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Article in App of the Week category.
Marigold Gives Women A Boost
Mental health no longer has the stigma it once had. It’s changed greatly over the years in reducing the negative perception as well as making…
Mental health no longer has the stigma it once had. It’s changed greatly over the years in reducing the negative perception as well as making tools far more readily available. Marigold is just one part of that journey. It is a well-designed app for women that uses audio coaching to boost confidence.
My first takeaway from Marigold is the delightful design. It feels soft, clean, and spacious while relying on primarily pastel colors for accent against the white background. For an app that focus on mental well-being, an app interface that encourages that is important and cofounders Jennifer Greenberg and Sarah Stefanski just nailed it.
Each session is a mere five to ten minutes which makes it easy to fit in on a walk, in the car getting a coffee, or while you get ready for the day. These aren’t hour-long sessions that are more of an annoyance than an aid.
Users are able to get in and find just the right fit for them. Maybe you prefer a specific coach. You love what Joanna has to say and want to listen to more of her uplifting coaching, you can do that. You can see each coach, what category they fall under, and all of their audio clips. Or you can choose based on what you struggle with — career, relationship, or even just personal growth.
During the onboarding process, Marigold asks you to fill out a quick survey. You just let the app know what areas of your life you need more confidence with. The most common areas are here and shows this is clearly an app designed by women for women.
The player is one of the most attractive screens in the app, with a lovely pastel orange to yellow gradient at the top with a waveform overlaid. Below is a minimalistic play/pause button with the ability to skip forward or backward in 15 second intervals. It’s calming just to look at. Finally, as you progress through the app Marigold rewards you. Your progress is tracked and whenever you accomplish one you’re rewarded with a screen full of confetti. It gives you that little bit of motivation to log another session. All your completed sessions are denoted as well as ones you’ve started or saved for later.
This app has the power to make a difference in women’s lives, and for that alone it needs to be touted. But it should also be praised for the exceptional job done in designing and putting together such an aesthetically-pleasing user experience. With over 350 audio sessions users will see the benefit for an extended period of time with new sessions continuing to be added.
But enough about other people's apps.
