Description:

The Lowdown is a mental health website that, at 15 years old, had become outdated and lacked engagement. The goal of Te Whatu Ora was to revitalise this platform and tailor it to the needs of Maori and Pasifika youth, elevating their approaches to mental wellbeing.

The new face of The Lowdown would provide a safe space for rangatahi (young people) to learn, express, and engage with their hauora (wellbeing), identity, culture, and mental health.

The project required a mobile-first approach, acknowledging the target audience's preference for consuming and engaging with content on their mobile devices. Our channel strategy took inspiration from the negative usage some social platforms can induce, like doom-scrolling, and flipped it on its head. We were designing for positive outcomes driven by the same behaviours. We called it: "A rabbit hole of positivity".

Users can easily navigate through featured videos and articles, sort content by relevance or explore specific tags, access external content recommended by Te Whatu Ora and are one-click away at all times from immediate help. The platform's content strategy focuses on community-generated pieces, ensuring that rangatahi can contribute to the evolution of the platform.

This project serves as an example of how creativity, cultural sensitivity, and a collaborative, human-centred approach can transform digital platforms to address the needs of diverse communities and promote positive mental health.