177. Empirical research on user experience design and mental health promotion path of digital media art therapy platform

Abstract Background Currently, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent worldwide. However, traditional mental health services face issues like insufficient resources and high costs, making it difficult to effectively meet the needs of the general public. Digital media art therapy can help users release their emotions through forms such as digital painting and interactive music. Previous studies have confirmed the effectiveness of digital art therapy in enhancing emotional regulation ability and alleviating anxiety symptoms. However, the existing tools are fragmented in experience, the correlation between design elements and health effects is unclear, and there is a lack of long-term evidence. Based on this, the research chose to build a user-centered digital media art therapy platform to explore the intrinsic connection between design elements, user experience and mental health. The research aims to address the mismatch between existing digital treatment tools and user needs, providing a scientific basis for the design and application of efficient and personalized digital mental health intervention products. Method A total of 320 individuals aged 18 to 45 with mild to moderate emotional distress were selected for the study and randomly divided into three groups: 110 in experimental group A and 110 in experimental group B, and 100 in the control group. Experimental Group A used the research platform, experimental group B used ordinary digital painting tools, and the control group only received the mental health manual. The research platform established three major principles - personalized adaptation, multimodal interaction, and positive feedback - through questionnaires, interviews, and expert consultations, and developed an Android platform that includes pre-assessment, art therapy, and feedback tracking. The intervention period was 12 weeks. Experimental Group A and Experimental Group B used the tool three times a week, each time for 30 to 60 minutes, while the control group only used the manual. GAD-7, PHQ-9 mental health scales, user experience data and qualitative interview data were collected respectively at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. The experiment was conducted using SPSS and AMOS for quantitative analysis, and thematic analysis was used to process qualitative data. Result After 12 weeks, the anxiety score of experimental group A was 32.54 ± 4.23, significantly lower than that of experimental group B (45.14 ± 5.65, p<.001) and control group (46.33 ± 5.92, p<.001). The depression score of experimental group A was 30.8 ± 3.9, and the emotional regulation ability reached 78.34 ± 6.51, both of which were better than those of experimental group B and the control group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (p<.001). Discussion Research has demonstrated that the established platform can effectively improve the mental health of those with emotional distress and has the advantages of personalized and multimodal design. The structured intervention process and immediate feedback mechanism of the platform provides a replicable practical model for the practical application of digital mental health products. In the future, the user base can be expanded and brain imaging technology can be combined to explore mechanisms to help digital media art therapy integrate into the global mental health service system.