UX RESEARCH
Remote Therapy
Building A Better Remote Therapy Experience
OVERVIEW
Remote therapy is mental health service which usually take place through text messaging, phone conversations, and video chatting. In recent years, remote therapy has become increasingly popular because it can be more convenient and less expansive than traditional face to face therapy. But many people who tried remote therapy often feel a lack of personal connections. We, a team of 5 students from UC Berkeley Extension, decided to learn about the challenges of remote therapy faced by the users and explore opportunities for a better experience.
MY ROLE
UX Researcher
SKILLS
Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Prototyping
DATE
Mar. – May 2020
THE CHALLENGE
To build a premium and valuable remote therapy experience.
THE OUTCOME
We proposed for a free therapy trial for new users which also includes guidelines and introductory videos by therapists to help new users choosing their right match.
THE APPROACH
BUILDING EMPATHY
Desk Research- We conducted individual research to gain knowledge about remote therapy. Our goal was to answer the following questions:
What is the problem?
How is it showing up?
Who we may want to talk to?
Why does it matter?
I conducted research by
reading topic-related articles and its comment sections
reading company reviews on employment websites ( Glassdoor & Indeed)
searching through other digital spaces ( Instagram, Twitter, Quora)
User interviews-I interviewed 3 participants. One participant has tried both in-person and remote therapy; two participants have tried in person therapy only, but would consider trying remote therapy in the future. The interviews were done individually. Overall, my team interviewed 15 participants.
Participants are saying:
“ Couldn’t tell if my therapist was listening sometimes since the screen kept freezing.”
“ I like the flexibility of online therapy, but the connection felt less personal.”
“ Will I be able to trust them? What if I don’t like them?”
Affinity Mapping-Our goal was to understand the challenges and needs shared among all participants.
Our steps were:
each team member presented and wrote down individual interview notes
we grouped interview notes into categories
we identified a theme for each category
Insights
Our users need a way to derive value from online therapy but online experience tend to perceived as less premium and value.
Our users need a way to build trust and connection with their therapists because they must feel safe and comfortable to share their thoughts and feelings.
Our users need a way to access therapy in their own terms with more flexibility but they might not be able to get this from in-person therapy.
breaking down interview notes: identifying themes (orange notes) (tools: google jamboard)
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
“ How might we make remote therapy feel more premium and valuable than in-person therapy?”
GENERATING IDEAS
Brainstorming- We conducted a 3 hour virtual brainstorming session that produced a total of 127 ideas. Ideas ranging from providing guidelines for users to follow before each video therapy session to giving complimentary massage coupons to users.
virtual brainstorming session with team members
Some of my ideas were:
implementable – complimentary packages: headphones, herbal teas, plants, and etc..
inspirational – daily message dispenser: small illustrations, games, inspirational quotes)
impossible – “sensible” shirt: feel a hug or a pat on the shoulder
We voted for our top five ideas:
send small accessories to users’ homes
build an online community for users to get connected and support each other
provide online session guidelines for patients and therapists
have dance and exercises as a part of every session
provide 1 hour free trial for new patients to “test” the chemistry with different therapists
Storyboards- We made a storyboard for each of our top five ideas and tested them with 15 participants. The majority of the participants favored the ideas of providing online session guidelines for patients and therapists and providing 1 hour free trial for new patients; my team proceeded with the latter because it addresses the problem of the user finding the right therapist.
MAKING PROTOTYPES
Clickable Wireframes – I developed the chosen storyboard into low fidelity clickable wireframes. We used the wireframes as visual support for the evaluative interviews.
clickable low-fi wireframes ( tool: Sketch)
TESTING SOLUTIONS
Evaluative Interviews-I tested the the wireframes with 3 participants. The key takeaways are :
all participants wanted to see information on therapists’ credentials, expertise, experience, and patient reviews
most participants hesitated to decide how they would divide the free hour
most participants have existing habits for scheduling appointments
From the interviews, we realized we need to :
provide information on therapists’ credentials, expertise, experience, and patient reviews, as well as introductory videos by therapists
provide the option of a full free session
further research on how do most users usually schedule appointments
Business Model – We came up with the combination of the peer to peer and the on-demand subscription-based business models.
I conducted research by:
finding out the business models for the existing online therapy platforms
reading articles on the top 30 business models & building a business canvas
talking to family & friends who are experts on business
Some of the questions I asked myself:
“ What’s the online experience for therapists? ”
“ Why do existing online therapy platforms use the subscription-based model? ”
“ What are the business models that will provide value to the clients, the therapists, and the company? ”
my research notes on business model
the business model canvas design by my team
NEXT STEPS
Recruit and interview therapists
Involve patients and therapists in brainstorming sessions
Iterate and test prototypes to get user feedback
NEW QUESTIONS
What are the shared challenges among patients and therapists?
What experience can we provide to users after the online therapy journey ? How?
How do people build trust?