BeKind
An app for children and young people focused on digital well-being, enhanced with gamification elements and empathetic design.
Research
Ui/Ux
Background & Purpose
This project was developed in collaboration with Tilia in mind, an organization that supports young people experiencing mental health challenges. The goal was to design a digital platform that promotes balance, reflection, and community — a safe extension of Tilia’s mission to strengthen young people’s well-being.
The challenge we identified was that many young people feel isolated or overwhelmed by social media. BeKind Social was created to counteract these effects by offering tools that encourage mindfulness, connection, and healthier digital habits. The platform combines community features, stress-management tools, and gentle reminders to take breaks. Supporting users in finding a sustainable balance between online and offline life.
"How can a physical, human-centered card experience be translated into a digital product without losing its warmth and reflection-driven quality?"
My role
My role in the project focused on concept development, structure and visual Ux design. I contributed early in the ideation process and introduced the idea of an interactive Lotus avatar, inspired by the Tamagotchi concept, which later became a core feature of the platform. The avatar visually represents the user’s mental state and growth, encouraging care and self-reflection.
I also designed key parts of the interface, including the navigation bar layout structure and overall visual hierarchy. I helped set design guidelines for typography and colors to ensure a cohesive, calming experience that aligns with Tilia’s identity.
In addition, I participated in user interviews and internal usabilety testing, observing how users interacted with the prototype and helping identify friction points in navigation and onboarding. My strength in this project was combining creativity with structure.
Design process
Understand
We began by exploring how social media affects young people’s mental health through interviews and surveys with users aged 16–25. The insights revealed patterns of stress, comparison, and pressure to stay constantly connected. Many participants expressed a desire for digital spaces that encourage calmness and authenticity rather than competition or performance.
Ideate
Using Crazy 8´s and group brainstorming, we generated a wide range of ideas addressing stress reduction and community support. Together we developed concepts like pause reminders, an interactive map of local activities and the Lotus avatar system that rewards healthy digital behavior.
We visualized user journeys and flows in Miro to identify pain points and ensure that each feature contributed to a sense of calm and empowerment
Define
From our research and idea sessions, we formulated the guiding question:
“How might we design a digital platform that helps young people build healthier relationships with social media and themselves?”
The design direction focused on simplicity, emotional support and self reflection, avoiding gamified pressure or performance-based rewards. Every design choice — from colors to interaction patterns — was made to encourage mindfulness and trust.
Prototype & Test
We began with low-fidelity wireframes to test flow and structure, then moved to mid and high-fidelity prototypes in Figma. I collaborated on the overall layout, built reusable components, and designed the navigation and avatar pages.
Our usability tests revealed that some features were unclear and the purpose of the platform needed to be more visible. Based on this feedback, we simplified the onboarding process, improved navigation logic, and refined the visual hierarchy. The final prototype featured an interactive Lotus avatar, chat and community tools, and a map-based event feature encouraging real-world participation.
Learnings & Conclusion
This project strengthened my ability to combine empathy-driven research with structured Ux design. It showed how iterative testing and collaboration can turn a complex social issue into a clear, engaging product experience.
I learned to balance emotional design with usability-ensuring that each element supports calmness and user trust. The process also highlighted the importance of small but meaningful details, such as navigation feedback and clear visual hierarchy, in creating a feeling of safety.
BeKind Social taught me that good UX isn’t only about efficiency — it’s about designing experiences that help users feel connected, understood and in control.
