This project aims to develop a system that boosts mental health support for University of Washington students, fostering well-being in their academic and personal lives.
University students, especially those at the University of Washington, often face mental health challenges due to academic pressures, social and family balance issues, the "Seattle freeze," and seasonal depression. These factors can significantly affect their well-being, compounded by difficulties in accessing suitable mental health resources. A key issue is finding mental health practitioners who align with their specific needs.
How can we develop a system that helps University of Washington students find the best fit for mental health support?
Introducing UWell - A tailored system designed to connect UW students with the ideal mental health providers for their unique needs.
Design Feature 01:
Search + Advanced Filters
- Basic search includes general criteria such as mental health topics, time, and location.
- Advanced filtering includes specific care types, practitioner certifications, etc. for users who have a higher-level knowledge of the mental health care system to proactively take care of their selections.
Design Feature 02:
Best Match + Map View
- This app feature utilizes advanced filters to deliver optimal match recommendations for students, presenting relevant options and integrating a map view to streamline the search for therapists by location.
Design Feature 03:
Enhanced Provider Profiles with Easy Booking
- This feature presents comprehensive provider profiles enriched with varied content such as videos and casual photos, alongside an AI-summarized review system.
- It aims to facilitate an informed decision-making process and simplify the booking experience for users.
Design Feature 04:
AI Chat for Tailored Provider Recommendations
- This feature introduces an advanced AI chat tool as a user-friendly alternative to traditional search methods.
- Perfect for newcomers to mental health or those seeking direct AI recommendations.
Design Feature 05:
Saved List for Provider Comparison
- Users have the ability to add providers to a saved list, enhancing their decision-making process.
- The app introduces a visual comparison feature, emphasizing the distinctions between providers.
- This is designed to simplify the process of selecting a reliable, long-term mental health provider.
Design Feature 06:
Comprehensive Resource Page
- Offers a range of resources like articles and videos for user education.
- Great for mental health care newcomers, guiding on support types and provider choices.
- Filters enable quick access to relevant educational materials, peer support, and mental exercises.
Our design journey unfolds through three pivotal stages:
Research, Ideation, and Prototype.
This comprehensive process spans from the initial user research and brainstorming phases through to the development of prototypes and reflective assessment, guaranteeing a meticulous and impactful approach to our project.
Our team developed a 10-minute survey featuring a mix of multiple-choice, open-ended, and Likert scale questions to explore our research inquiries. Based on the responses, I then identified and portrayed three major user personas.
Our team uses Affinity Mapping to guide the synthesis of qualitative data, facilitating the extraction of valuable insights.
Together, our team utilized flow analysis to evaluate the usability of the UW Counseling Center's website, a crucial mental health support resource for UW students. Our goal was to gather insights for a redesigned interface that improves user experience and more effectively addresses student needs.
01: Finding the right fit
80% of survey participants indicated challenges in locating a mental health practitioner that meets their specific requirements.
02. Underutilization of Resources
Only 20% of respondents utilized the UW Counseling Center in the past six months, citing overwhelming information and navigational difficulties on the website as major obstacles to finding appropriate counselors.
03. Key Criteria for Choosing Providers
Students emphasize the importance of professional expertise, affordability, cultural sensitivity, and schedule flexibility in choosing mental health providers.
04. Decision Overload
Many students face challenges in selecting a therapist who matches their needs from a wide array of options, highlighting the necessity for clear expectations and transparency in the system.
Integrated Therapist Database
This database simplifies finding mental health providers with customizable searches, using filters like age, gender, and therapy types. Users can make informed decisions through detailed profiles with ratings and specialties. The challenge lies in keeping the database current. Its unique feature is mood-based matching, offering personalized therapist recommendations.
Co-Creative AR Storytelling Ecosystem for Mental Wellness
An innovative platform combining anonymous sharing with AR to support mental wellness on campus. It links stories to AR points for interactive community building and schedules related support sessions. It fosters a safe space for expression and community mental wellness, relying on active student participation and moderated content.
AI Mapping Tool
This tool matches students with therapists using AI analysis, streamlining the search process. It requires detailed profiles from both sides to work effectively and aims to ensure unbiased matches. Despite challenges, it offers a modern, efficient alternative to traditional search methods, aligning with the need for accessible mental health care.
Solution 1:
Integrative Care Matching
- Database for Students Users actively engage in the search process.
- If the match isn't ideal, we gather feedback to refine the system.
Solution 2:
AI matching tool after unsatisfied attempts
- Emphasizes a passive search, with the AI tool guiding the process and providing recommendations.
- Feedback is collected to enhance the system if matches don't meet expectations.
Solution 3:
Wellness dashboard for long-term wellness solution
- Designed for UW students with long wait times, cultural sensitivities, or seeking flexible wellness options.
- Provides a wellness dashboard with customizable support.
- Offers community stories, peer groups, and campus-wide sessions tailored to individual preferences.
Final Combined
User FlowWe streamlined our design process by merging the individual user flows into a single, unified flow, ensuring a cohesive and seamless user experience in our final solution.
This project aims to develop a system that boosts mental health support for University of Washington students, fostering well-being in their academic and personal lives.
The Home Depot, founded in 1978, is one of the largest home improvement retailers globally. As part of The Home Depot's commitment to enhancing customer convenience, the Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) service was introduced. BOPIS allows customers to browse and purchase products online, choosing the convenience of picking up their orders at a nearby store.
Our target users include all Home Depot shoppers, specifically DIY customers. In line with business requirements, our client is especially interested in customers who order multiple types of products, as they are more likely to experience friction in their shopping journey.
How seamless is the end-to-end BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick-up In Store) experience?
We designed a mixed-methods study that combines three distinct research approaches to gather comprehensive data. We then synthesized this data into actionable findings and successfully presented our recommendations to the company.
Our usability study is structured around three pivotal stages: Customer Flow, Research, and Recommendations.
This framework guides us through mapping customer interactions, conducting in-depth research, synthesizing findings, and ultimately delivering strategic recommendations.
See Full Usability Test Plan ↗
Our team employed Affinity Mapping to synthesize qualitative data from effectively, allowing us to extract key insights. We organized data points collected from online mining into three main themes: Communication and Customer Education, Efficiency, and Technical Issues. This method helped us identify common pain points that corresponded with insights from other research methods, enhancing our overall findings.
We conducted remote task-based usability tests on UserTesting.com to gather detailed insights into the online shopping experience. Out of the 11 tests we administered, 5 met our criteria and were eligible for use according to our guidelines.
To identify customer pain points during in-store pickups, we conducted observations and interviews at the store to better understand the pickup journey for both first-time and experienced customers. We spent four hours in the store and successfully intercepted nine customers for our study.
We posed key questions to participants at the pickup counter, including:
"What is the anticipated size of the order you are here to pick up?"
"Why did you choose store pickup over other fulfillment methods?"
"Were there any aspects of the in-store pickup process that you found confusing/frustrating?"
Although the quantitative responses from our participants were generally positive, we identified several pain points in their experiences that warranted further investigation.
See Full Research Report ↗
This project aims to develop a system that boosts mental health support for University of Washington students, fostering well-being in their academic and personal lives.
Imagine the vulnerability of opening up to a close friend, only to have the screen freeze at the most pivotal moment.
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Imagine the heart-wrenching moment of confessing your love to a distant partner, only for the connection to suddenly drop, leaving you in a silent abyss.
Imagine the frustration of seeking urgent advice during a crisis, only for technical glitches to distort every other word, disrupting the flow of much-needed support.
How does online mental health therapy compare to in-person therapy in affecting patients' sense of connectedness and their willingness to disclose emotions?
- Our target users encompass individuals exploring mental health services for the first time, therapists, and online therapy service providers such as Doxy.me.
- Our goal is to offer guidance on both in-person and online therapy settings to help patients make informed decisions that save time and money.
- We aim to assist therapists in better understanding patient responses to their therapy environments, enhancing the quality of therapy sessions. Additionally, we seek to help companies enhance their user-centric services, ensuring they meet the needs of both therapists and patients effectively.
Our research is conducted in two phases to thoroughly examine user experiences with online therapy.
- In Phase 1, we utilize netnography on platforms like Reddit and mainstream telehealth review websites to identify general trends in online mental health therapy experiences.
- In Phase 2, we conduct semi-structured interviews to gather deeper insights into individuals' personal experiences.
Subreddit Selection Process:
- We searched subreddits using keywords like 'in-person therapy online,' 'Online Therapy,' 'telehealth,' and 'psychotherapy' to collect posts about telehealth experiences in mental health support.
- We focused on entries highlighting grievances, benefiting from Reddit's anonymity, which promotes candidness. This authenticity helped us effectively identify patterns and themes in user experiences, making Reddit a crucial data source for our research.
Platform Selection Process:
We chose several leading online therapy platforms and gathered user feedback from relevant websites. Reviews were categorized into pros and cons for each service, providing a clear overview of the strengths and weaknesses of these telehealth platforms.
- Doxy.me: Easy for clients to use without extra installations; features straightforward appointment management and in-wait activities.
- TheraPlatform: Strong on privacy and security; includes interactive session tools for therapists and clients.
- Zoom for Healthcare: Widely recognized for video calls; secure but lacks appointment scheduling features.
- VSee: Ensures reliable connections under low bandwidth; facilitates extensive information sharing.
- BetterHelp: Offers personalized care with 24/7 therapist messaging; however, has been criticized for marketing strategies involving influencers.
- Video Selection Process:We searched YouTube using 'personal experiences with telehealth' to find videos of genuine personal shares about telehealth. We also reviewed comments to understand audience reactions.
Pros: Enhanced session tracking, digital tools for improved interaction.
Cons: Frequent technical disruptions impact session quality.
Pros: Convenient access from any location, adding comfort for
sessions at home.
Cons: Lack of physical presence reduces session intimacy and security.
Pros: Some find it easier to open up from the safety of home.
Cons: Reduced physical presence can hinder deep emotional sharing
and trust.
Pros: Cost-effective and flexible scheduling.
Cons: Less accountability and commitment in therapy participation;
not suitable for severe mental health crises.
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We collaborated with a diverse group of individuals aged 18 and older who have experience with both online and in-person therapies. Our recruitment strategy combined Purposive Sampling, targeting specific criteria, with Convenience Sampling to leverage accessibility within our network.
Participants prefer the privacy and focused attention of in-person sessions but appreciate the control over their environment in online settings.
The physical setting significantly affects therapy's effectiveness, with in-person environments being more nurturing than the often sterile online setups.
Frequent technical issues disrupt the flow and feel of online therapy, creating a barrier to smooth communication.
The necessity of facing oneself on screen during therapy can heighten self-consciousness, detracting from the session's focus.
Therapists are often perceived as mere tools in online sessions, making the experience feel transactional and impersonal. In contrast, in-person therapy tends to foster a deeper, more human connection.
See Full Research Deck ↗
Develop Immersive Therapy Environments:
- Invest in VR/AR technology to create immersive therapy spaces.
- This innovative approach can simulate the intimacy of in-person sessions, bridging the gap between clients and therapists.
- Such environments not only improve client satisfaction and session effectiveness but also position the platform as a leader in cutting-edge mental health solutions.
Enhance Online Security Measures:
- Implementing advanced encryption and data protection protocols reassures clients about the confidentiality and safety of their sessions.
- This commitment to security can boost user trust, potentially increasing client retention and attracting new users concerned about privacy.
Streamline Technical Support and Issue Reporting:
- Ensure technical support is readily accessible and responsive, particularly during therapy sessions.
- Develop a user-friendly system for reporting issues that minimizes disruptions to the therapeutic process.
- Efficient and reliable technical support not only enhances user experience but also supports sustained engagement, reducing dropout rates due to technical frustrations.
Personalized User Experiences:
- Utilize AI and machine learning to tailor therapy sessions based on individual client preferences and history.
- This personalization can improve client satisfaction and outcomes, making the service more appealing and increasing client loyalty.
What are elements of an immersive space for online therapy?
How can telehealth platforms address privacy concerns in online therapy?
How do telehealth platforms reduce the impact of technical and network issues during online sessions?
