Press Pause Inc.
Press Pause Inc.
Small Business / Est’d 2020.
Mental wellness brand with accessible mental health tools supported by research.
Project includes Brand Development / Website Design / Product Design / Business Strategy & Planning / UX Research
Press Pause became quite a large project with many twists and turns along the way - if you ask me about this one, I could talk for ages about its growth and change over the past three years. It is the ultimate passion project.
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Press Pause began as a free design project in Studio IV. Students were to create a project to fit into an RGD Student Awards category. Press Pause was designed for the Print Material / Social Good categories.
The idea was born from being personally stressed out and being surrounded by equally stressed and anxious peers. I deal with anxiety on a daily basis and I wanted to design something that took users offline to focus fully on their mental health.
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Due to COVID-19 and exploration of alternative co-op opportunities, I applied for the Spring 2020 cohort of the Conestoga College Venture Lab, which is a business accelerator program.
With the help of their mentors, I was able to get the kit reviewed and validated by subject matter experts. After months of work and various revisions, the kit was ready to go to market.
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In my second semester of the Venture Lab co-op, I secured my first sale with Conestoga College to deliver 9350 kits to ALL first-year students in the winter semester.
In the following months I continued to fulfil orders for more colleges, e-commerce customers, and partnered with organizations like Sun Life Financial to get the word out to more people.
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After the initial launch and following year and a half of business, I knew Press Pause had more to offer. I designed a second guided journaling experience, validated by experts in the field, and began partnering with more organizations like the Canadian Mental Health Association, National Division to get resources out to more people.
As my life changed and grew, so did the product and service offerings. Press Pause now works with organizations to design and deliver customized wellness tools, as well visual design work and user experience consulting specifically tailored to the health and wellness industry.
Original Mental Wellness Kit
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The mental wellness kit includes a 100-page journal that explores different cognitive behavioural therapy tools to improve feelings of stress and anxiety. It also includes a set of 10 coping cards to help with crisis management planning and monthly mood, medication, and sleep tracking.
The MindSet Journal
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The MindSet Journal is a 150-page guided journaling experience designed for ease of use. It includes crisis management planning, cognitive behavioural therapy tools, positive thinking tools, and peer-to-peer techniques to help individuals combat feelings of stress, sadness and loneliness.
Our Partners
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Canadian Mental Health Association | National
Customized Journals / Visual Design / UX Consulting
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Intact Public Entities | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits
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Sun Life Financial | National
Mental Wellness Kits & MindSet Journals / Promotional Materials
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Conestoga College | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits / Promotional Materials
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Durham College | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits
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Algonquin College | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits
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Northern College | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits & MindSet Journals / Promotional Materials
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Algoma University | Ontario
Customized MindSet Journals
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Georgian College | Ontario
Customized Mental Wellness Kits & MindSet Journals
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Axonify | Ontario
Mental Wellness Kits / Promotional Materials
Key Research
Overview
The big idea
A large amount of research and validation went into this project right from the start. Taking our users offline and helping them to focus fully on their mental health is one of the most important aspects of Press Pause. Press Pause was originally built for students by students. Here is some of the key research that informed the original designs.
What’s the problem?
Thinking about the student population
Canadian post-secondary student mental health is declining. Personal stigmas are strong. This affects all Canadians and we need more resources to better support this part of our population.
Post-secondary students are an at-risk group for poor mental health.
59.6% of students reported having felt hopeless.
64.5% reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety.
44.4% reported feeling so depressed that they had difficulty functioning.
Important Design Aspects
Accessibility
Colour contrast, legibility, sizing
Writing in plain language
Font size and spacing
Bulleted lists
Colour Psychology
Gender neutrality
Violet represents peace and wisdom
Green is quiet, restful and soothing
Inducing chromotherapy
Branding
Considering the audience
Creating interest and differentiation
Creating a feeling of calm and honesty
Variations of logos, names, colours, etc were explored before arriving at the current style.
Market Gaps
Distress tools for post secondary
Specific resources that have been designed with post-secondary students in mind that will benefit them in particular.
Cost-effective alternatives to therapy
Options other than therapy that take users offline but are cost effective. It can be expensive, but at times, necessary.
Print resources for depression and isolation
Print tools are focused on stress & task management. Lack of printed tools to help with feelings of sadness and isolation.
Why Post-Secondary Matters
Age Range:
68% of students are 18-25 y/o
50% of mental health problems start by 14 y/o
75% of mental health problems start by 24 y/o
Vulnerable Population:
More at risk of developing mental health problem
New stress factors
Increased feelings of stress and sadness
Continuous Testing and Feedback
Since Press Pause has gone to market, it has entered a constant realm of feedback from our partners and customers on our eCommerce website. All information we are given is confidential and anonymous unless our customers state otherwise. We use this information to constantly update our content, keeping it as relevant and user-friendly as possible.
The MindSet Journal
The MindSet Journal
The MindSet Journal was designed as part of a thesis project. I have a presentation link for anyone interested in learning more about how the second phase of the project came to be.
Want to learn more?
Visit the Press Pause Website for more information.
To talk about opportunities to partner with Press Pause: please email presspauseinc@gmail.com or connect with us on social media @presspausewellness.
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