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Wicked Problem Artifact Submission
Jonathan Wei
BUAD 5607: Operations
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Road to Recovery App: Business Plan
I.
Summary of COVID-19 impact on mental health for U.S. adults
Mental health has always been a major public health issue. However, the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health conditions for U.S. adults. One main factor
that contributes to this involves the “impact of physical distancing and stay-at-home orders”
(Center for Disease Control, Mental Health Pulse Survey, 2021). In 2019, estimates from the
National Health Interview Survey, showed that “8.1% of adults aged 18 and over had symptoms
of anxiety disorder, 6.5% had symptoms of depressive disorder, and 10.8% had symptoms of
anxiety disorder or depressive disorder” (Center for Disease Control, Mental Health Pulse
Survey, 2021). However, in 2020, “40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or
behavioral health condition, including symptoms of anxiety disorder or depressive order” (Center
for Disease Control, Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19
pandemic, 2020). In addition to anxiety and depression, “26.3 of respondents reported symptoms
of a trauma and stressor-related disorder related to the pandemic” and “13.3% of respondents
have started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions related to COVID-19”
(Center for Disease Control, Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the
COVID-19 pandemic, 2020). It is also important to note that the communities that experienced
the most reported mental health challenges included “minority racial/ethnic groups, self-reported
unpaid caregivers for adults, and essential workers” (Center for Disease Control, Mental health,
substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020).
II.
Interview with Samantha Aube (Aspiring MA candidate in Mental Health
Counseling)
To gain more insights about the mental health impacts of COVID-19, I scheduled an
interview with Samantha Aube, an aspiring MA candidate in Mental Health Counseling at
Boston College. Samantha was chosen because her thesis specializes on the impact of COVID19 on mental health, specifically on U.S. College students and faculty. From our conversation, I
learned more about some of contributing factors to mental health issues faced by college students
and faculty members, which was extremely valuable in forming a targeted audience for my
mental health service business plan. Aube had mentioned that her thesis focused on surveying
over 40 students and faculty members about some of their top stressors related to COVID-19.
Her results found that some of the top stressors amongst both college students and faculty
members include at-risk family members getting sick from COVID-19, the student/faculty
member getting sick themselves, socially distancing themselves after testing positive for
COVID-19, and family members of students and faculty members needing to socially distance
themselves after testing positive for COVID-19. Even more enlightening were the stress,
depression, and anxiety scores that were evaluated by the students and faculty members
themselves during the study. The table below represents the data found in Aube’s study:
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Stress Scores
Depression Scores
Anxiety Scores
Aube’s study found that “69% of faculty
members and 90% of students surveyed
reported moderate to high levels of stress” as
a result of COVID-19 (Aube, 2021)
Aube’s study found that “15% of faculty
members and 53% of students reported
moderate to high level of depression” as a
result of COVID-19 (Aube, 2021)
Aube’s study found that “31% of faculty
members and 60% of students reported
moderate to high levels of anxiety” as a result
of COVID-19 (Aube, 2021).
Table 1: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety Results from Aube’s study on COVID-19 mental
health impact on U.S. college students and faculty members
From the data above, mental health-related interventions and support programs are needed to
support students and faculty members in the U.S. during COVID-19 to facilitate their mental
health recovery.
III.
Identifying Targeted Market
In addition to college students and faculty members feeling the mental health impacts of
COVID-19, many U.S. adults suffered mental health impacts due to COVID-19’s harsh impacto
n businesses and employment opportunities throughout the U.S. For instance, the onset of the
pandemic “raised the unemployment rate in the U.S. to a historical high of 14.7% in April 2020”
(Fan & Nie, 1). The increase in unemployment rates and mental health challenges were in
parallel with each other during the pandemic. It was reported that “individuals who were
involuntarily laid off have a higher frequency of feeling nervous, lonely, and hopeless” (Fan &
Nie, 5). This may be due to not only losing income but also deprive an employee of a workrelated social network, which results in further loneliness. This particularly impacts African
American and People of Color communities, as studies have found that a greater amount of their
social network comes from work compared to other communities. The complexity of this
problem is further exacerbated by the fact that government financial assistance does not seem to
mitigate the mental health challenges of individuals impacted by COVID-19. In fact, individuals
who received government financial assistance as a result of a layoff reported “feeling even more
hopeless” (Fan & Nie, 17). Therefore, this suggests that financial assistance from the government
alone is not sufficient in addressing mental health challenges brought upon by COVID-19 for all
user groups, as the problem is much more complex than a financial one.
Essential workers are another form of community that has been impacted significantly from a
mental health standpoint according to the CDC. A 2019 study from the Economic Policy
Institute estimated that “people of color make up the majority of essential workers in food and
agriculture (50%) and in industrial, commercial, residential facilities, and services” (McNicholas,
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2021). Essential workers include “those who operate buses and trains, serve as cashiers, and
work in restaurant kitchens” and generally “have low-wage jobs that generally cannot be carried
out remotely, which increases their potential exposure to the virus” (Bork & Gendelman, 4) It is
important to note that a vast majority of jobs carried out by essential workers do not provide
benefits such as paid sick leave or health insurance, which severely inhibits them from seeking
the mental health care that they need from the pandemic. Additionally, many essential workers
are being forced to work despite their underlying physical and mental health challenges because
the “pay is typically not high enough to facilitate adequate savings” (Bork & Gendelman, 4).
Rural communities are another demographic particularly impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic in terms of mental health and their accessibility to health services. Research in China
has found that “the prevalence of mental health problems has been generally higher in the rural
areas than their urban counterparts” (Liu et . al, 2021). These mental health problems included
signs of anxiety, depression, and insomnia that the participants encountered due to the COVID19 pandemic. Another study in the US saw that rural communities “frequently struggle with
limited health care workforces and resources under ordinary daily conditions” (Huang et. al,
2021). In addition, many rural areas have substantially less mental health services and available
COVID-19 testing sites compared to urban communities. This leaves rural residents with a lot of
anxiety during the pandemic because of their limited ability to detect and control COVID-19
from the lack of resources in health care. These limitations and staff shortages in mental health
care impact rural communities and suggest that currently, rural areas are not a top priority.
Transportation is another major challenge for rural communities in gaining access to mental
health care. Rural communities are “more impacted by lack of transportation” than urban
communities (Liu et. al, 2021). Studies have also suggested that “rural patients with a driver’s
license were more than two times likely to attend health appointments than those without one”
(Liu et al, 2021). This suggests that transportation complications play a major role for rural
patients to see a doctor and is one area that can be focused on to increase mental health
accessibility.
Finally, people of color in rural communities are severely inhibited from receiving the mental
health resources that they need. For example, “undocumented workers in Latino communities
working in rural industries such as farming, poultry, and meat production often have no health
insurance” (Liu et. al, 2021). Many of these industries occur in rural communities and due to
their undocumented status, some Latino communities refuse to seek mental health care compared
to residents of urban populations.
IV.
Mental Health Service App Prototype: Road to Recovery
From the research on the various communities impacted from a mental health standpoint due
to COVID-19 (college students, financially disadvantaged essential workers and people of color,
rural communities, individuals with limited access to transportation, and individuals who were
laid off), my business plan will include developing a mental health service app that connects all
mentally struggling individuals with volunteers and mental health professionals for free or at a
more affordable cost. A prototype of the mental health service app, Road to Recovery, can be
shown in the picture below:
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Figure 1: Road to Recovery (App Prototype)
The Road to Recovery app will contain the following features: providing the struggling
individual the opportunity to connect with a volunteer at no cost, connecting with a mental health
professional at an affordable cost (video/phone/chat options available with no health insurance
required), tips for dealing with anxiety & depression, a self-assessment for anxiety and
depression that will determine the most appropriate course of action for the struggling individual,
free breathing & relaxing exercise videos for the struggling individual to follow along, and a list
of upcoming appointments for the individual. In addition, the app requires the individual to
enable the location and gives the individual to connect with emergency services if the struggling
individual is going through an intense anxiety or depressive episode, which warrants immediate
attention.
V.
Competitor Analysis
Competitor
Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Moodkit
*Free self Cognitive
Behavior Therapy
techniques to enhance
mood
*Ability for individuals to
journal their thoughts and
self-reflect
*Cost effective for
individuals that cannot
afford direct mental health
care with professionals
*Does not provide an
option for struggling
individuals to chat with
volunteers or mental health
professionals
*App focuses more on
individuals struggling with
mild to moderate cases of
anxiety
iBreathe
BetterHelp
*Interactive exercises
that focuses on allowing
individuals with anxiety &
stress to breathe, relax,
and meditate
*Customizable breathing
intervals for each user
*Apple watch
compatabiltiy to measure
user's pulse rates
*Over 20,000 therapists
available to choose from to
chat, videocall, or phone
*Diverse licensed therapists
with various specialities
(adolsecent therapy, couples
therapy, etc)
*Flexible therapists hours
*Provides online resources to
combat anxiety, stress, and
depression
*Not the best long term
from a cost standpoint
because after a free 14
day trial, monthly
membership rises to
$12.99 per month
*Does not provide an
option for individuals to
chat with volunteers or
mental health
*Costs can range from $60$90 per week
*Costs are not covered by
medicaid, medicare, or health
insurers. All out of pocket
costs.
*No free trial or option to
speak with mental health
professionals or even
volunteers
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Table 2: Competitor Analysis of Mental Health Apps
To gain more insights on how to frame the Road to Recovery app, I looked at strengths
and weaknesses for three different competitors listed in Table 2 above. These competitors
include Moodkit, iBreathe, and Better Help. My main takeaways from Moodkit and iBreathe
were to incorporate an option in the Road to Recovery app for the user to interact with relaxation
practices. These would include free videos where the user can practice breathing at various
intervals in hopes of alleviating stress and anxiety. Because Moodkit and iBreathe did not
include an option to speak with a mental health professional or volunteer, I decided to
incorporate this feature into the Road to Recovery app as well as a differentiating factor. From
analyzing the Better Help app, its competitive advantage is the amount of therapists to choose
from and its online resources to combat anxiety and depression. From this, I decided to
incorporate a self-guide for users to review various tips and strategies to mitigate moderate
anxiety and depression symptoms. Another takeaway would be to allow users on the Road to
Recovery app to input their contact details so that they can be matched with a mental health
professional that best fits their needs. Opportunities for improvement for the Better Help app
include having cost-effective alternative to speaking with a mental health professional and
finding a way to connect users with a mental health professional faster, given that the lead time
ranges from a few hours to few days. As such, for the Road to Recovery app, I decided to
incorporate a free feature where the user can chat with volunteers about their anxiety and
depression. This creates a cost-effective alternative for users who are unable to afford a formal
session with a licensed mental health professional. Additionally, volunteers would be able to
connect with users immediately.
VI.
Relevant Costs & Funding Strategies
Initial relevant costs for the Road to Recovery app would include subcontracting mental
health professionals, app development, launch & maintenance, and website launch &
maintenance costs, and advertisements. The average cost for launching a mental health app
“comes out to around $40,000 to $80,000” (Topflight, 2020) depending on the volume of mental
health professionals that need to be contracted. Some ways to fund the development and launch
of the Road to Recovery app may include bootstrapping & self-funding, taking out business bank
loans, targeting private investors in the mental health industry that may fund some of the app
development costs, and donations.
VII.
Sales Channels
The primary means of selling to customers with the Road to Recovery app would be through
an ecommerce platform since it will be accessible through an app or website. When users desire
to speak with a mental health professional, they will be prompted to select the kind of support
they are specifically looking for, which will help the app match a mental health professional that
best supports the users’ needs. An example is included in Figure 2 below:
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Figure 2: Self-Service Selection through Road to Recovery App
Having a self-service selection as the primary sales channel would be an effective way to cut
down on costs since there would not be an immediate need to use a third party to cultivate a sales
force. A long term sales channel strategy may include having the app turn into a value-added
reseller, which allows firms to add features or services to an existing product.
An important aspect of selling to customers involves queuing theory, which is a “priority
rule or set of rules for determining the order of service to customers in a waiting line” (Jacobs &
Chase, 219). Because it is likely that the Road to Recovery app would be limited in mental health
professionals, at least starting out, there will need to be a way to prioritize customer requests in a
timely manner. Since the app is focused on mental health care, priority will be given to
individuals that indicate higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. An example of this is
shown in figure 3 below:
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Figure 3: Self-Rating Level of Anxiety for Users
If multiple individuals indicate the same self-rating for levels of anxiety, depression, and
stress, then the app will by default prioritize users that submitted a request to connect with a
mental health professional first. This practice is known as “first come, first served (FCFS)”
(Jacobs & Chase, 219). Some companies prioritize highest-profit customers first or largest orders
first; however, in the context of the mental health care industry, this practice is not ethical and
would not align with the vision of the Road to Recovery app.
Another important factor to explore through sales channels is the service rate, which is
the “number of customers that can be handled during a given time period” (Jacobs & Chase,
219). Starting out, the Road to Recovery app will be on a limited budget, so there may be three
full-time mental health professionals with each one specializing in either anxiety, depression, or
stress. With the assumption that a full work day is 8 hours long and each video/phone session
with users is 30 minutes long, the service rate for each mental health professional would be a
maximum of 16 customers per day. This comes out to a maximum total capacity of 48 customers
per day with three mental health professionals and 336 customers per week assuming a constant
service time distribution.
VIII.
Marketing Activities
Since the motivation for the Road to Recovery app is to help individuals struggling mentally
because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the targeted users may include college students,
financially disadvantaged essential workers and people of color, rural communities, individuals
with limited access to transportation, and laid off workers. While the app does allow free access
for individuals to chat with volunteers to help with anxiety, depression, and stress, there needs to
be affordable options for users to interact with mental health professionals as well. It is also
important to note that since some of the targeted audience may not have health insurance or
coverage due to the financial or economic impacts of COVID-19, health insurance is not
accepted to take advantage of these services. Some ideas to facilitate more affordable options for
users may include grand opening discounts, promotions, and referral programs. Grand opening
promotions might allow users to use the Road to Recovery app for a free trial to assess if the
mental health services are a good match for the user. On the other hand, grand opening discounts
may include offering a cheaper rate to users to speak with mental health professionals especially
when the app is newly developed. There may also be discounts applied if the user chooses a
long-term membership plan (weekly, monthly, etc) as opposed to signing up for a single session.
Furthermore, payment plans can also be available for users to select from. These payment plans
can allow users to break up their payments across several weeks and/or months, so that the
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financial impact of signing up for mental health service is not a huge strain all at once. Finally,
users can also take advantage of referral programs where they refer a friend that needs mental
health care to the app, which can result in the user receiving free or significantly discounted
sessions.
Some ways for the Road to Recovery app to increase its presence include online advertising
through social media platforms. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and many more
can be used to advertise the use of the app and the ways in which the app can help users
struggling with anxiety, stress, and depression. These platforms can also be used to share
knowledge that dispels the stigma behind seeking support for mental health and provide
strategies to mitigate anxiety and depression.
Attending mental health care conferences is another effective strategy in getting the app
known to users. For example, Mental Health America hosts an annual conference where mental
health care businesses, consumers, providers, advocates, and family members get together to talk
about important and emerging mental health issues. Attending such conferences will allow users
to engage with the app, understand its benefits, and provide feedback on how the app can be
improved.
VIIII. Project Timing and Planning
Below includes a table of tasks completed and Gantt Chart which “shows in a graphic
manner the amount of time involved and the sequence in which activities can be performed” for
the Road to Recovery business plan (Jacobs & Chase, 134).
Task
Wicked Problem (WP) Verification
Updated WP with Revised Comments
Create WP Outline
Refine Mental Health Statistics
Research
Interview Samantha Aube
Determine Targeted Users
Competitor Analysis
Create App Prototype
Brainstorm Funding Strategies
Brainstorm Sales Channels
Research Marketing Activities
Write up Business Plan
Proofread Business Plan & Submit
Start Date
7-Nov
14-Nov
14-Nov
Days to Complete
7
14
14
3-Dec
7
10-Dec
11-Dec
11-Dec
12-Dec
13-Dec
13-Dec
14-Dec
15-Dec
21-Dec
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
1
Table 3: Project Tasks, Start Dates, and Days to Complete
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Gantt Chart: Road to Recovery Business Plan
10.ноя
20.ноя
30.ноя
10.дек
20.дек
Wicked Problem (WP) Verification
Updated WP with Revised Comments
Create WP Outline
Refine Mental Health Statistics Research
Interview Samantha Aube
Determine Targeted Users
Competitor Analysis
Start Date
Days to Complete
Create App Prototype
Brainstorm Funding Strategies
Brainstorm Sales Channels
Research Marketing Activities
Write up Business Plan
Proofread Business Plan & Submit
Figure 4: Gantt Chart of Road to Recovery Business Plan Activities
The Gantt chart above shows the estimated time of completion for the business plan to be
concluded on 12/21/2021. There is some slack time in between creating and submitting the
wicked problem outline and refining mental health statistics research. Slack time is the “time that
an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project” (Jacobs & Chase, 142). The slack
time during this time is due to the time that is needed to receive feedback on the wicked problem
outline. On the other hand, there were certain activities that needed to be performed on a given
day or the entire project could risk being delayed. This can be shown with the interview with
Samantha Aube because she was planning on leaving the country for the year by December 11th,
so she would not have been able to schedule a call afterwards. Furthermore, she had limited
availability and could only speak on December 10th. Therefore, in the context of this project, this
activity was the center of the critical path which is the “sequence of activities in a project that
forms the longest chain in terms of their time to complete” (Jacobs & Chase, 140). This is
because her insights could heavily influence the targeted users that the mental health service
would center on, which ultimately impacts competitor analysis and app prototype creation.
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Works Cited
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