Therapy App
UX Case Study

Objective:
Design a mobile application that provides accessible, affordable, and confidential mental health support, focusing on:

Connecting users with licensed therapists
Offering self-help resources and tools
Ensuring user privacy and data security
Creating an intuitive and empathetic user experience

MOBILE

DESKTOP

Project Overview

Project Duration:

January 28 - February 8, 2024

The Challenge:
Online therapy is becoming popular, and it's a good thing that more people are doing the inner work to help improve themselves. But something missing is a way for members of the latino community to connect with therapists who come from a similar experience and culture.

I named this app, "Colita de Rana"because if you grew up Hispanic, your mom likely chanted this to you when you scraped your knee:

"Sana Sana, Colita de Rana
Si no se sana hoy, sanará mañana."

Translated literally, it means:

"Heal heal, tail of the frog.

If it doesn't heal today, it will heal tomorrow."

But just translating it from English to Spanish isn't the same as actually experiencing and understanding the culture. That's why it's important for us to be able to connect to mental health specialists who understand our experiences and culture. There's also a stigma in the Latino community about seeking therapy, and I'm hoping having a way to connect to latino therapists would help ease those considering therapy and make it feel more accessible.

My Role:
Lead UX designer and UX researcher.

Tools:

Figma, Miro, UserZoom

User Research

Methodology:
Conducted surveys and in-depth interviews with individuals aged 18–45 who had sought or considered seeking mental health support.

Key Findings:

Accessibility: Users desired flexible scheduling and the ability to access therapy from home.
Affordability: Cost was a significant barrier; users sought transparent pricing and insurance integration.
Privacy: Concerns about confidentiality emphasized the need for secure communication channels.
Resource Variety: Interest in supplementary self-help tools like mood trackers and guided meditations.

Persona

Problem Statement
Sol is first generation, born to two immigrant parents from Argentina. While a blessing, this comes with struggles unique to this kind of situation. She needs a therapist who understands what she's going through; all to help her make sense of her past and possibly even understand the world her parents come from. She's specifically looking for a therapist from the Latino community.

Persona Details

Age: 23

Education Level: Bachelors

Hometown: Pacoima, CA

Family: Mom, dad, little sister, 1 nephew, and 2 dogs

Occupation: Nursing assistent

Personal Quote:

"I can't even imagine how hard it must've been for my parents come to a strange new land where they don't know anyone- not even the language."

Goals:

Needs to unpack the very specific experience of growing up with two cultures and figure out where she belongs
Access therapy sessions outside of traditional hours.
Utilize self-help tools during breaks.
Ensure her data and conversations remain confidential.

Frustrations:

Limited availability of therapists after work hours.
High costs of traditional therapy sessions.
Concerns about the privacy of online platforms.

Design Process

1. Empathize:
Gathered user insights to understand the challenges faced in accessing mental health support.

2. Define:
Identified core user needs: flexible access, affordability, privacy, and diverse resources.

3. Ideate:
Brainstormed features such as on-demand therapy sessions, tiered pricing models, end-to-end encryption, and a library of self-help tools.

4. Prototype:
Developed wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes showcasing user flows for booking sessions, accessing resources, and managing privacy settings.

5. Test:
Conducted usability testing with target users to refine the interface and ensure the app met their needs effectively.

Key Features

Flexible Scheduling

On-Demand Sessions: Users can book sessions during evenings and weekends.
Therapist Matching: Algorithm matches users with therapists based on availability and specialization.

Transparent Pricing

Tiered Plans: Offers various subscription models to cater to different budgets.
Insurance Integration: Allows users to check coverage and apply benefits directly.

Enhanced Privacy

Secure Messaging: End-to-end encrypted chats and video calls.
Anonymity Options: Users can choose to remain anonymous during initial consultations.

Self-Help Resources

Mood Tracker: Daily logs to monitor emotional well-being.
Guided Meditations: Audio sessions to assist with relaxation and focus.
Educational Articles: Curated content on mental health topics.

Results &
Learnings

Outcomes:

Increased user engagement with flexible scheduling and diverse resources.
Positive feedback on the app's intuitive design and privacy features.
Higher retention rates due to the availability of self-help tools.

Learnings:

The importance of integrating user feedback throughout the design process.
Balancing comprehensive features with a clean and navigable interface.
Ensuring that privacy and security are paramount in mental health applications
Users found it easy and straightforward to navigate the app. Some users had way too much fun switch back and forth between Spanish and English.

This is a pet project of mine. I read psychology on the side, since it's one of my passions. And being first generation born of immigrants, I felt I put a bit of myself into this project.

Fun fact: Mom is from Colombia, dad is from the Dominican Republic.

Therapy App UX Case Study