Stay Alive Case study

I redesigned the Stay Alive suicide prevention app to reduce stress for users in crisis. Guerrilla testing revealed four key pain points: unclear iconography, saving issues, hidden features, and confusing interactions. To combat this I proposed accessible, user-centred design changes that better support people when they need it most.

The Challenge

Stay Alive is a UK-based suicide prevention app created by Grassroots Suicide Prevention. It offers essential features like safety planning, breathing tools, wellness support, and crisis helplines. However, usability testing and secondary research revealed that several of its most critical features were hard to find or interact with — a major concern for users in crisis.

The app needed to remain calm and visually non-intrusive, while becoming more intuitive, accessible, and supportive in moments of cognitive overload.

Goals

• Improve usability of core crisis tools

• Reduce friction and confusion

• Enhance accessibility for neurodivergent users and those in distress

Constraints

• Maintain the app’s calm, minimal visual tone

• Design for a wide range of user needs to combat high-stress environments

Original Designs

Research

I approached this project using:​

Research Methods

• Guerrilla usability testing with 3 participants

• User review analysis

• Testimonial and support forum analysis

• Academic literature, including accessibility and suicide prevention design studies

Before conducting interviews, I considered the sensitivity of the app’s topic. I was transparent about its content when recruiting, ensured participants gave informed consent, and avoided triggering language. Each session began with a briefing on potentially sensitive topics, a second round of consent, and a check-in about language or areas to avoid. Participants were reminded they could skip questions or stop at any time.

Key Insights

• Users found the Safety Plan icon confusing, interpreting it as statistics

• Save functions were not clearly visible, resulting in lost work

• Navigation to key features like "My Stay Alive" felt hidden

• Users wanted calming features like guided meditations

• Tick box inputs were unintuitive and caused frustration

Research Images

Strategy

My goal was to simplify interaction without overwhelming the user. This meant:

• Mapping common user flows during moments of distress

• Applying UX heuristics like recognition over recall, visibility of system status, and user control

• Prioritising elements that reduce cognitive load and create a sense of safety

Design Process

I made targeted design recommendations for four main issues:

1. Safety Plan Icon Redesign

Before : Looked like a stats graph — misleading in crisis
After : Replaced with a hard hat, which users associated with protection and safety

2. Clearer Save Button

Before : Users didn't realise they had to manually save
After : Added a persistent sticky “Save” button for visibility

3. Tick Box Confusion

Before : Ticks only worked in edit mode, causing frustration
After : Introduced an interactive collage interface with pre-filled or user-created reason cards

4. Meditation Feature

Before : Not present, but repeatedly requested
After : Added simple, optional guided meditations beside the breathing tool

Low-fi Wireframe

Mid-Fidelity Wireframe

High-Fidelity Designs