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Therapp

A Mobile Application - Design Process 

OVERVIEW

Therapp is a mobile app that offers online mental healthcare, connecting users with therapists, while also providing self-help tools and online community support for managing mental stress.

WHY

  • 6 in 10 individuals in the United States express a willingness to utilize virtual mental health services (Source: American Psychiatric Association)

  • The pandemic normalized pretty much every human interaction to be online

  • There's stigma around going to a therapist's office to seek help

CHALLENGE

How might I easily connect clients with trusted mental health professionals through e-appointments while also helping them with positive coping mechanisms?

MY ROLE

UX Research

UX Design

Visual Design

Interaction Design

Usability Testing

COLLABORATION

Self directed project

Feedback from mentors and peers 

TOOLS USED

Figma

TIMELINE

3 months

DIGITAL SOLUTION

 The app integrates virtual therapy and positive coping solutions like journaling, and third-party support groups for a holistic approach to mental well-being.

Easy appointment scheduling with trusted providers

App allows you to schedule appointments with therapists that are catered to your needs. You can book an appointment after reviewing a therapist's credentials, reviews and backgrounds. You can view their calendar allowing you to choose the time that works best for you.

Cancel your appointment at any time

Appointment cancellations are common when you have a busy schedule. So the app enables you to easily cancel appointments that you have set-up. 

DESIGN PROCESS
1. Discover

1.1 Competitive Analysis

1.2 Customer Interviews

 

 
2. Define

2.1 Journey Mapping

 

 

 
3. Ideate

3.1 Sitemaps

3.2 User flows 

3.3 Paper wireframes

 
4. Prototype

4.1 Mid Fidelity Prototypes

4.2 High Fidelity Prototypes

4.3 Visual Design

 
5. Test

5.1 Usability Tests

 

 

1.1 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF PLAYERS IN THE FIELD

I conducted a competitive analysis of two leading products in the virtual healthcare space- Betterhelp and DrOnDemand to analyse their strengths, weaknesses and design decisions; and a loose competitive analysis of applications such as CBTCompanion, talkspace. here.

  • Integrate positive coping mechanisms into a tele-therapy platform to have a one-stop solution.

  • Provide comprehensive information about the therapist so to build client trust and confidence. 

  • Community support in an app fosters engagement, feedback, trust, and knowledge sharing among users, enhancing the overall user experience and app's credibility. 

1.2  CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS

Interviewing 4 participants, I prioritized inclusivity, recognizing the influence of cultural backgrounds on mental health perception. 

Research Goals

  • Learn what users look for in virtual sessions and what are their major concerns

  • Discover how users cope with their anxiety or stress

  • Understand how comfortable are people talking to a mental health expert online

2.1 CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPS

Designed the Emotional Journey of downloading a new application and booking her very first therapist. 

The Moment of Truth(MOT) or an important touchpoint is at 'Find a Therapist' and 'Make an Appointment'. This tells me that I need to So a design implication could be to have a flexible calendar to provide sufficicient dates for scheduling.

Considerations

Holistic solution

Interviewees needed a holistic solution marrying therapy and positive coping mechainsms confirming my assumption.  

Positive coping mechanisms

Journaling was a common choice followed by meditation when asked about some of the best positive coping mechanisms.

Support Groups

My interviewees felt that talking to someone with similar experiences as a sounding board for their thoughts . Establishing a safe virtual space, such as virtual support groups, would allow users to connect with others who may or may not share similar experiences, providing an avenue for mutual support and perspective sharing.

3.1 CREATING THE HIERARCHIAL STRUCTURE

I designed a comprehensive sitemap that outlines the foundational features of the product. The process of creating a sitemap posed a challenge. A simple card sort exercise would have helped mitigate any sign of confusion and clarify my assumptions of the page structure and hierarchy.  

3.2 CHARTING USER NAVIGATION

I crafted user flows to illustrate the end to end journey of Erik and Riya for a given task . This helped define the navigational routes tailored to their distinct needs ( find the user flow diagram with the high fidelity mock ups)

Seamless appointment scheduling
Making a note in the journal
3.3 ROUGH IDEAS ONTO PAPER

With the help of user-flows, it was time to begin the prototyping phase. I now used pen and paper to sketch out rough ideas of how I expect the app to function. This would then provide as a starting point for translating these designs onto the Figma design tool.

4.1 MAKING IT USABLE TO TEST WITH CUSTOMERS

I created the mid fidelity prototypes which were used for Usability Testing. I have provided the example of the homepage and its contents.

Usability Test : Results
Retrospective
Key Takeaways

  1. Redirecting users when they veer off-topic during interviews.

  2. Importance of empathy in delicate topics during interviews.

  3. Embrace iterative design and learn from errors.

  4. Learned the value of a pre-sitemap Card Sort exercise with users.

  5. Insight into user perception of visual hierarchy and organization.

  6. Journey maps aid in understanding user experience, embracing all scenarios, and finding Moments of Truth (such as ZMOT, FMOT etc) and opportunities, specially edge cases.

Future Plans

  1. Research and design accountability and productivity features.

  2. Develop comprehensive mockups for implementation.

  3. Regular maintenance based on feedback.

Thank you

5.1  GETTING FEEDBACK FROM POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
Test Objectives

  • Enhance learnability for quick app understanding.

  • Ensure memorability of navigation.

  • Provide error-free task completion.

  • Promote user satisfaction with the app's usability and design.

High-level Tasks

  • Book therapy session 

  • Make a journal entry

Participants

4 Participants were recruited through personal network and online design communities

Data Organization

Recorded data including observations, errors, and quotes.

Error priority based on a modified Nielsen usability testing scale.

Methodology

Conducted remote usability tests with six participants via Zoom, using the Figma prototype.

Usability Test : Procedure

Journaling as a coping mechanism

Journaling options with prompts to promote postive coping strategies to alleviate stress and anxiety. 

Support groups for community building

A community of like-minded individuals who can come together, talk, bond and discuss positive strategies to cope with their daily stresses. 

Frustrations

Extensive formalities

Cumbersome form-filling processes and extensive formalities hindering their access to therapy.

Affordability

Cumbersome form-filling processes and extensive formalities hindering their access to therapy.

User trust and privacy

Concerns around confidentiality, trust and privacy was common. So designing around the guidelines of 'Privacy by Design'

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