Research
Competitive Analysis
Through analyzing 3 mental healthcare services, I focused on understanding their mission, the services they offered, and the steps it took to get started. This helped me establish and identify the gaps in the market and to further discover needs of patients and clients.
Key Findings
- Only 1 company provides an affordable message-only plan.
- 60% are focused on those who are within a plan.
- 80% requires you to read through information or fill out a form to ask a question.
- 100% have online booking services.
- 100% requires over 5 steps to register for an account and to use their service.
- 60% provides 24/7 services.
I learned that the pandemic has increased the use of digital products for healthcare bookings and centered around online visit options, and continues to be the case post-pandemic.
User Interviews
I embarked on a global exploration, interviewing 5 participants from diverse professions, delving into their pre, during, and post mental and healthcare visit experiences.
The interviews were held over zoom and transcribed to help me analyze and gather data.
Key Findings
- 60% would love to have a feature that allows them to integrate their appointment into google calendar.
- 60% has never thought about seeking mental health care services.
- 80% would like to have in-person and remote visit options.
- 80% responded to wanting to be able to and some form of follow-up from their healthcare professional.
- 100% mentioned schedule flexibility and appointment availability is most important when they book an appointment.
- 100% want to feel more valued, understood, and helped by their healthcare professionals.
- 100% searches for healthcare professionals based on reviews and distance/location.
Uncovering user Insights: Breaking Barriers to Mental Health Services with Empathy and Convenience
The user interviews reveals that over half of participants have never considered seeking therapy or coaching services. However, despite where they are in the world, patients and. clients value personalized care and flexibility, requiring a seamless experience from appointment booking to the end and after their visit, opening the door to a positive attitude towards options of therapy and coaching.
02 Define
Affinity Mapping
From the user interview findings, I created an affinity map to help me make sense of the insights by grouping similar ideas to identify patterns and themes. This allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and desires of penitents and clients, defining specific features and requirements to inform the design decisions.
Key Findings
Themes
- Successful Visit
- Cancellations
- Frustrations
I learned that healthcare visitors value their time and want to feel cared for during and after their appointment. They want their problems solved, and to have plenty of flexibility when booking and searching for a healthcare professional. The data suggests that this can possibly be solved by a few simple features, services, and designs.
Personas
Based on user research, I was able to generate 3 personas to guide me in visualizing the stories of real patients and clients. Through this process, I identified the following general target users.
1. Professional that is busy, travels a lot, and is stressed.
2. A dad who has a 9-5 job, 2 young children, and wants to be able to make appointments for both children at the same time.
3. A nurse who has long working hours, is not as flexible with her time, and needs to destress after a long work day.
