mae:
a therapy app
Case Study by Hannah Rosentreter
user research | information architecture | user interface design
Finding the right therapist just got a lot less confusing.
mae is a therapy app, made accessible and educational, that helps users find a therapist who is right for their individual needs while reducing emotional burden, bolstering confidence through education, and bettering the user’s relationship to their mental health.
Project Overview
Information Architecture
Site Map
User Flows
Wireframes
Prototyping
User Research
User Interviews
Behavioral Archetypes
Journey Maps
Competitive Analysis
Insights Summary
Group Brainstorm Sessions
Concept Design
Concept Testing with End Users
Study Findings Report
User Interface Design
Mood Board
Style Guide Development
Logo Design
Typography
Iconography
Application of Style Guide to Wireframes
User Research
Conducted with a team of user researchers:
Annie Hoch-South, Matt Maniquis, Cat Devereaux, Hannah Rosentreter
User Interviews
Each hour-long interview was audio recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions provided valuable quotes, gave clarity to sentiments shared, and allowed us to review the interview findings of others.
We drafted the interview questions as a group seeking to understand general experiences, attitudes and logistics for finding a therapist. Questions were used as guidelines, but I veered away from the order where necessary to dig deeper or follow a pathway the user was laying out for me.
Interview breakdown:
Group Total: 16 interviews
Personally conducted: 4 interviews
3 current or former therapy-seekers
1 who had never sought therapy but considered it
Behavioral Archetypes
Through our research and concept testing, we learned that people may take on behavior traits from both archetypes as they get deeper into their search and elevate their baseline understanding of therapy, mental health, and what they are seeking to get out of therapy.
Both archetypes found that aligning with time and insurance were major pain points.
Journey Mapping
Journey mapping revealed that our archetypes may have very different experiences at the same journey point. We see The Gut Feeler really struggling through the cost and time alignment phases (approaching the step of contacting the therapist), while The Controller is generally neutral throughout their search.
We discovered that confidence in your next step and what you’re looking for correlates with a more positive experience. For me, this informed mae’s design of incorporating common next steps and educational tid-bits throughout the search process.
Concept Testing
After brainstorming potential opportunity areas based on our research, each member of my team created an app concept. We tested these concepts through 6 rotations with groups of 4 end-users, seeking to understand which concepts resonated with them and why.
My concept area was Mental Health / Therapy Education Platform. Though the educational aspects of this concept resonated with users, they functionally were looking for more search and connection based features, which you can see appear in the initial iterations of the mae app.
Research Insights and Design Applications
Key insights uncovered through research…
Availability & Insurance alignment is top a top priority. Making it to that first appointment only to find out the therapist won’t logistically or financially work can deter users from searching again.
Knowing what to do next isn’t always intuitive, especially as a first-time therapy seeker. Asking for help can be hard and knowing what to ask about to better navigate the process can feel daunting.
Establishing a connection is highly-valued. Simply hearing the sound of a potential therapist’s voice or reading how they respond to a prompt can be reassuring enough for a user to make that next step and connect.
Searching for a therapist should feel easy and transparent. It can be so boring, cold, and convoluted! Information should be accessible up front, without having to reach out.
Take root in mae’s design.
Availability and insurance alignment are prominently featured on both the Therapist Search page and the Therapist’s Profile page.
Features like “Book a Consultation”and “Next Steps” subtly nudge the user along their journey to take actions that will lead them towards finding the help they need.
mae makes establishing a connection easier, by giving users the opportunity to book and attend a virtual consultation on the app!
Matches between a therapist’s offerings and user’s preferences are quickly signaled with check marks on the Therapist Search page. When searching on this page, a user is able to use the Swipe View or the Tile View, making their search work better for their mood or their setting!
