In 2017, when the start-up I worked for decided to pivot and launch a mental health product, all employees got a week to build an MVP for people experiencing mental health issues.
Together with a coworker, I decided to build a Facebook-bot to help relieve anxiety on the spot in stressful moments.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults (18% of the population). Therapy sessions are extremely expensive and 56% of people with mental health disorders do not get treatment.
How could we help people that struggle with anxiety and negative thoughts in the moment?
Enter Pogor.
A Humorous, CBT Facebook Messenger Chatbot to Relieve Anxiety
Pogor was a chatbot on Facebook available 24/7 and easily accessible when anxiety struck.
It followed a therapeutical, cognitive reframing script that led users through analyzing the situation, their emotions, their reactions and ultimately helped them reframe their negative thoughts.
Humor As Driver
Pogor was based on using humor. A lot of self-help techniques or therapy moments are serious, however humor leads to better solutions and help break people out of negative thought patterns. That’s why the copywriting and visuals were very clean, but full of humor where appropriate.
Rewarding Users
When users made it to the end of the script, they were rewarded with a balloon they could trade for a funny GIF, inspiring quote or save up for a bigger reward.
Key results
- Concept, release and marketing in 4 days, with 2 people
- 400 people signed up & used it in the first 5 days
- Featured on ProductHunt
- 35% retention rate
Pogor was built as a test-case and several elements were incorporated in the final product we ended up building, Therachat.
