RESEARCH
OUR GOAL
"How can we design a digital tool that provides relevant, culturally responsive and reliable information about stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne, for young adults that are struggling with the negative impacts of COVID-19 updates in today’s news cycle?"
INITIAL RESEARCH
Who are we creating for?
Young adults, between the ages of 18 - 28 years old. Including casual employees, unemployed, diverse cultural backgrounds, local and international students.
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Why are young people in Australia avoiding news related to COVID-19?
- Switching off more. They do not feel comfortable receiving COVID-19 information through mainstream media.
- Wanting to practice self-care instead
- Lack of trust in media coverage, feeling like it is dramatised and a chore to get informed.
What impact does this have on young people living in stage 4 restrictions?
- Poorer mental health
- Feeling of being overwhelmed
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- Misinformed
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- Breaking restriction rules and spreading the virus
How have stage 4 restrictions affected their well-being?
What are the factors that cause these experiences?
- Unemployment, job loss, reduction or increase in working hours, and financial hardship.
- A lack of availability and support for ongoing education and training.
- Isolated at home with limited social interaction and no access to various entertainment resources.
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- Distant proximity from family members and support systems. This is especially relevant for international residents and students.
- Amongst all the age groups, young adults are especially less motivated, energetic, confident or able to concentrate, plan, organise, trust or initiate.
- They tend to feel more lonely, a loss of freedom and craving face-to-face social interactions.
- Some have also experienced fear about the unknown, frustration, boredom, inadequate support, inadequate information, financial loss, and stigma.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Interview
Survey
Conducting interviews was one of the first steps in our research process. We interviewed a total of 9 participants with varying backgrounds while still meeting the criteria of our target audience. Through this process we received some valuable insights from our interviewees.
In order to collect further information from our target audience, we conducted an online survey. This was an easy method to reach many young people, especially during the current stage 4 restrictions in Victoria. After conducting our survey, we received a total of 23 responses, revealing some important information, especially from participants with different cultural backgrounds.
INSIGHTS
These are the key insights we gathered and analyzed based on the feedback from interview and survey.
Restriction Update
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The young adult participants trust government-provided information, such as government websites, to get the latest COVID-19 and stage 4 restrictions updates.
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Searching information about particular topics is more popular within our target audience. These range from travel, education, career, to nightlife.
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Daily Routine
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Stage 4 restrictions have greatly impacted the daily routines of most of our interviewees, with challenges arising such as a lack in motivation, productivity and social interaction.
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Users have also struggled to establish a new daily routine.
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Mental Health​
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Our interviewees tend to find activities to do when they are trying to improve their mental well-being. This ranges from doing something creative, socializing, whether virtually or within their household, or exercising.
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Participants were cautious not to end up self- diagnosing their mental health.
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Digital Tools​
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Existing mental health apps weren’t the preferred method of finding information, or improving our interviewees’ mental well-being. Instead, other audio platforms such as Spotify and entertainment services like TikTok were used.
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When it comes to reading specific mental health information, websites specifically dedicated to mental health are preferred.
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Not paying for apps or unlocking features is significantly preferred by our interviewees.
Survey Data
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Majority, 89%, of participants who are not native English speakers have no problem reading and watching COVID- 19 related information. They feel confident about their understanding of lockdown restrictions and rules released by the government.
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Over 60% of the participants who have religious practices have been impacted due to lockdown restrictions.
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73% of participants have admitted that their mental well- being has been below average during stage 4 restrictions.
Coping With Lockdown​
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Talking to family or friends, using social media, and searching YouTube videos are the most common methods used to find mental health related information.
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Only one third of the participants have used digital products or services to improve their mental well-being so far. However, all expressed interest in using games, mobile apps and video platforms to help them stay positive.
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CONCLUSIONS
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The participants believed that they’re generally well-informed about stage 4 restrictions, however can feel confused about particular aspects, as specific questions are not always answered.
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Majority of the participants who are not native English speakers have no significant problem understanding COVID-19 related information.
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Most participants got their information about stage 4 restrictions from government websites rather than other media outlets.
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Half of the participants daily routines have been affected moderately. However, struggled coping with the drastic change of their lives which has resulted in lack of productivity and poor mental health due to lockdown measures.
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Participants tried to complete various activities in efforts to improve their mental health, with the majority falling under exercising and socializing activities.
NEXT STEPS
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Through our initial research, we developed a broad understanding of the importance to build a digital platform that offers essential and relevant information and services, in order to help young adults during the COVID-19 stage 4 restrictions.
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This research influences our next stage which is the conceptual development of the product design.
EXTRA RESEARCH
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