We must disrupt the status quo to dramatically improve lives.
Resetting expectations of normal by using human-centred design thinking is how we are going to change society for the better. We are passionate about solving hard problems using an innovative approach, it’s the only way we know to create a positive and lasting impact in the world.
Mental health is a huge problem. We need a new approach to solve it.
1 in 5 Australians will experience mental health issues this year. 65% won’t do anything about it. It’s a growing problem, The WHO projects that by 2030 depression is going to be the biggest cause of disability worldwide.
Undeniably we have seen a rise in stress, anxiety and depression in our consumption-driven society. Health care is stretched, and getting more expensive. The right care and support is inaccessible to those that need it most. Worse still, there is a toxic stigma to the term that prevents those that need help to seek it.
Mental health is still a dirty word, and we need to own it.
As makers and healthcare professionals we have a responsibility to solve the puzzle of providing modern support to people that need it. We need to strive for more than superficial band-aids, and we can only fix this growing problem using a human-centered approach.
We are obsessed about solving the profoundly important problem of accessible mental health treatment. Digital transformation is already changing the world. Now is time to disrupt the health industry by better understanding both patient and practitioner needs, to build the future of healthcare.
We believe that collaborating using a multi-disciplinary approach is the way we can deliver breakthroughs in both treatment and prevention. Ultimately, we want to work with experts that have the dream of delivering personalised care to anyone that needs it, anywhere and anytime.
Our mission is to transform how people think about mental health. Our goal is to build engaging and insightful tools that improve mental wellbeing, that are accessible to everyone.
We can make a significant difference together to help people live a better life. It’s this idea that sets our soul on fire.
“Wherever you go, there you are. – Confucius
What lead us here
We started with the observation that many of us suffered from a feeling of emptiness, and were too ashamed to do anything about it. Outside of our day jobs we started to investigate and found that people suffered in silence, it wasn’t just a health issue it was a stigma that prevented people from talking about it.
We realised it wasn’t just about emptiness and loneliness, we found that anxiety was the root of this anguish and this resulted in depression. We were surprised at the pervasiveness of the problem, how it infected lives of people from all walks of life. And how it seems to be getting worse.
We wanted to better understand people going through anxiety and depression, as well as the people that help them. We spoke with a software developer that had moved to Australia and found it hard to make friends. We spoke with a student who was struggling to transition into a full-time career. We spoke with a high flying, hard partying executive who felt lost in life. We also spoke to psychologists based in Australia and overseas to get their perspective.
From our empathy research, we developed two personas to help frame the hypothesis we were forming – can we transform the way people think about mental health and in doing so deliver transformative tools to help people live a better life?
Introducing Here
As a start-up and still working day jobs, we need a sharp focus to realise our ambitious vision. We have limited time, limited funds and a big dream, so we decided we need to focus on building a minimal viable product. A lean approach to help us launch, learn and iterate.
Product vision
“A companion that helps you stay in the moment by better understanding your relationship with yourself and your world.”
This vision allows us to focus and provides a lens to assess every decision we make. Our vision along with the personas we developed are hung on the walls in our home, where we are building Here. It’s a reminder to validate every idea and every problem against our mission, and allows us to iterate with our core users needs in mind at all times.
Our vision also reminds us that we’re not making another self-help app. There are enough meditation and fitness apps in the world.
There is no black and white way to look at wellbeing, everyone and everything is a shade of grey and Here reflects that. Everyone can benefit from better self-awareness and mental clarity. Not to hide their mental health treatment, but to be proud of it and excited to share the experience with their friends and family.
We want to bring a sense of challenge and fun to people’s lives, to be delighted every time they interact with Here. To learn something new about themselves and their world, to enjoy a sense of progress and achievement.
Here learns about habits and behaviours and adjusts accordingly through a personalised approach. Through beautiful human-centred design, engaging challenges and thoughtful insights, we want people to love being Here, every day.
Why are you here?
How it works
We are designing Here to bring you back to the present by offering a unique challenge or rethinking exercise, to connect you closer to yourself and your world. Over time, Here provides practical insights that increase your self-awareness.
1. How are you?
Like a close friend, we ask how are you doing? With a few quick taps, we understand how you’re feeling and what’s influencing it.
2. Try this
Next we give you a unique challenge tailored to you. It could be a rethinking exercise or an activity. Our challenges are surprising and grow as you do.
3. Become Self-aware
We give you insights to illuminate your life, to help you live a more balanced today.
Join our journey
We are just starting our journey to build Here. If you’re excited about what we’re doing and want to be involved, we’d love you to join us.
We’ll be documenting every aspect of building Here, from ideation workshops and designing prototypes, to building a team and going live. Along the way we are going to make a lot of decisions, and would love to have your input.
If you’d like us to stay in touch, follow us here on Medium and also sign up to our newsletter on our website. Other places you can here from us are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In a world where we are consumed with information, decisions and comparisons, Here is a chance to bring clarity into your world in the present moment. A chance to transform how mental health is perceived and treated.
“Forever is composed of nows – Emily Dickinson
