Project Overview
The Product
Seek's goal is to connect users looking for counseling services with counselors that meet their specific needs. Seek's target audience are those actively seeking mental health services.
Project Duration
May 2022 - June 2022
The Problem
Users have difficulty finding and connecting with counselors that are available to meet their mental health needs.
The Goal
Have a centralized database of available counselors with features that allow users to filter through counselors based on their needs. The Seek mobile app will also act as a centralized mode for communicating with counselors and scheduling appointments.
My Role
User Experience Designer leading the app and responsive website from conception to delivery.
My Role
User Experience Designer leading the app and responsive website from conception to delivery.
Responsiblities
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Conducting Interviews
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Paper and Digital Wireframing
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Low and High-Fidelity Prototyping
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Conducting Usability Studies
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Accounting for Accessibility
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Iterating on Designs
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Determining Information Architecture
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Responsive Design
User Research: Summary
After conducting interviews and utilizing empathy maps, I was able to gain an understanding of potential users and their needs. A primary user group identified through the research process were people searching for a counselor for the first time.
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This user group revealed that they were overwhelmed with the process of searching for a counselor because it was difficult to find information about several counselors in one place. Other user challenges identified were identifying counselors that met the user's specific needs.
Digital Wireframes
After ideating several solutions to the problem and drafting paper wireframes, I created the initial designs for the Seek app. These designs focused on connecting users with counselors that meet their needs.
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Homepage focuses on counselors that meet users' specific needs and provides an easy way to contact them.
Easy access to app features with global navigation.
Low-Fidelity Prototype
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow for finding a counselor, contacting counselors, and scheduling appointments.
View the low-fidelity prototype.
Usability Study: Parameters
Study Type
Unmoderated
Location
United States, Remote
Participants
5 participants
Length
20-30 minutes
Usability Study: Findings
After analysis the following findings were uncovered:
1
Map
Users want to see where their counselor is located on a map.
2
Navigation
Users want to use the Seek logo to navigate to the homepage.
Design Improvements
Based on insights from the usability study, I applied design changes like adding a map view to the hompage.
Users can click on a location, opening an overlay that shows which counselor is located there.
Users can toggle from list view to map view depending on their needs.
Additional design changes included adding navigation to the homepage using the Seek logo throughout the app.
Home navigation was added through the Seek logo.
Mockups
High-Fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity prototype followed the same user flow as the low-fidelity prototype, including design changes that were made after the usability study.
View the high-fidelity prototype.
Accessibility Considerations
1
Implemented clear labels on interactive elements that can be read by screen readers.
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The color contrast throughout the app was tested and meets web accessibility guidelines.
Takeaways
Impact
Users disclosed that the Seek app made them feel confident that they can find a counselor that meets their needs. One participant in a usability study said:
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"This app really demystified the process of finding a counselor. It's so nice that I can do everything all in one place".
What I Learned
I learned that by going through each step of the design thinking process and aligning with specific user needs, you can find solutions to complex problems.