ROLE
Product Design
UX Research
Product Strategy
PLATFORMS
Native Mobile
Responsive Web
01.
Problems + Opportunities
Analytics showed strong top-of-funnel interest. But further along the user journey, retention and engagement declined.
wayForward marketing emails had a 35% click-to-open rate and a 20% click-through rate from Employee Assistance Program (EAP) portals. Likewise, interviews with stakeholders reported strong anecdotal interest.
But, only about 8% of users completed registration and downloaded the app. Of those, only about 20% completed the onboarding process and selected a goal to work towards.
Hopeful Beginners need a guided experience. Health Advocates and Determined Skeptics demand more autonomy.
We conducted interviews with nearly a dozen wayForward users and synthesized the results into three key archetypes: The Hopeful Beginner, the Health Advocate, and the Determined Skeptic.
USER ARCHETYPES
Hopeful Beginner
Knows mental health is important but struggles to prioritize it.
Genuinely wants to make changes, but isn’t sure how to get started.
Needs hands-on guidance to complete the exercises and apply the tools and techniques.
Health Advocate
Conscious of their mental health and already engaged in some type of mind-body practice (mediation, yoga, etc.).
May already use technology to track these practices or monitor biometric data.
Demands greater autonomy and more clinical rigor than a wellness brand would provide.
Determined Skeptic
Has faced mental health challenges, perhaps chronically and not always with positive outcomes.
Despite a critical view of mental healthcare, very loyal to techniques that are effective.
Self-care is a trial and error process, so they demand the autonomy to try different things, use what works, and ignore the rest.
Informed by these insights, I framed four key problems to pursue over the next two quarters.
How might we…
Clarify the value proposition of the core product through upstream channels and touch points?
Streamline the onboarding experience, decreasing time-to-value and increasing completion rates?
Create a flywheel for engagement to help customers form new habits by taking consistent, incremental steps?
Encourage users to recognize their progress and mastery of new skills?
02.
Clarify the Value Proposition
Redesigning emails to clearly communicate the core experience and concrete benefits of using the product.
Research participants stated their interest was initially piqued by marketing materials. But they weren't sure how the app worked or the benefits of using it.
I rewrote wayForward's marketing emails, applying principles of the inverted pyramid structure, and redesigned the layout with a clear visual hierarchy, prioritizing key tasks and information.
03.
Reduce Time to Value
Simplifying onboarding and automating reengagement for a quicker path to value.
Almost all of the users we interviewed expressed frustration at the time and effort to get through registration and onboarding. The redesign simplified this process, while acknowledging the irreducible complexity of clinical diagnostic tools.
We also instrumented monitoring to determine where users abandon onboarding. Push notifications or emails then prompt users to return to the process where they left off.
04.
Empower Users to Form New Habits
Using the Fogg Model as a template for behavior change.
Stanford researcher BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model proposes that, “Behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt come together at the same time.” To help customers form new behaviors, we explored ways to:
Increase motivation—the effort they are willing to expend to accomplish a task.
Increase ability—simplifying the target behavior to make it easier to accomplish.
Optimize the effectiveness of prompts—cueing users to engage at optimal moments.
Designing a dashboard to focus each visit on a single task and visualize recent progress.
To help users focus on one goal at a time, we suggested an Action Plan based on the results of their psychological assessment (e.g., Depression, Anxiety, etc.). When they open the app, the first item on the dashboard (shown below as a low-fi wireframe) is a card for the next session in their Action Plan. With a single tap, they can get started.
To increase motivation, we created a progress tracker for the current Action Plan, reminding users of their progress at the start of each visit.
A compromise between clinical rigor and user autonomy decreases friction and drives engagement.
To assure therapeutic efficacy, wayForward's clinical board pressed for a controlled user experience that mirrored in-person care. But this approach required users to complete exercises in a specific order and access tools only after related concepts had been introduced.
Conversely, two of our key personas (Health Advocates and Determined Skeptics) wanted to access these tools as needed, a la carte.
To compromise, we surfaced tools related to the current Action Plan on the Dashboard, making it easier to engage users who need support in the moment.
Optimizing the effectiveness of prompts by allowing customers to schedule them.
By setting a reminder to work on their Action Plan every day, at a time convenient for them, users increase the likelihood of adopting a new habit and changing behavior over time.
05.
Evaluative Testing + Iteration
Soliciting user insights with an interactive Figma prototype.
I prototyped the end-to-end experience in Figma, including a "Wizard of Oz" simulation of the notifications users receive if they abandon the onboarding process. I conducted testing with nine users (three from each archetype). And, we used the same prototype to solicit feedback from the clinical board, investors, and EAP partners.
Evolving the design language to inspire trust and pivot to a new target market.
We heard that the brand's color palette and visual language was warm and approachable, but didn't embody wayForward's clinical rigor and eroded trust with customers.
Moreover, investors encouraged wayForward to explore a pivot towards a white-label solution for EAPs.
So, in the next iteration, I adapted the native mobile app to a responsive web format. I leveraged a simple color palette to easily accommodate white labeling. And I applied a more subdued, card-based visual style, drawing on patterns from the Material Design language.
Turning Frustration Into Motivation With a Few Design Tweaks
Test subjects were frustrated that they were had to unlock each session in linear order. But the clinical team insisted the app should mirror the experience of working with a clinician IRL.
Fortunately, a few design tweaks helped turn frustration into motivation. By removing the lock icons on session cards and allowing users to preview the content, the "locked" sessions were reframed as an award for continued engagement.
06.
Outcomes + Impact
59%
Reduction in depression*
48%
Reduction in anxiety*
Double-Digit Increase
Registration completion
Double-Digit Decrease
Churn rate
wayForward was subsequently acquired by DarioHealth, a leading digital health solutions provider. Our platform became the core of their Behavioral Health Solution.
*As reported in a University of North Carolina study of clinical outcomes, Reducing Depression and Anxiety and Productivity Levels in Individuals Using Dario Behavioral Health Program
07.
Lessons Learned
Reframing a Debate In Terms That Matter to Stakeholders
Throughout my collaboration with wayForward, I frequently debated with the clinical team over the appropriate length of instructional copy.
They proposed exhaustive, detailed treatments; I responded with research about how people scan (not read) online and best practices on writing for the web.
The breakthrough came once I understood their verbosity was in service of due diligence. I reframed my argument from UX to clinical terms:
"With a patient who is inattentive, impatient, or cognitively impaired, would a rote recitation of their care plan meet the standard of due diligence?" I asked. "Or would you be obligated to communicate it to them more simply and concisely?"
They agreed. Moreover, framing the discussion in familiar language and concepts unlocked a deeper level of trust and communication that fueled our collaboration.