This is the "design for social good" project for my Google UX Design Professional Certificate program.

the project & my role

Create a web application that utilizes GPT technology to conduct screenings, provide answers to questions, and facilitate counselor matching for the 988 National Suicide Prevention & Crisis Lifeline.

I am the UX designer leading the app design from conception to delivery. 

#Figma

research 

•  Background

Since introducing the 988 dial code and adding chat and text support options in 2020, Lifeline has experienced a significant increase in contacts.

In December 2022, the system saw more than 371,000 calls, texts, and chats, a 33% increase from the year prior. The most dramatic increase came from texts, which saw 59,400 incoming text conversations compared to 7,000 the year prior. 

• Challenges

Based on secondary research, the main challenges faced by the 988 Lifeline are:

1. Staffing and counselor availability.
2. Local support resource coordination.
3. Coordination with 911 dispatch.
4. Data aggregation for implementation and improvement efforts.

the problems & the goals

• The problem

The primary focus of this project is to address the challenge of staffing and counselor availability.

• The goal

Design a Lifeline chat experience that use GPT-powered chatbot to augment counselor and staff availability. 

the current lifeline chat user flow

Pain points

• users have to navigate through a cluttered website to access the chat page, which can add frustration to individuals who are in distress and seeking immediate help. 
• the impersonal pre-chat survey can add to users' distress and acts as a barrier for some users. 
• negative perception: the above factors may negatively impact users' perception of the service.

Solutions

• design a dedicated web application that is specifically designed for individuals seeking help, with a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to access the chat service page. 
• utilize a conversational dialogue approach to collect the necessary information from users and answer their questions. in a more natural and user-friendly manner. 
• provide button options to streamline information collection. 

alternative user flow

prototypes & mockups

conclusions

San Francisco Bay Area

© Hanhan C 2023
Ux designer