Design for Psychedelics: Deliqs’ Dose, an App for Microdosing Journeys
Image Source: Deliqs
Microdosing psychedelics – the repeated use of small doses of, for example, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin – is gaining momentum. Anecdotal reports are becoming louder, talking about improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, focus, cognitive function, enhanced focus, creativity and mental concentration.
By Alexandra Plesner
Science is two minds over, and relatively few prospective studies have evaluated microdosing. A new study with 34 individuals, for example, published in Nature in August this year, found that low doses of psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe Cubensis) can result in noticeable subjective effects and altered EEG rhythms, but without evidence to support enhanced well-being, creativity and cognitive function.
Another study also published by Nature a couple of months earlier, looking at 1133 people over the course of two years, published by Nature Portfolio, saw greater improvements across the DASS domains of depression, anxiety, and stress, and in an interview with Double Blind Mag, Paul Stament said "We now know that psilocybin mushroom microdosing works. It is indisputable that there are benefits."
The emerging interest in psychedelics has opened a new market and created new problems to solve. How can a digital tool support research and studies by gathering valuable data and equally answer to user needs? That's a problem that the Netherlands-based startup Deliqs has been tackling since last year, creating an app that makes it easier for clinicians and end-users to explore the effects of microdosing on wellness and mental health.
We spoke to Samuel Becht, co-founder and CEO of Deliqs, about their journey and the Dose app, the brand’s launching product, meant to function as a companion, a digital product in the psychedelic space, similar to Houston, Microdose Me, Microdosing Tracker and the Trip app. These are tools that support research through data collection and help users with the practice of microdosing. Deliqs supports the user by keeping track of the effects of their microdosing practice. The app does so with personal questions such as: what protocol works best for me? What dosage should I take to achieve my goals? By twisting these knobs, users can tweak their microdosing journey to what works best for them.
“We felt inspired by our personal microdosing journey and identified an increasing need for products where the user, researcher, and clinical equally benefit.”
Image Source: Deliqs
What makes Dose stand out is that it gives the user visual orientation about the progress towards their intentions while also measuring according to the highest scientific standards, making it relevant for coaches and researchers. There's no easy way to design an app fit for all. Microdosing is a very personal experience.
"We felt inspired by our personal microdosing journey and identified an increasing need for products where the user, researcher, and clinical equally benefit," says Becht.
Initially, Deliqs’ goal was to become a retreat. When they found it difficult to find trustworthy practitioners to do this with, that idea developed into a platform where seekers of psychedelic help could connect with practitioners based on ratings and reviews. Eventually, this culminated in the first microdosing application as part of a digital ecosystem.
Bringing an idea to life knows many hurdles. While a designer is perfectly comfortable creating a graphical user interface, the UX and backend for an app also require industry knowledge and research that takes time and is not easily accessible.
"We first researched different applications within and beyond the psychedelic space and extrapolated learnings to integrate with our idea. We are now the only microdosing companion to carefully balance a research need to learn more about microdosing with the individuals’ need to learn more about their own journey.”
Becht understood the need to find a cofounder with technical capabilities to give form to the vision. And by the summer of 2021, he partnered up with his new cofounder Robin Jongeneel. He started asking the question: How can we elevate our own microdosing journeys, and how do we build a truly useful product for others trying to do the same?
“We’ve created, user-tested, and re-designed the app multiple times before feeling confident enough that it would elevate peoples’ microdosing experience. We managed to get where we are now by celebrating micro-victories throughout the process.”
Image Source: Deliqs
Open-platform user research
Before building anything, Deliqs made a mockup of an iPhone with a proposed home screen and posted it on Reddit, a micro-dosing subreddit. They explained the basic functionality and took it to the public to give feedback and determine product-market fit. After more than 440 upvotes and around 140 comments on their idea, they decided to start prototyping as a response.
Although having no design experience, Becht took to Figma to start pulling together a first app design. Jongeneel intuitively built the first app version, which they then offered to their Reddit audience for beta testing.
"From that moment forward, things became more concrete. Assuming things about your users’ experience and the user interface is easy. But it’s crucial to test it with actual users.” Becht says.
Image Source: Deliqs
Telling a consistent brand story
"We wanted the brand to feel energetic, positive and inviting," Becht explains.
Deliqs worked on the brand colour system and the logo with designers Khotan Hosseini and Luigi Zottoli, going through the process iteratively and balancing vision with commercial viability. The symbol concept is a clever and visually simple marriage of different elements.
"Mushrooms can help people in their mental health journey, which is visualised as a pathway towards the mushroom. We then added the shape of an eye to denote awareness and sun rays as a symbol for growth."
The original icon design showcased a mushroom, and following feedback from Apple’s app review process, Deliqs swapped the mushroom for a lotus.
“Given the stigma on psychedelic substances, Apple Review has been cautious with allowing psychedelic-related applications within their ecosystem, which we experienced first-hand. Some of the very reasons we created this app were to promote harm reduction and education and to improve people’s mental states. We’ve lodged an appeal with Apple’s review board and await a decision.”
In the meantime, Deliqs launched their first app for both iPhone and Android, and the symbol is back to the original mushroom.
Image Source: Deliqs
