ConSoul
An affordable therapy app. Mental health shouldn't come at a price. Everyone deserves the chance to become their best self.
Overview
A devastating statistic done in 2020 revealed the “Gen Z” generation have the highest levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety, self harm, body dysmorphia and low self-esteem. In addition to this issue, studies have also shown that an overwhelming amount of people facing this problem cannot afford the care they need. This needs to be addressed.
Through creating ConSoul, we will give people who do not have the financial means a chance to receive the help they need.
The Problem
There are plenty of mental health apps on the market today- unfortunately even the most "affordable" are out of a large percentage of the population's budget. People can't afford the help they need, especially in a time like the pandemic- we need to be coming together.
The Solution
Our users need a way to receive professional help in a way that is affordable, safe and accessible. We will know this to be true when we see growth in individuals receiving affordable mental healthcare online who could not otherwise be receiving help. This allows educated therapist's to meet their hourly quota while giving free counseling to those in need.
The Process:
Understanding The Problem:
One of the first steps in UX design is understanding the problem you face.
Possible Problems
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Cost. Receiving professional advice from a licensed therapist or counselor can be very expensive. Unfortunately not many people can afford the help they need.
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Privacy. Engaging in this type of vulnerable experience online can make people feel disconnected and exposed.
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Qualifications. Addressing issues like mental health is an extremely sensitive matter. If you are not trained professionally in dealing with this- you can easily trigger someone into a downward cycle.
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Accessibility. If you are a minor, you need the consent of a parent to sign off on you receiving professional help. Maybe you don’t have a parent around. What then?
Possible Solutions
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In the state of California, a therapist needs to put in a minimum of 1,750 hours of voluntary counseling before you can become licensed. I think this could be a beautiful, mutually beneficial solution for the both parties involved. I would like to develop the option of people in need to receive free counseling from educated therapists trying to meet their quota before they become licensed.
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In order to protect sensitive information, participants would need to sign an NDA.
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This topic is something that needs be handled very seriously, not just anyone can enter this program claiming to be a “mental health provider”. There must be strict qualifications and documentation of their education before allowing counselors to speak to anyone.
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There are a minors whose parents refuse to allow them to get professional help, or are simply not around. I would like for there to be an option where an adult family member, teacher, or a close friend can sign off on consent papers for the individual looking to receive care.
Research:
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Competitive Analysis
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SWOT Profile
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User interviews
Competitive Analysis
One of the first steps in UX design is understanding your competitors. Although receiving mental-health care online is fairly new, it’s expanding quickly and there are several successful apps on the market today practicing this technique. Some include: BetterHelp and Talkspace. The importance of research to see how and why these apps have achieved their success is vital in creating your own product.
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I found both these apps to have great structure and accomplishments. It's no surprise, their overall success.
However I had ideas of my own for improvement.
SWOT Profile:
Strengths
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24/7 access
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Remote. Anyone, anywhere can access a professional
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Affordable cost
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Secure protection policy
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Highly ranked and reliable
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Genuine, certified therapists
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Live video calls
Weaknesses
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Various reports of people having difficulty remaining engaged
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Controversial media attention regarding a lack of privacy and questionable “terms and conditions”
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Price. Betterhelp still costs more than a copay or coinsurance fee.
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Poor automated sign-up process that feels impersonal
Opportunities
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Better designed sign-up process. Making it more interactive and feel personal for the user
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Create a questionnaire for users to give private feedback on features they felt were difficult to understand or not interesting
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I would love to introduce the idea of altogether free counseling, for therapists looking to gain their volunteering hours before becoming licensed
Threats
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Talkspace is a mental-health app, that is quickly growing with similar rates and promises
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Talkspace has a personal user-centered design sign-up process that can make individuals feel more connected to the app in contrast to Betterhelp
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There is a vast expansion of receiving mental-health care online, therefore bringing more competitors with it’s growth
User Interviews:
Trina, 24, Los Angeles
As someone who has been trying to find the right therapist for a long time- I love the idea of this app. I can't tell you how often I want to engage in finding someone but can't afford it so it goes the back burner.
Anna, 19, Nashville
As a new user, I want a home screen that is straight forward and easy to navigate, so I don’t have to wander around the page confused. I would like to experience an introduction that’s uplifting and shows me how this process can address my needs.
Rey, 28, Portland
When I’m on a new website or app, I don’t want to feel stressed out of confused by anything. I will most likely give up and move on to a new app that’s similar. I need a navigation menu that is simple to understand and breaks things down to easily. I don't have enough time in my day to try figure out all the things I don't understand.
Noah, 24, Los Angeles
As a person seeking help, I want to be greeted in a way that’s encouraging so that I feel welcomed. It's scary to be vulnerable. I really need affirmation that I’m doing the right thing. So being encouraged to move forward and receive help is really important to me.
Hannah, 26, Handford
I'm a mom. So I am really busy. When I’m scheduling to set time aside and speak with someone, I don’t want there to be limited availability because the odds are my availability will be small as well. I would love the idea to be able to prioritize my needs without costing more money though.
James, 17, Colton
Well, I don't have any access to money. I'm in school full time so thats about all I can focus on. If something like this existed i think I would start therapy tomorrow though.
Key Findings:
Time
People are busy with difficult schedules. 6/6 participants that I interviewed preferred scheduling to be flexible and straight forward.
Money
Half of my participants that I interviewed stated that they would receive therapy "right away" if they didn’t have any financial issues. Three remaining 3 expressed interest in receiving help for free, but that it was the end all be all.
Face To Face
Connection in this line of work is huge. Every person that I interviewed wanted the ability to schedule video sessions. In order to see the face of their therapist. The each expressed desire for remote therapy to give an "in person" feel.
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Consensus:
I found many consistencies. The most prominent were the following.
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Wanting things to be flexible.
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Personal, and "in person" seeming.
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Money was a fear or a minimally a concern.
Ideate:
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​ Personas
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User flows
Meet my (fake) teammates!
In order to keep my user Needs and Goals in mind, I created personas.
Also- they're nice to look at, right?
April is studying Child Development at USC in Los Angeles. She works part time nannying, while getting straights A’s at her university. April has a busy schedule and big plans for her life.
Noami, 25
Taylor is a musician and culinary artist. He enjoys creating music and capturing emotions through art. He likes to see the best in people and believes he can change the world through music.
Taylor, 18
Simple Task and User Flows
Objective:
April wants to create an account and watch the ConSoul tutorial.
Task Flow:
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Launch existing app
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Create account
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Watch tutorial
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Go to homescreen
Objective:
April wants to be matched with a therapist
Task Flow:
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Point of entry on "Home-screen"
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Click "Therapist"
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Select "take quiz"
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Complete quiz
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Get matched
First Sketches:
Low-Fidelity Wireframes to Mid-Fidelity wireframes
Before matching with your therapist
Home-screen
Quiz
Cathartic Activities
Matched!
Selecting an activity
Putting it to the test!
Test Objectives:
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Determine if the basic and core functions are easy to understand and perform for the users
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Observe that the users understand what the application is about and the value it holds
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Determine if the users are able to easily and successfully navigate through the application
Methodology:
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These tests will be conducted via Zoom. Prior to the test, I explained to the participants what to expect during the study. The participants were given 5 tasks to complete with the Figma prototype, and their feedback was recorded and collected.
Participants & Schedule:
The study recruited 6 participants (3 freelancers & employed) within my personal network. Participants were of all ages and from a mixture of demographics.
Usability Test Plan
Results:
Overall, the test ran smoothly. Participants completed all 5 tasks effectively,
however-
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Four out of the six participants went to “profile” thinking it was homepage.
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Three out of 4 users wanted more emotions at the check-in.
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ALL participants were confused on where to find their therapist.
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Four out of 6 participants advocated for “notes to be changed to journaling, conveying it felt more personal and less "clinical".
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Half of the participants wanted more color and a little prettier UI.
Takeaways:
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Make the “homepage” more like the profile
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Create the "Therapist" option to be more significant and notable to see.
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Add additional emotions.
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Implement more color.
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Make profile settings simple.
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Keep the emotional streak under the “Moods”
Revisions and UI:
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Aside from the UX structural changes I was going to re-create, I needed to give the user better visuals. But how?
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Well... By studying Material Design. It is a design language developed by Google so I would say they know what they're doing. This was a game changed for my designs.
I learned how to deign the following:
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Grid-based layouts,
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Responsive animations
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Transitions
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Padding
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Depth effects
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Buttons
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Lists
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Image Lists
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Colors
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I could go on and on, but why don't I show you?
Revised Wireframes:
High- Fidelity Prototype: here
Conclusion:
ConSoul is a work in progress. There are aspects that I am proud of, and there are aspects that still need a lot of work.
I suppose that is one of my favorite parts of being a UX designer.
Learning. Progress. Growth.
I have learned so much this past year as a UX designer and I am eager to continue to grow and take my designs to the next level. Thank you for taking the time to watch my journey! Hope you enjoyed. :) Oh- and let's work together!