Kokomo Research

Take ways:

Note: The project is currently only in the research phase

Every Research is only as good as their research plan.

This plan includes all the areas you'll want to explore during your research and the various methods you'll use.

By Brad Nunnally & David Farkas from "UX Research: Practical techniques for designing better products"

Before conceptualising product features, we conducted both secondary and primary research. In this interview process, since it is not a requirements interview and the product requirements are not yet defined, the analysis of secondary research becomes particularly important. Before the interview, formulating the criteria for "Good Questions" was more challenging than usual.

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Abstract

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented public health crisis to the world. Although the preventive measures taken by various countries have helped control the spread of the virus, they have also significantly impacted people's lives. Many face economic pressures, social isolation, and severe threats to mental health. While Taiwan showed early promise in controlling the outbreak, the prolonged battle against the pandemic has introduced various adaptive challenges for its residents. According to statistics, the number of people seeking psychological counselling services has significantly increased since the outbreak, reflecting the negative impact of the pandemic on mental health and the urgent need for professional psychological assistance.

Objective

In conversations with psychologists, it became evident that this is a field where professionals often feel isolated. Psychologists need to invest substantial time and energy in self-improvement, caring for clients, interacting with partner organizations, and managing their social media presence. They use a variety of tools to accomplish these complex and time-consuming tasks. Our goal is to develop an innovative online psychological consultation platform called "Kokomo.life," which consolidates the tools psychologists need in one place and integrates closely with their work processes. This platform will combine artificial intelligence technology with the expertise of professional psychologists to provide personalized and high-quality mental health services. We hope that this tool will offer a convenient, affordable, and highly confidential channel for psychological support, effectively alleviating the mental distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ultimately, it aims to help individuals address issues related to life, work, and interpersonal relationships, promoting overall mental and physical well-being.

Research plan

Methods:

The research methodology adopts a mixed design, initially conducting secondary data collection and literature review to compile the current status and challenges of mental health issues.

In the secondary research, we found that:

• The public has reservations about seeking professional psychological assistance.

• The distribution of psychological healthcare resources in Taiwan is uneven between urban and rural areas.

• There is an imbalance between the supply of psychologists and the demand from clients.

• There is insufficient promotion of physical and mental health awareness.

The possible reason of barriers:

The top 3 reason:

1. Social stigma

2. Lack of awareness of illness

3. Belief in self-resolution

Interviews:

Based on these preliminary findings, we will conduct qualitative interviews to delve deeper into the actual needs and expectations of the public regarding psychological counselling.

We interviewed two individuals, Lori and Penny (pseudonyms), to understand how they found their current counselling services and the obstacles they faced in seeking treatment:

Lori:

"At that time, it was during the peak of the pandemic, and people were reluctant to go out. Moreover, I didn't have any friends with relevant experiences, so I searched through Google. It took a long time because some counselling centres required too many details on their forms, or when there were many counsellors, I wasn't sure how to make an appointment. Eventually, I quickly found a counselling centre where I could book an appointment immediately. However, it also took some time to find the right fit with a psychologist, and now I've switched to a different one."

"The reason for switching psychologists was that I didn't feel much improvement. It might be because I only had sessions once a month, so I didn't always review the assignments given by the psychologist. A lot happens in four weeks, and just analysing the reasons could take more than half an hour."

"As for mental health-related apps, I'm still looking for a suitable one. I've tried some self-help apps, like headspace pillow etc, but they didn't resonate with me. I always felt like they lacked some motivation for me to use them."

Penny:

"I kept delaying until my body couldn't take it anymore and I had to go to the emergency room. Later, due to financial issues, I didn't go for counseling. Instead, I relied on daily journaling and detailed my troubles to the doctor during each follow-up visit. I do have people around me who are in counseling, and they often switch counseling centers."

"I found out on my own that journaling was quite effective, so I haven't used any mental health-related apps."

Professionals:

We interviewed three psychologists. The questions and their responses are as follows:

We categorised the psychologists' responses into the following common information groups:

• "Insufficient psychological counselling staff in schools"

• "Willingness to recommend self-help tools"

• "Information security considerations"

• "AI chatbot"

Conclusion:

From the above charts, we can derive four directions for further development:

• "Tools that can interact with clients"

• "Solutions for different demographic groups"

• "AI applications"

• "The issue of insufficient capabilities of psychologists"

Kokomo.life

Kokomo, based on the aforementioned research, proposed the concept of "a product designed for psychologists and clients, changing the dilemma of clients having to find psychologists on their own. This product equips psychologists with tools we developed, enabling them to reach into various areas and serve the communities they care about, thus making psychologists the central service providers." Tools are developed according to this concept in response.

See website

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Reference：
For the People on Taiwan, Mental Health Care is Now Just a Tap Away

Barriers to Professional Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Chinese Adults: A Systematic Review

Combating stigmas in Taiwan about mental health

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