself, I know how taxing spending hours scrolling through social media could be on my mental health. Instead of putting this pressing issue to rest, I decided to find a solution to bridge the gap between social media and mental wellbeing.

So, where did it all begin?

As an avid social media user myself, I deleted Instagram a year back to curb my addiction and tend to my mental health. I realised I spent hours over hours mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, only to feel drained out, sad, and demotivated.

When I re-installed Instagram over summer 2021, I realised I fell back to old habits soon and was at the verge of deleting Instagram again. This time, along with me a few of my friends joint.

Being the problem seeker and aspiring product designer I am, I chose to take this up as a plausible problem and improve Instagram's user experience.

While I was doing this project (9 weeks), 'hiding the like' functionality of Instagram was introduced. Considering the importance of mental health being understood all over the world, it is important to incorporate that into social media (in this case, Instagram) as well.

How did I prevent myself from getting in the way of this project?

Below are certain notes/reminders I had written down right at the start of the project to ensure I stay on track and do not get carried away. I made it a habit to read this every single time before I did anything related to this project be it taking interviews, analyzing results, or gaining insights.

Though I am a user of this product, I should not let my opinions/thoughts bias the results, user’s thoughts, or any part of this project. (I kept journalling everything I thought, felt etc. and walked my project, understandings, insights gained through multiple people to ensure my thoughts don't blur the reality)
I have to act entirely like a 3rd party to ensure rule 1 is maintained. (I deleted Instagram during the entire course of this project since the conception to the completion except for parts used in this project)

Regardless of the precautions taken, I am sure there might be some bias seen in this project. Nevertheless, I tried to keep my biases away to the best of my abilities.

How do I name a brand designed for elderly?

Although...

all of these negative feelings could be avoided with good self-control, limiting social media usage and mindfulness, it is not easy to be in comparison 24/7. It is not only difficult for a 14-year-old social media user but also a 44-year-old user to constantly remember and understand the difference between social media and reality and ignore the hateful comments.

This is not a rare case scenario.

Data gathered counters your argument of it being a 1 in the million scenarios. You are not alone. There are 100s of other people who feel the exact same way as you as well.

97%

of teenagers between 13-17 year olds say they have at least one account

72%

of adolescents aged 12-17 say they have been cyber-bullied.

45%

adolescents report being
“Online Constantly”.

Significance of Problem 🚨

Why is this a pressing problem?

Research states that people who deactivated their Facebook accounts for a month in 2020 reported lower depression and anxiety, increase in happiness and life satisfaction.

Research states 8th graders who spend over 10 hours on social media per week are 56% more likely to report being unhappy.

National Institute of Mental Health reports the lifetime prevalence of any mental health disorder among adolescents is 49.5% and that 22.2% of adolescents will suffer from severe mental health impairment in their lifetime. Adding some perspective to these percentages, it means that 1 in 2 adolescents suffer from mental health disorders and 1 in 5 adolescents suffer from severe mental health impairment.

In relation to social media, I had to identify the primary mental health issues faced by users. What are the main mental health issues faced?

Further background research helped in breaking down the initial problem and refining our search. Since mental wellbeing is a large avenue to explore in relation to social media, extensive background research had to be done. Numerous research papers, articles, and scientific publications had been read to gain perspective and narrow down the problem.

Meaning?

What does those jargon mean? How and Why does it affect one’s mental wellbeing? Initially confused about the aforementioned questions, I dug deeper.

Negative Self Image

Higher social media use tends to cause "body surveillance," where individuals scrutinize and judge their own bodies, leading to negative feelings such as body shame. A report from the University of London’s Gender and Sexualities Research Centre found that 90% of young women use filters or edit their photos. These altered images on social media create unrealistic body expectations, making users more self-conscious and critical of their own appearance.

FOMO

20% of social media users feel they must check their accounts at least once every three hours to avoid anxiety. This is linked not only to Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)—a common Millennial anxiety about missing out on events—but also to Social Media Anxiety Disorder. Although not yet a clinical condition, Stefan Hofmann, director of the Social Anxiety Program at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, suggested in 2012 that it could become one.

Why is this an issue?

FOMO lowers mood and life satisfaction, leading to increased social media use, which further exacerbates FOMO. This vicious cycle harms mental health and can lead to social media addiction.

Unhealthy Social Comparisons

Psychologist Leon Festinger's Social Comparison Theory states that humans compare themselves to others to evaluate themselves. There are two types of social comparisons: upward and downward, with feelings influenced by self-esteem.

How does social media fit in?

Social media puts everyone's lives at our fingertips, leading to constant, 24/7 comparisons. Ordinary lives are often compared to others' curated highlights, exacerbating social comparison.

So...What is next?

What do we do next? How do we go about the next step? Are we clear about what the problem is? Breaking down the questions just like how we broke down the problem earlier, gives some clarity. However, I don’t think this is sufficient information to construct a final problem statement.

I realized all the 3 major problems listed above are intertwined with each other. For example, only through social comparison does one get a negative self-image as well. Likewise, only through FOMO, social engagement increase and social comparison occur. While all this background research has given me a substantial understanding of the problem, I still needed to narrow it down. The percentages gathered only pointed me in the direction to proceed. I was still clueless about my destination or journey there. (Get the analogy?)

The ‘What’ and ‘Why’ sections of my research was completed. I still needed to know the ‘How’.

As in, How my user’s felt? Were my assumptions and finding gathered correctly? I needed to directly interact with users to validate my findings to date. At first, I had planned to stick to the conventional research methodologies of using a survey and interview. Since I was dealing with an emotionally sensitive topic, I felt google forms or any other survey platform might not be the right place users would like to share their experiences.

What better place than a social media application to understand user’s feelings regarding social media?

I took a leap of faith and employed Instagram as my research tool.

Thus, unlike a quintessential survey, I decided to take advantage of a social media application, Instagram to conduct my survey. I created a series of polls using Instagram’s stories function and found some interesting details. I received greater insight into people’s experience as some of them directly messaged (DM) me with their experiences.

One important thing I learned is how there is no right way, no right method, and no right procedure to follow. UX is all about problem-solving and finding the best way to do so.

Research 🔬

How did I go about my research?

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

"Triggering"

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“At the end of the day, everyone is exposed to your private life + creeps in my dms”

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“If I don’t get sufficient likes, I archive my posts and feel bad about it”

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“Sometimes it can get overwhelming and tiring ”

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

"Triggering"

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“At the end of the day, everyone is exposed to your private life + creeps in my dms”

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“If I don’t get sufficient likes, I archive my posts and feel bad about it”

UX Research - User Interview through Instagram DMs

“Sometimes it can get overwhelming and tiring ”

Goal Planning 🎯

What am I trying to achieve?

😞

Reducing insecurity amongst users

One significant issue among social media users is the pressure to project a perfect image. This affects both those posting and those viewing the posts. While perfect posts can boost confidence, striving for perfection in every aspect—such as pictures and captions—creates unrealistic expectations and pressure within the social media community. Some creators have started posting raw, unedited photos, showing real body images without hiding imperfections. These posts inspire users to embrace their true selves. Therapists on Instagram also contribute by sharing motivational and reality-based quotes. However, the number of creators promoting authenticity is still much smaller than those sharing idealised images.

Trends like #BeingReal and #NoFilter have gained traction, but they often fade, and users revert to curated posts. To combat this, social media platforms could encourage users to post spontaneous, unedited selfies to promote authenticity and reduce the pressure of perfection.

⏰

Ensuring user’s do not use social media continuously for more than a set time period.

Instagram currently allows users to set a time limit for app usage, but the reminder can easily be ignored with a single click. As one user mentioned in an interview, "I have a time limit set. But I don’t care. I just ask it to remind me later or forget for today." I tested this feature and found it equally ineffective. The current time limit employs false empathy, offering no real friction to prevent mindless scrolling. Additionally, it lacks an exit point to provide users with a sense of completion. Therefore, a new solution must be devised to address this issue effectively.

🗣️

Ensuring users are aware of how they feel & voice out when necessary

To create a safer social media community, individuals must feel free to express their thoughts. Corporate offices, educational institutions, and some websites offer psychologists, therapists, or help chatbots for immediate support. However, social media, an emotionally sensitive and often triggering space, lacks these resources. Helplines are typically reserved for emergencies, requiring users to find and dial the number, which involves significant effort. There is no easy way for users to release their emotions or feelings. Psychologists often help patients with anxiety or negative emotions by making them aware of their feelings. Regularly checking users' emotions could help them understand their feelings and establish healthier boundaries with social media usage.

Ideation & Minsmapping 🧠

How did I translate my goals into product features?

I used mind maps to outline goals and brainstorm ideas, identifying solutions that addressed multiple goals simultaneously.

As a creative person, I often get ideas randomly. Jotting them down helps me remember, but organizing, building, and selecting the best ideas is challenging. My thoughts are usually scattered, needing time to process and organize. To address this, I used Mind Mapping. As shown in the image, I listed my goals and branched out possible solutions, identifying those that met multiple goals. This method allowed me to refine my ideas, break down goals further, and identify design assumptions.

But my ideas were filled with assumptions I had to verify.

As a designer, assumptions about solutions are inevitable. To validate these assumptions, I decided to test them using Instagram polls. After receiving excellent response rates and valuable insights from my initial research on Instagram, I returned to this tool. Below are the assumptions and their validation results.

❌

Assumption: Positive Quotes make one feel better - lift up one’s mood.

Memes, relatable quotes, dog/cat videos make one feel better - not Positive Quotes.

✅

Assumption: Users are often unaware of their feelings until it's too late.

The assumption was true in this case.

❌

Assumption: Users wouldn’t want to talk to a chatbot about their feeling

Users wouldn’t mind talking to a chatbot as sometimes they just want to vent.

A question that randomly pops on the screen forces users to think about how they feel.
This allows users to stop scrolling/exit the app
Forces users to take a break (based on how they feel at the moment)
Uplifts users mood by showing them relatable and interesting posts/videos based on their user activities (special algorithm)

Feature 1 - Random check-in to ensure users know how they feel.

Ensuring users are aware of their feelings

Break Time

Feature 2 - Automatic 7 minutes break

The 7-minute break is automatically initiated when a user has been using Instagram for 45 minutes or more continuously
Reduces chances of social media addiction
Breaks the FOMO cycle, 24/7 Comparison, and constant exposure to positive toxicity
Not easy to bypass this break (unlike the current break solutions) as there are no active buttons in this step.

Therapy Bot

Feature 3 - A 24/7 Chatbot Therapist

A safe space for users to vent out their emotions
Users could just reflect on how they feel based on the questions posed by the chatbot.
Sends memes, GIFs to boost users' moods.
A common misconception is users do not feel comfortable talking to a chatbot about their feelings or problems. However, when I tested my design assumptions (scroll above), I got to know users don't mind venting out their feelings to a chatbot.
Unlike usual chatbots, this does not give options to users and allow them to type their feeling out (Don't think it's impossible! With Natural Language Processing (NLP) it might be an achievable feat)

Learnings & Reflection 🧠

What comes out of this journey?

Learnings

This was my first full-fledged passion project, involving numerous mistakes, roadblocks, exploration, problem-solving, and ideation (with lots of coffee) to reach my proposed solution. I learned the power of data and user feedback in UX, consistently seeking user opinions at every step, which simplified decision-making. However, I focused more on research than ideation and solution, which wasn't ideal. This experience taught me the importance of time management and good planning.

Exploring

Since this was a self-initiated passion project, I had the freedom to explore various mediums, like using Instagram polls for research and independently creating the style guide. I also read several scientific research papers, which is uncommon in other UX Design case studies but proved valuable when interpreted correctly. My tech background helped me ideate solutions using emerging technologies like NLP. This was all possible because I remained in explorer mode and didn't limit myself throughout the project.

What would I do if I had more time?

The topmost priority would be Usability Testing - I would love to test my prototypes with real users and gain feedback on them (make changes to the design and keep iterating). I would identify more triggers present in social media and necessary actions that could be taken to soften the blow for users. I would also interact with developers to identify the technological feasibility of the above-proposed solutions - as they involve designing algorithms and employing NLP.

The Outcome 🎬

What was my final outcome?

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LET'S

Connect

Problem Statement 🎯

What problem am I trying to solve?

Creating a more Mental Health Friendly space in Social Media, Social Media users tend to lose control of time and sense of reality while on social media causing mental exhaustion.

FEELING LOW & DEMOTIVATED

Imagine waking up to the social media post of your high school classmate, who usually post stories of her going on vacations, partying and having fun, graduating from an Ivy League College a year early...when last night you got to know you failed one of your modules in your state university despite working hard on it. You feel low and demotivated all of a sudden.

VALIDATING COMMENTS

Imagine finally posting a picture after days of reluctance and constantly checking your phone for the number of likes...only to receive a comment saying you look “Fat*”. Tears well up in your eyes as you instantly archive the post.

(* excuse the usage of derogatory terms; I was trying to illustrate a real-life scenario)

LOSS OF TIME

Imagine having your exams within a week with a large to-do list due right in front of you. You decide to start afresh after scrolling through Instagram for 5 minutes. You start mindlessly scrolling through. Don’t lie, you have been there. You then see the time. It’s 11 in the night. Guilt, annoyance, and irritation overwhelm you.

I hoped to mimic a naturalistic observation by using the Instagram features (Stories, Polls, Questions) to extract how user’s felt about Instagram itself. I did not have a set criteria for a target users. However, since I owned a private account, I was able to analyse the respondents accounts and do user profiling - a total of 58 users (aged 14-22) responded and below is a summary of the results.

62%

of my target users found Instagram to be an unsafe place.

81%

of my target users felt insecure about posting their own pictures.

78%

of my target users felt worse about their lives after comparing their lives with Instagram accounts.

The poll and exchange of messages led to a great comprehension of the feelings of user. Using Instagram, gave a personal touch to the research and allowed users to answer with comfort.

One important thing I learned is how there is no right way, no right method, and no right procedure to follow. UX is all about problem-solving and finding the best way to do so.

The Kids - Newbies to the world of social media

Newbies to the world of social media, easily get swooped right into the whirlwind.
Gets trapped in the facade of social media
Feels negative energy and feeling about how they look

The Adolescents - Trapped in social media

Victim to Body Insecurity
Seeks validation from social media
Feels addicted to social media and spends over half their day scrolling

The Adults - Living together with social media

Mid 20s-Mid 30s
Well aware that social media is not reality, but sometimes gets anxious/triggered over their peers celebrating successes
Engages in social comparison and tends to feel overwhelmed

User Research 👤👤

Whose problem am I trying to solve?

Who is the target audience? Who will this product be useful for? It is almost impossible to design for the entire world’s demographic. Everyone deals with their emotions in different ways. Everyone has different coping strategies and emotional reactions. Thus, based on the research and background study done earlier, I decided to identify my target audience.