ReachOut has been providing online mental health support to the young people of Australia for over 20 years. In a time where being online is no longer a differentiator, ReachOut began a journey to reimagine how they support young people and their families into the future.
Mental ill-health is a growing concern for young people in Australia. ReachOut aims to support more young people on their mental wellbeing journey, destigmatise mental health and get them the help they need when they need it.
User research revealed that the perception of mental health support had broader wellbeing implications, including emotional and social wellbeing. From the perspective of parents and carers, this included behavioural shifts and issues. In addition, there was a strong desire from all users to find stories and advice that were specific to their circumstances and reflected their experiences.
ReachOut was used mainly as an informational website with a collection of disjointed products with low engagement; a holistic vision was needed to deliver a cohesive and seamless service.
The team of service designers were tasked to shape ReachOut’s future vision and value proposition. We worked closely with the organisation to understand the complexities of mental health support and design ReachOut’s future Youth and Parent & Carers services. The team cultivated new ways of working between teams for better collaboration, developed new service concepts based on user research, designed a holistic service model, and provided inputs for future strategy and roadmaps.
The new future direction builds on ReachOut’s strengths in being able to connect with young people. It also explores new areas for ReachOut to grow into to provide a more enriched support experience for young people and their families.
