Headgear is an app designed to promote mental fitness for those in male-dominated workplaces.
Male-dominated workplaces face specific challenges (like high stigma and low help-seeking). Moreover, workers in these industries (eg. firefighting, law enforcement, construction, mining, agriculture, etc.) have unique preferences for what they're interested in engaging with, with respect to wellbeing. Therefore, it was essential to include workers directly in the app design process in order to ensure the app would be relevant, engaging and genuinely helpful for them.
I conducted user workshops with over 60 firefighters and transport workers to identify their needs and preferences, and provide design ideas for a wellbeing app they'd actually use. I then combined the results of user research with the research-based resilience content created by psychologists at the Black Dog Institute, to create an interaction design for the app. Finally, I worked iteratively with users and the psychology team to design the visual identity, user interface and look and feel.
The app has finished recruiting for a Randomized Controlled Trial and is now available on the app stores.
The app was created at the Wellbeing-supportive Technology Lab at the University of Sydney in collaboration with mental health researchers at the Black Dog Institute and the Brain and Mind Centre.
Headgear is 1 of 4 products that form part of the Well@Work Initiative which focuses on improving the mental health of men and women in male-dominated workplaces.
This project was funded by beyondblue with funds from the Movember Foundation.
