UI/UX CASE STUDY
Finding the Right Therapist
Designing a more approachable way for students to discover therapists who fit their needs, preferences, and personal circumstances.
Understanding students’ needs and connecting them with the right support
Role
Product Designer
Tools
UX/UI
Plateform
Web & Mobile
The challenge
Finding support feels overwhelming
Support Center
Finding a therapist can feel overwhelming, especially for students seeking support for the first time. A traditional directory can leave them unsure where to begin, who to trust, or how to choose someone who understands their needs.
The problem
Understanding what matters
Our goal
The goal was to improve the platform connecting students in local public schools with the therapists they need. By enhancing the UI/UX and simplifying access to services, the project aimed to create an intuitive, accessible, and seamless experience for students, parents, therapists, and internal staff managing scheduling and program coordination.
The challenge
With limited scope, the goal was to identify and prioritize the content and features that mattered most to HelloHero’s diverse user base. By focusing on the needs of students, parents, therapists, and internal staff, we aimed to improve usability and deliver the most meaningful impact for current and future users.
Defining the strategy
We used Jesse James Garrett’s Elements of User Experience framework to guide HelloHero’s redesign, focusing on simpler navigation, easier therapist discovery, clearer access to services, and improved scheduling workflows for students, parents, therapists, and internal staff.
Scope
Structure
Skeleton
Surface
Strategy
Strategy
I translated student interview insights and Claire’s persona into actionable UX improvements for HelloHero. I focused on identifying user pain points, prioritizing essential features, and improving navigation and access to therapist services to create a more intuitive, supportive experience.
The Platform
We evaluated what was working, identified areas for improvement, and prioritized opportunities for future impact.
The Competitors
We analyzed Confluence’s mental health platform to evaluate how it communicates services, guides families, and connects users with care. This helped us identify opportunities for HelloHero to simplify navigation, clarify service information, and make accessing support more intuitive.
The users
We wanted to understand how students and parents experienced the portal. We gathered feedback through a website survey with simple yes-or-no questions. Although participation was a challenge, we collected responses from 40 users to help identify areas for improvement.
User Research & Persona Development
User Story Map
We spoke with students to understand their emotional needs, concerns, and challenges when seeking mental health support. These conversations informed Claire’s persona, a 14-year-old girl who wants to feel understood and is hopeful about finding someone she can trust. With her mom’s help, she searches for a therapist but feels anxious about reaching out for the first time.
The insights helped us identify opportunities to make finding and connecting with a therapist feel more approachable, supportive, and less intimidating for students like Claire.
Claire Smith
The student seeking support
“I want to find someone who understands what I'm going through without making the process feel overwhelming.”
Claire is a college student balancing academic pressure, relationships, and personal growth. Alex is considering therapy but feels unsure where to start or how to determine which therapist is the right fit.
Design Opprotunities
Guided onboarding with simple, relevant questions.
Personalized therapist matches based on stated preferences.
Clear profiles with specialties and practical details.
A straightforward connection or booking process.
Goals
Find a therapist who understands their concerns.
Explore specialties and compare therapist profiles.
Understand costs, availability, and next steps.
Feel comfortable and confident reaching out.
Frustrations
Unclear descriptions of specialties and approaches.
Difficulty knowing whether a therapist is a good fit.
Uncertainty about what happens after choosing someone.
Key opportunity for Claire
Reduce uncertainty at the moment Claire reaches out by simplifying the process, explaining what happens next, and using supportive, age-appropriate language.