What is the problem your company is trying to solve by having this work done? What are your criteria for success?

The MommaConnect project is rooted in the compelling research and statistics surrounding postpartum depression (PPD) and its impact on maternal mental health and infant outcomes. PPD affects approximately 1 in 5 women, with higher rates observed among African American/Black (AA/B) women after giving birth. The adverse effects of untreated PPD include chronic and treatment-resistant depression, functional impairment, dysfunctional family relationships, and increased suicide risk in mothers. Furthermore, PPD negatively affects

mother-infant interaction, leading to decreased attention to infant safety, reduced breastfeeding rates, and poor infant developmental outcomes. Infants of mothers with PPD are at significant risk for long-term cognitive, emotional, and neurobehavioral issues. Access to specialized mental healthcare for AA/B women with PPD is limited, exacerbating healthcare disparities. MommaConnect addresses these challenges by offering evidence-

based therapies, such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Mother-Baby Interaction Therapy (MBI), targeting both mothers with PPD and their infants. By leveraging a tailored mHealth platform, MommaConnect improves treatment accessibility, reduces mental health stigma, and addresses social determinants of health. It provides a comprehensive and innovative approach to perinatal mental health, aiming to enhance therapy sessions, facilitate ongoing monitoring and support, and ultimately improve outcomes for AA/B mothers and their infants. MBC is one of only three programs that target intensive mental health treatment among low-income postpartum women of color. MommaConnect’s innovative features include:

●      MommaConnect combines evidence-based therapies for maternal mental health and mother-infant interaction.

●      MommaConnect utilizes a customized digital platform for remote psychotherapy and support.

●      MommaConnect overcomes access barriers by offering online/offline capabilities and targeting low-income postpartum women (African American/Black mothers with PPD).

●      MommaConnect enables the collection of patient data and promotes collaborative treatment decisions between clinicians and patients.

Project scope:

For the project, we are doing an updated iteration of the development of a mobile app for AA/Black mothers. For the Springboard project, we want to develop initial mock-ups and test them with the AA/Black mothers. We have some initial themes/concepts drafted based on the focus group sessions and we would like for the team to work on design iterations. Also, for the clinicians-side design is to be updated and tested by the clinicians. 

High-Level Requirements

The design of the system component must include:

• Allow for the creation of mobile education applications for use by AA/Black mothers focused on PPD/maternal and MBI/IPT education.
• Provide a design system for the current and future expansion of the program including style guides
• Two iterations of the interactive wireframe for A/B testing with AA/Black mothers
• Hi-fi revisions for the mothers-side & clinicians-side app design and functionality
• Implement 12-week educational content

Deliverables

●      Interactive 12-week therapy educational content for mothers

●      Hi-fi wireframe mother/clinician interaction

●      Interactive Wireframe in Figma

●      Two iterations of the interactive wireframes for A/B testing with AA/Black mothers implementing two therapy concepts (MBI/IPT), chat features between clinicians and mothers, and educational/homework activities for engaging AA/Black mothers (Second iteration of interactive wireframe based on feedback from focus group testing)

High-Level Timeline/Schedule

●    Week 1 – Onboarding, Current App Design Walkthrough, IDP Goals, Finalize / Align IDP Plan

●    Week 2 – App Design Iteration / Team review for 12-week therapy educational content

●    Week 3 –Interactive Wireframe / Feedback

●    Week 4 – Recruitment / User testing

●    Week 5 – Revision of design/ Wrap up

• Preparation of any relevant resources and assets in advance of the kickoff call
• With regular weekly check-in calls
• Reasonably responsive throughout the collaboration to ensure progress is not blocked.
• Allow the learners to share the work they do for us in job search materials
• Provide regular feedback on the material and guidance to achieve milestones