There is a lot at stake when designing services to support youth mental health and wellbeing. To ensure they are safe and effective programs are designed on the basis of research data, past evaluations, health planning frameworks and theories of behaviour change. However in order that such programs are relevant, meaningful and useful to the young people they aim to benefit, they must also take into account the context, experiences and perspectives of those young people. This presentation shares our approach to combining user experience and evidence-based approaches to the design of youth mental health services.