Once enrolled into the service, users are welcomed by ‘Cam’, an androgynous digital assistant designed to embody the idea of ongoing check-ins, providing timely guidance, encouragement, and support throughout each person's journey.

“When people ask, ‘What’s the check in part of this?’, I say, Cam is,” Maryne said.

“Cam checks in with you. And encourages you to check in with your own health. Cam is always there to prompt you to do activities. Cam guides you and acknowledges and rewards your progress.”

Appearing in various avatar forms that represent different moods or ‘lightbulb’ moments, Cam introduces weekly mood checks; provides helpful reminders and pop-up information on relevance of activities; and tips about resources on managing worries, reframing unhelpful thoughts, facing fears, sleeping better, improving mood, and solving problems more effectively.

For Liquid Designer, Hamish Topen, Cam is a standout example of what’s possible when technology, human-centred service and experience design are brought together around a common purpose to deliver meaningful, lasting change.

“Because users are working through LiCBT-based activities over several weeks, Cam helps create a more consistent, supportive and human experience, enabling people to complete programs at their own pace,” Hamish said.

“From a design perspective, Cam adds warmth and personality to the platform. Users feel guided rather than left to navigate the experience on their own, while also making the therapeutic content feel more approachable.”

The longer-term vision is for Cam to evolve from a guided feature into a more responsive companion throughout each person’s journey:

Future AI capabilities could allow Cam to tailor guidance and encouragement based on how someone is engaging with their program, while a mobile app could extend its reach through timely, opt-in notifications and calendar reminders.
A conversational experience could also enable people to ask questions in everyday language and receive support when they encounter a roadblock, making Cam feel more personal and helping users stay engaged.

Any future enhancements require careful design and testing to meet privacy, clinical safety and applicable TGA requirements.

Beyond Cam, the design team also created a ‘Today’ view to make the broader experience easier to navigate and reduce cognitive load. The checklist provides a quick overview of key actions, from setting up an account and learning about the different program stages to completing practitioner-guided or self-guided activities.

“We also developed a new design system specifically for Medicare Mental Health Check In,” he said.

“This included a refined colour palette, updated typography, new components and a more SaaS-friendly UI approach. The result is a system tailored to the needs of the service, while still feeling clearly connected to the broader Medicare Mental Health brand.”

Managing life’s ups and downs: how an Australia-first digital service is closing the gap on easily accessible, early mental health support