Digital Mental Health Resources for Children and Youth : Evaluation of Strengths in User Interface Design

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the positive user interface (UI) design of digital mental health resources for children and youth. For this purpose, a heuristic model is introduced and heuristic evaluation is used as a method to systematically assess 49 digital mental health resources. In the assessment, the resources are evaluated by observing the prevalence of UI design strengths defined in the heuristic model. The results of the study indicate that the resources analyzed have strengths especially in the dimensions of visual design, content, reliability, engagement and functional design. Furthermore, all of the resources have at least four design strengths, creating a good basis for increasing positive design. However, further research is needed to establish how to incorporate positive design into digital mental health resources designed for children and youth.