My role in PrimePoint involved conducting user and stakeholder research to identify our target audience and their specific needs, motivations, and challenges. I also facilitated workshops to develop service and program concepts that could raise awareness about mental well-being.
While studying psychology, I often got questions from people I know about how to start seeing a psychologist and when one might be necessary. This revealed a significant gap in public discussions about mental well-being and the challenges people face in seeking help.
In mid-2019, a psychologist friend introduced me to a psychiatrist and an individual with Bipolar disorder from her network. Sharing similar concerns about the stigma surrounding mental health, we created "PrimePoint," an initiative to enhance mental health awareness.
Through PrimePoint, we recognized the power of community in breaking down the barriers of mental health stigma, creating pathways to care that resonate on a personal and communal level.
Secondary Research
We conducted secondary research on mental health in Indonesia by reviewing reports from various community and non-primary healthcare organizations. According to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Health, approximately 18.5 million Indonesians, or 8-10% of the population, suffer from mental health issues, many of which go unreported.Our findings highlighted a significant disparity in mental health resources: only one clinical psychologist per 555,000 people, one psychiatrist per 324,000 people, and one professional caregiver for every 40,000 people. This is far from the WHO's recommended ratio of 1:30,000. Given the challenges in quickly increasing the number of mental health professionals, the importance of self-care and awareness of mental well-being becomes even more crucial.
Potential User/Community Member Research
We interviewed potential users to understand their needs, motivations, and challenges in managing their mental well-being and accessing mental healthcare professionals.From these interviews, we identified two primary user groups:
The Health Service pyramid shows that the necessity for top-level mental health interventions varies with condition severity. Given the scarcity of mental healthcare professionals, preventive and promotive self-care is essential for maintaining mental well-being.
The insights gathered from user research show that there are 2 major different needs from the user that we are targeting. One group is more familiar with mental healthcare services but need help to to find the one most suitable for their needs (“Tell me how”) while the other group need a complete guidance on understanding what they need and why they need mental healthcare services (“Tell me what and why”).
Ideation Workshop
After synthesizing user insights, I led an ideation session to develop service and program concepts for PrimePoint. We aim for PrimePoint to educate individuals on mental well-being and facilitate connections with mental health professionals and supportive communities.
Our strategy focuses on collaboration rather than isolation. We plan to expand PrimePoint by building ongoing partnerships with mental health experts and diverse communities engaged in art and social practices that share our commitment to mental well-being. This network will collectively enhance public education on mental health.
Exploration of Business Models
To ensure PrimePoint's sustainability as a non-profit and independent movement, we conducted a workshop to explore potential business models. From this session, we identified several viable revenue streams, including a freemium model, ticketing for events, and fees from speaking engagements.
Based on the insights, the founding members also defined our unique service proposition and how we want to make the movement sustainable in the long run. We explored several possible business models for the movement.
Prototyping and Testing
We had been prototyping PrimePoint's movement and business model, delivering workshops and group sessions to promote well-being and professional help-seeking for about 2 years. Throughout this time, we've also built networks with mental healthcare professionals and related movements.
Maintaining momentum was our greatest challenge, as the founding members juggled full-time jobs, affecting our ability to consistently engage our audience and generate steady revenue, which impacted the sustainability of the movement. Additionally, the 2020 pandemic required us to transition to online workshops and sessions, which somewhat limited our reach.
We did several prototyping strategies by holding a number of workshops and intimate group sharing sessions, as well as distributing some digital materials to help people learn skills to take care of their mental well-being and encourage them to seek as well as connect them to mental healthcare professionals and communities who work in similar field as us.
From establishing the community and organizing PrimePoint initiatives, I've learned: