Snuggles

Developed for the Sun Life Design Hackathon 2024 (Mental Health theme), Snuggles is a mental health intervention product with a lovable sea animal mascot, created to support the emotional well-being of children aged 6–16.
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Overview:

Snuggles is an innovative mental health intervention tool designed for children aged 6–16, featuring a sea animal mascot to engage and comfort its users. Targeted for use in professional settings such as schools, psychotherapy practices, trauma counselling centers, and social work environments, Snuggles offers a broad spectrum of mental health resources, including helplines, online support, and a chatbot. It promotes mental well-being through activities like breathing exercises, social interactions, and outdoor activities. The product includes a dedicated app and a physical plushie with features like heating, a weighted bottom, breathing sounds, and ASMR to provide comfort and support. In schools, Snuggles employs a sharing model for the plushie, ensuring wide access among students, and places plushies in guidance counsellor offices for additional support. This setup not only helps children cope with emotional challenges but also enables staff to observe and tailor their support more effectively.

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Team Members:

Jasmine Dhaliwal, Linh Khuong, Flora Li, Reyna Gandhi, Atheshan Sureshkumar, and Sienna Zhao

My role:

- Graphic designer: Created a visually appealing and comforting design for Snuggles that resonates with the target age group (6–16 years). This includes the mascot design, app interfaces, promotional materials, persona, and presentation slides.

- UX/UI designer: Designed an intuitive and engaging user interface for the Snuggles app that facilitates easy access to mental health resources, activities, and chatbot functionalities.

- UX researcher: conducted research to understand the mental health needs of weighted blankets and worry dolls.

- Business analyst: Analyzed the market for mental health intervention tools for children to identify opportunities and challenges. Understand the competitive landscape and pinpoint Snuggles' unique value proposition.

Problem statement: 

The challenges of protecting children's mental health is characterized by three primary barriers: 

  1. Insufficient care and awareness hindering early diagnosis and prevention efforts
  2. Limited resources, including tools and financial capabilities, limiting access to necessary support
  3. Delays in receiving immediate care, as the process to reach medical professionals is often prolonged
Snuggles, a smart plushie accompanied by a dual-portal app, designed for children aged 6-14. Snuggles is more than a toy; it's a holistic mental health intervention tool, seamlessly integrating into the lives of children through schools and social work environments. Snuggles aims to bridge the gap in current mental health support systems.
We shift to a user journey and introduce personas like Tommy and his mom, which humanizes the Snuggles experience.  This journey not only showcases the product's features but also its capacity to foster a supportive environment for both children and their guardians.
From Tommy's first day in 4th grade to his interactions with Snuggles, the team illustrates a pathway of engagement—from mood tracking and gamified mental wellness activities to the critical moment when Snuggles alerts Tommy's mom about his prolonged sadness.
This journey not only showcases the product's features but also its capacity to foster a supportive environment for both children and their guardians.
Snuggles tried to remind of the complexities children face between ages 6 to 14, including identity, bullying, and isolation. Snuggles is not just a tool but a sanctuary for open discussions and early developmental support, positioning it as a revolutionary step in children's mental health care.