Problem: Feature on facebook to combat depression, suicidality and self-harm

Company Vision: Build communities based on meaningful connections and bring people together.

Product Vision – ultimate experience:Reduced number of cases of depression, suicides, and self-harm

Users

1- victims of depression, suicidal attempts, and/or self-harm

— there are segments of these users (geo, age, people with specific promoters that lead to such activity such as low income or other related medical conditions)

2- loved ones of these victims

3- support groups

Users needs:

Victims

– need help (consultations, engagement into fun activities that offer meaningful experiences)

– becoming knowledgeable about being a victim of depression, suicidal feelings, or self-harm

Loved ones

– get information on “how I can help my loved one suffering?”

– want to see their loved one getting better

Support groups

– connecting with people who need help

– enabling victims to enlist for help

Set of goals:

– Build a feature:

• bring awareness to people about the reality of these conditions and how they might be suffering from them
• where victims and their loved ones can become knowledgeable about these conditions
• connect victims to support groups
• allow victims to track their progress
• let loved ones monitor progress

Solution

• come up with an unwell rating to identify facebook users who could be considered victims
  • users who often react with anger or sad reactions
  • post comments with words related to and indicative of depression, suicide, self-harm
• offer a surveys of questions to the potential victims based on this metric, ask if they would be willing to fill out the survey. If they fill out the survey and the survey determines that the user is likely a victim, offer the user the option to learn how the unwell rating was determined
• recommend groups focused on facebook groups addressing these topics to the victims, loved-ones, and support groups where they can connect with one another and help each other
• Allow the user and their loved ones to track the progress of the unwell rating

Metric that can be used to assess the success of the metric:

– assume that the unwell rating is calculated such that, higher the number, the more unwell the user is

– track overall decline in the total unwell rating of all users

So, i will approach the question in the following way.

I will first clarify the scope and goal of the product. Next, i will identify the User Groups and chose the ones that i will focus on.

Next, i will identify the User needs for the user group. I will then prioritize the User needs.

After that, i will move to building solutions. I will evaluate my solutions and after a few details on the product build, will summarise the results.

So, starting with the Product scope and Goal.

The question clearly states that we have to create a feature on facebook that combats depression, suicidality and self harm.

Who will be the user of this product?

– I think any normal user of facebook who is suffering from or may suffer from above situations.

But can we also think of their famliy members or caretakers to be using this product to monitor? I think Yes.

What about Non Users of facebook who come to facebook for this feature alone?

What is the goal of this product?

– I think the goal is not to increase Engagement or even Revenue. In fact, it can even decrease one or both of them.

The goal is for facebook to act as a socially responsible platform that truly cares about the mental health of its users.

Next, we move to User groups.

There can be following group of Users:

1. Current users of FB who are suffering from or may suffer from above situations
2. Non users of FB who are suffering from or may suffer from above situations.
3. Parents/siblings/friends/family of (1) an (2).

I will focus on (1) and (2).

Now, we move to User needs.

We can go for Needs with Priority 1,2 and 3 for the MVP. These needs have very high impact and urgency both in solving self harm, suicidal and depression tendencies in users. Later we may launch the Fourth need as well but it may have a cannibalising effect on the overall engagement and revenue if more an more users use this feature. So, it has to be evaluated with respect of the same.

So, essentially my solution is to have a feature in facebook called I m Feeling Sad. When a User opens this feature, we ask him a question, ” How are You feeling Now?” and have the options of I am Feeling Lonely and Depressed, I am having suicidal tendencies.

When the User touches or clicks on I am feeling Lonely and Depressed, we give him following options: Take Clinical Help, Call a friend/family, Do Laughter Therapy, See Funny Stuff, Do Meditation, Do Yoga, See Inspirational Stuff

When the User touches on I am having suicidal tendencies, automatically an automated call goes to 3 emergency contacts which the user has listed, a 24*7 helpline member calls the person and a 2 minute mental exercise starts on the screen that is designed to divert the mind of the user away from such tendencies.

We may also partner with Google so that if anyone searches for Suicide or related keywords then this feature is triggered. Such a partnership between two tech giants maybe formed for the larger good of the community.

To sum it up, we may not have all the features to start with in the MVP We may AB test the usage and success of features, feature combinations and then do a final rollout.

The idea is to act swiftly for a suicidal user and to slow things down for a depressed one.