Timeline
Feb-March 2023
My Role
UX Designer - Independent project.
Responsibilities
User interviews, paper and digital wire-framing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conduct usability studies and iterate on designs.
The Problem
Busy workers are unable to find therapists in their area that fits into their schedule.
The GoAL
Design an app that allows users to easily find and schedule therapy appointments.
User Research Summary
Conducted interviews and created user journey maps to gain a deeper understanding of the users needs.
The user group confirmed my initial assumptions about the challenges with finding therapists and scheduling appointments. The research showed that more individuals preferred in person visits which attributed to their scheduling difficulties.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
To gain a better understanding of the market, I observed and analyzed several competitors and noted some features they provided for their users. In particular, I studied BetterHelp and Talkspace, two highly ranked therapy apps.
BetterHelp matches users to therapist based on a questionnaire and offers live video sessions, phone sessions, texting and live chats.
Talkspace offers therapy for adults, teens and couples. Therapy options offered to users are live video sessions, text messaging, and audio messaging.
User Persona + User Journey
Ideation & Brainstorming
Creating paper wireframes ensured that I captured the users pain points before moving to the digital version. This iterative process also helped in creating an easy user flow throughout the app.
Digital Wireframe
Throughout the design process the goal was to create a refined home screen that displayed the contents of the app. It was also important to include designs based on user research.
Easy navigation was a key user need to limit additional frustrations and stressors that may occur during the process of finding a therapist.
Usability Testing + Improvements
Low Fidelity Prototype
Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was finding a therapist and scheduling an appointment, so the prototype could be used in a usability study. Low-fidelity Prototype
Usability study: Findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study featured a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 2 Findings
Round 1 Findings
“Back arrow in the Emergency button is confusing.”
Users want bio about the therapist they select.
Users wanted more clickability when scheduling appointment.
Users want therapists specialty clear throughout the search process
Users want distance from therapist visible
Users want exit navigation from the menu bar
Refining the design
Mockups
Early designs lacked short summaries of therapists on the home page which after usability testing found it important to add.
The second usability revealed a need for more information about the therapist once on their profile before scheduling an appointment. Users also revealed the need to have a page header on the scheduling page. Having the emergency call bar and the back arrow created confusion so a separation of both elements needed to be made.
Key Mockups
High-Fidelity Prototype
View the Theraspace App right over here 🙌
Reflection + Next steps
What I Learned
Impact
While designing the theraspace app I learned the importance of making each step of the navigation process clear. We are all different and when designing, it is important to check our bias. Usability testing influenced each iteration of this app design.
This app is a one stop in finding and scheduling therapy appointments that fit your counseling style. One quote from user feedback: “The app gives a calming feel…and the process of scheduling an appointment was seamless”.
Next Steps
Conduct another round of usability testing to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been addressed.
Iterate on the current design to build out additional user flows.