The first-of-its-kind app, developed in November by an interdisciplinary team at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London in collaboration with award-winning design studio Special Projects, has been awarded £1.3 million funding by Wellcome to allow it to be scaled up in three NHS Trusts.
Developed in close conjunction with people with lived experience of psychosis, the app aims to overcome the widely recognised limitations of existing medications and talking therapies, including poorer access, engagement, adherence and outcomes for marginalised groups.
The SlowMo app is designed to accompany patients and therapists during in-person therapy sessions and extend into day-to-day life. It helps people manage worries by visualising their thoughts as fast spinning, grey bubbles, supporting recognition of unhelpful, fast thinking patterns. Slow spinning, coloured bubbles are used to shrink fears and help people feel safer and live well.
The new app is based on the original version of the SlowMo app, which was successfully tested in the largest randomised controlled trial of its kind. The Wellcome funding will allow it to be further developed for testing in three NHS Trusts, with a plan to scale up across the NHS in the next five years.
We are delighted to have been awarded the Wellcome Trust funding. Inclusive human-centred design provides a novel way of harnessing therapy mechanisms - engagement, usability and enjoyment - that can lead to better outcomes. The collaboration with Special Projects has been invaluable in improving the user experience of SlowMo for delivery in frontline services.– Dr Amy Hardy, Clinical Psychologist Lecturer at King's IoPPN and SlowMo Co-founder
SlowMo therapy happens over the course of up to eleven in-person or remote sessions with a trained therapist. These sessions are guided by engaging SlowMo content that includes educational videos, interactive activities and a roadmap that indicates progress over time. The ultimate goal of the therapy is for users to apply the tools and techniques learnt without the aid of any technology.
The app was created in close collaboration with Special Projects, an award-winning design studio who specialise in human-centred designs.
Adrian Westaway, Co-founder & Director of Technology and Magic at Special Projects, comments: "SlowMo has been a transformative project for the studio in learning how to humanise interactions with technology. Contrary to the fast-paced approach adopted by many tech companies, the team at King's College London has focussed on doing the right thing, thoroughly and in an evidence-based way. The depth of the research and clinical studies combined with the focus on inclusivity and addressing the digital divide has made this an important collaboration for us to take part in. We aimed to create a brand that patients enjoy interacting with to build a nourishing habit, instead of an anxiety inducing chore."
