New View Counselling
A counselling service that prides themselves in creating a trustworthy and non-judgmental space for their clients.
Role
Sole UX / UI Design
Tools Used
Figma
Invision
Google Docs
Wix
Timeline
80 Hours
BackgroundAnyone ever feel overwhelmed when seeking mental health services? Trust me, I’ve been there and the process isn’t always easy. I wonder if there’s ways to make the process less overwhelming?
Meet Rachel!
She’s a registered counsellor and owner of New View Counselling where she offers a variety of online counselling services.
She’s looking to give a little more love to her website and asked me for help. I took on the challenge to research, design and implement the responsive design on her Wix website.
But wait! First we have to know what Rachel is looking for specifically before we continue.
Client GoalRachel wants to learn what clients look for when searching for an online counsellor so that we can understand what will encourage users to book a free fifteen-minute consultation.
The PlanReach out to participants who have used counselling services, are in counselling, or currently looking for a counsellor, to discover their pain points throughout their process.
Alright, time to start investigating!
Interviews80% Of interviewees expressed contacting the counsellor is mentally the hardest part of the process when researching mental health services. Clients feel discouraged having to contact the counsellor for pertinent information that isn’t found on their website.
I’ll share with you some other major insights from my interviews!
Key InsightsI synthesized my primary research into an affinity map and discovered some key insights.
100% of clients will only consider a counsellor if they feel the counsellor provides a trusted service.
Clients will only consider counsellors with certifications.
Clients are more inclined to choose a counsellor who displays a warm and inviting picture of themselves.
Clients trust websites that are up-to-date with a modern look.
Clients will not contact a counsellor for their service if their website doesn’t provide all the necessary information.
80% Of clients look for a recent picture of the counsellor, pricing, specialties, bio and counsellor’s availability.
Contacting counsellors for pertinent information can make clients feel overwhelmed and anxious.
Researching counsellors is a timely process.
Clients do not want to contact and wait for a response from the service about pricing and availability.
Clients feel overwhelmed by the amount of options for counsellors.
Hmm I’m curious how other companies are displaying their services on their website. Let’s take a look!
Competitive AnalysisAccording to my competitive analysis none of the competitors have all the information that clients are looking for such as: credentials, biography, pricing, specialities and counsellor’s availability.
Each competitor has parts of the necessary information it takes to make an informed decision before committing to a counselling service, but not one acquires all the necessary information mentioned above.
New View Counselling website displays only the necessary information it takes to make an informed decision about their services. This alleviates the client from contacting the counsellor for basic information. This helps New View Counselling reduce the number of emails and helps their potential clients feel confident in their decision to commit or not to commit to the services.
SitemapAlright, let’s make this a streamline experience for potential clients! I started out with a sitemap.
User and Task FlowI did a user and task flow of a client booking a fifteen-minute consultation with New View Counselling.
A Pivot!Rachel had a baby!!! 🎉 🎊
She definitely isn’t looking for more clients. She gave me the direction of “please make sure my website includes everything necessary for my client and maybe add a waitlist instead.”
That’s absolutely no problem!
Usability Tests
I designed the website on Wix and tested it on multiple participants. With those insights I made adjustments to my design and came through with the final product.
Drum roll…..
The Solution
Design New View Counselling’s website in a way that allows the users to make an informed decision about their services.
Here’s how:
Users can identify counsellor’s credentials.
User can verify Rachel Erdos as a person via her picture.
Users can identify counsellor’s knowledge as per specialization descriptions.
Instill Trust
With a picture of the counsellor, users can put a face to the service.
Adding a bio makes the service feel less clinical and more personal.
Users gain a sense of what a session may feel like with the section explaining her approach.
Make It Personable
Minimize cognitive overload by only displaying necessary information:
Bio
Specialties
Types of Service
Picture of Counsellor
Counsellor’s Approach
Pricing and Sliding Scale
Counsellor’s Availability (is she accepting new clients?)
Display Necessary Information For Quick Browsing
Instead of booking a consultation, users can instead join a waitlist.
Users are aware that the service isn’t currently accepting new clients.
Users are aware of the price and can decide whether or not they can afford the service.
Show Transparency
ResponsiveIn the beginning I promised you a responsive design, and guess what…that’s exactly what you’re getting!
Mental Health CheckIn case you’re curious about her mental health services, here’s her website 😊
ReflectionsThis was my first time working with a client, woohoo! I am so grateful to Rachel Erdos for her time and consideration, along with all the participants who allowed me to interview and run tests with them. It was incredibly rewarding working with a client and seeing her satisfaction at the end of the process. As much as it feels good I came across some hiccups along the way. These challenges forced me to go beyond my comfort zone, learn and adapt new skills.
Here’s what I learned:
Any tool is learnable: At the beginning of the project, I agreed to both design and implement my work into the client's Wix website. Although I had no prior experience with Wix, I embraced the challenge and quickly familiarized myself with the platform through YouTube tutorials. Initially, I faced some difficulties navigating the interface due to its limitations, such as the lack of a grid and column system. Despite these challenges, I managed to design a functional product that my client enjoyed. While Wix isn't my preferred design platform, I noticed that as I progressed through the project, I became noticeably more comfortable with it and was able to deliver a compelling final product.
Sketch without limitations: I created my sketches and low-fidelity wireframes using my Wix skillset. As a result, the design turned out to be very simple due to working within Wix's limitations. While limitations can sometimes encourage thinking outside the box, in this case, it had the opposite effect. Next time, I plan to sketch and design in Figma first, and then assess how closely I can recreate the design in the preferred platform.
Quality of communication matters: During our project, my client gave birth, which understandably shifted her priorities and availability. Initially, she had plenty of time to schedule calls and engage in regular check-ins. However, after giving birth, her focus changed, as she now had a baby to take care of. When she was ready to resume calls, interruptions from her baby often cut our meetings short. To alleviate the stress, I opted to communicate via email. This allowed her to respond more freely and conveniently at her own pace. Though it might take longer to get a response, the quality of her input improved, as I assumed she could reply when her baby didn't require immediate attention.