ANNA FREUD • PROJECT 2025
Anna Freud
Designing a clearer discovery experience for mental health resources with an AI-assisted workflow.
Overview
How might we provide young people and their families easier access to trusted information about mental health?
The Anna Freud Centre provides resources supporting child and family mental health. This project focused on reducing friction in discovery and helping users feel confident they’re finding trustworthy, accurate guidance.
Research
Secondary Research
We reviewed patterns and constraints around mental health information seeking, especially trust, accuracy, and sensitive user needs. We looked at platforms like earkick, Reach RX, and Sonar.
Survey
Objective
Understand barriers to accessing mental health resources.
Target Demographics
Ages 12–17, 18–22, 23–30, 30+.
Participants
Parents, kids, and young adults.
Interviews
Methods
Survey respondents who opted in for an interview.
Testing Process
15–20 minute interviews.
Procedure
Participants were given background context, then prompted to answer a set of qualitative questions.
Themes We Focused On
Parent confidence + addressing support needs, trust & perception of AI, and barriers to accessing mental health resources.
Interview Goals
Understand pain points in current experiences, identify indicators of trust and accessibility, and assess perception of AI in health care.
Usability Tests
Goals
Evaluate effectiveness of resource design, understand navigational preferences, and analyze usage habits.
Method
Prompt interviewees to answer a standardized set of questions to understand design and navigation flow preferences.
Tested On
Resources suggested by survey responses.
Testing Duration 10–15 minutes
Before Testing
A small set of questions to understand usage habits of familiar resources.
During Testing
While screen-sharing, users walk through and answer questions for a new resource.
Post Testing
Questions about the experience of navigating the new resource.
Synthesis
We worked to understand users through affinity mapping, connecting themes across clusters to identify the strongest signals.
Key Insights
Across the research, three things mattered most: personalized guidance, trustworthy sources, and accurate information.
Preferred Features for Online Resources
Users want quick ways to narrow and find relevant information without information overload.
Visual & Functional Elements
Clarity comes from scannable layouts, simple language, and obvious next steps.
Resource Utilization & Challenges
Search is often fragmented across many places; switching costs reduce follow-through.
Mental Health Needs
Support needs vary. Users look for reassurance, guidance, and credible routes to help.
Perception of AI in Mental Health Resources
AI is accepted when it’s transparent, grounded in trusted sources, and not “diagnosing”.
Comfort with AI in Seeking Mental Health Support
Comfort increases when the user stays in control and can verify sources.
Primary Support Network
Parents/caregivers and peers influence what resources feel safe to try.
Frequency & Comfort in Mental Health Discussions
Language should reduce stigma and make it easier to start the conversation.
Interview Insights
The key points we identified were: fragmented experience, systemic barriers, what works, and receptiveness to AI.
Personas
We captured two core personas, Karly and James, representing different levels of familiarity and support needs.
Ideation
We translated insights into opportunity statements and explored solutions that improved clarity without sacrificing trust.
How Might We
We reframed the problem into actionable “How might we” prompts that balanced sensitivity, clarity, and trust.
Prototype
We prototyped an “Ask Anna” experience that supports browsing, saving, and returning to curated resources without overwhelming users.
Home
Entry points that encourage exploration and reduce pressure to “search perfectly”.
Collections
Curated groupings that help users compare and return to what matters without starting over.
Saved & Continue Later
Lightweight saving so users can pause and return. This is important for sensitive topics and time-constrained caregivers.
Impact
Lowered the barrier to discoveryMultiple entry points for “I don’t know what to search”.
Increased repeatability
Collections + save flows support returning users.
Maintained trust
Content remains grounded in curated resources rather than open-ended answers.
