Mental Health App and Website
The Project
Goals
The goal is to create a product that shows how to effectively use CBT in the user’s everyday life.Challenge
The problem is that most mental health apps are cluttered and confusing to use. Another issue is that homework assigned in therapy is not always complete, or there isn’t a therapist to guide them through the self-help portions.Results
A user who reviewed the app, who is a CBT therapist, said she would use the app if it were available to help monitor progress and teach CBT to her clients.Stats
Role
UX designer designing an app from conception to deliveryAudience
Users in need of effective CBT self help along with therapists who need a tool for homework assignments outside of counselingDeliverables
- Paper & digital wireframes
- Low-fidelity prototypes of mobile app
- High-fidelity prototype of mobile app
- Responsive website mockups
Timeline
September 2021 - October 2021User Research
I used open ended secondary research to observe problems with current self help treatments. This led me to interviewing people who had experience with self help and therapy, and I was able to design an app to address challenges in both areas. I found that the pressing issues for mental health providers was getting clients to follow up on homework while monitoring progress. For all other users, I discovered the difficulty lied in either accessing therapy or using workbooks to address mental health challenges. The material tended to not always be practical or immediate.
Persona
Ideation
I quickly ideated a user flow to create something streamlined in applying CBT principles directly to a given situation.
Crazy 8's Exercise
Wireframes
These views became the backbone of the rest of the app, because they allow for customizing issues the user wants to work on, while also allowing common issues to select from.
Wireframes
User Testing
Study Parameters
Study Type
Moderated Usability StudyLocation
Cincinnati, OH in participant’s homes & officesParticipants
4 ParticipantsSession Length
Avg. 30 MinutesStudy Findings
Too much at once
Users wanted one question or prompt at a time.Viewing progress
Our users often want to do things in one place, so allowing them to forecast their payments easily or to make a savings plan helps them save time.Content Length
While I cut back on the amount of content compared to other apps, it still needed to be streamlined.Final Design
Conclusion
This was a project where I tried out a ‘content-first’ approach alongside content modeling. I used subject-domain modeling to translate the practice of CBT into content, and then adapted screens to fit it, rather than fitting content for screens.