App Features
Taboo prides itself on being able to offer support in a modern way. By combining proven techniques with a specifically designed interface in terms of design and functionality and innovitive features, this allows each and every user to get the best possible experience from the app. Accessing support as an when they need it; in a way that hasn't been done before and communicating within a safe space helping to tackle the mental health stigma in society.
Instant Chat
Other means of accessing support such as call, video chat and
face-to-face therapy don't keep up with modern approaches to communication and mental health, leaving people feeling like a burden or even feeling unworthy of accessing support. By using an instant chat feature this ensures that there is a way for everyone to access the help and support that they need. Instant chat can be used to communicate with friends or professionals and is done so in a confidential manner. You get notifications on recieving new messages and the interface has been designed for ease of use and maximum functionality. This is a new and unique feature to mental health apps.
Mood Tracking
Mood tracking is proven to help people in moving forward and getting the right kind of support, which is where the chat features comes in. Taboo's mood tracking utilises a different interface to that of its competitors in that it has all the information you need but displayed in a clean and minimal way. The circle represents the days of each month, the day you need to input has a white outline and you select one of 5 feelings, Awful, Bad, Meh, Good and Great!, that day will then fill with the corresponding colour. Keeping it so simplistic allows users to quickly idenitfy their moods on given days and months and helps to start noticing patterns.
Announce
At the heart of every social media app is the sharing concept and Taboo is no different in that sense, when you have tracked your mood for the day you get the option to 'announce' it, this will display it on your profile and the friends that follow you can see it. This allows people to open a conversation, normalising sharing your moods wheter they are good or bad and tackle the mental health taboo. You can also announce streaks, consistent same moods or even how many days in a row you have inputted your mood further cementing the normalising of mental health habits.
Celebrate
Each announcement made to a profile has the option to be 'celebrated' this is much like liking people's posts as on other platforms but there are no counters however so it merely acts as a way to recognise achievements. This tackles the negative side of other social media apps removing the competition with others and instead just celebrating success and showing support. You can. also comment on others announcements and these are visible by clicking on the announcment card. If an announcement has been commented on or celebrated the icon goes from a line sign to a filled in colour.
Trigger Warnings
Mood tracking has been used in recent years, particularly on social media apps such as YouTube and Twitter, as a way of informing others of potentially sensative topics. This allows people to brace themselves but also to avoid watching or seeing things before they accidentally see something with no choice. This puts people in control of information they take in in otherwise little controlled environments. Each trigger point is represented by a colour which is simply displayed above a users profile image. By doing this it informs people of which topics may not be ideal to discuss with certain friends and helps to create the safe space that Taboo is.