Reflection is a prototype that meets the needs and problems that patients encounter in their search for emotional well-being, as well as therapists in their professional work.
Reflection was created for therapists who seek to have strict control over the activities between sessions that their patients carry out, as well as their tracking and progress. By creating personalized psychological activities for them, patients find effective activities to successfully confront difficult situations by reinforcing their learning and applying key concepts continuously in their daily lives.
A thorough analysis of several solutions available on the market was carried out to fully understand what they offered. The focus was on apps that in principle offered personalised analysis and the features and functionalities were explored to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each solution.
As I faced the complexity of therapists' and patients' needs and frustrations, I recognized the need for a deeper and more humanized approach than traditional quantitative methods. While conducting surveys could help define certain important patterns, the decision to use interviews came after an exhaustive analysis of existing solutions, where a significant lack of personalized follow-up and detailed understanding of individual experiences was observed.
To address this gap, interviews were an integral part of the research process, aimed at understanding the perceptions and lived experiences of the users. The planning of the interviews started with careful design, determining the content, timing, interviewees, and recording methods, ensuring respect for the dignity and privacy of the participants. I decided that semi-structured interviews were the best option for this case as they encourage a directed dialogue and allow interviewees to express their viewpoints in depth. I selected the participants based on their relevance and knowledge, avoiding disturbing or biasing their responses. I carefully chose a group of participants that included five therapists/psychologists and five patients. This selection was based on the importance and representativeness of their experiences and viewpoints.
Finally, I structured the interviews around key themes, ordered logically and chronologically to ensure a coherent and complete understanding of each topic addressed. From the psychologists, I would gain a deep insight into therapeutic dynamics and the management of activities between sessions, while from the patients, I would learn about their personal experience, their needs, and how they felt supported throughout the therapeutic process. This approach allowed me not only to collect significant data but also to capture the essence of the users' experiences and emotions, crucial elements for the design of a truly user-centered solution.
Based on the results of the research, interviews and surveys, it was decided to build a Journey Map to get a complete picture of the user journey and detect areas of opportunity in creating a more satisfying user experience.
With all the corpus of information obtained, there was the need to create an Affinity Diagram that allowed synthesising and making sense of the data collected, identifying patterns and themes that become relevant in the process.
To guide the decision-making process, two User Personas were constructed: one for the therapist and one for the patient. This would ensure that the product would focus on addressing the user's frustrations, weaknesses and goals.
In order to encourage creativity, a brainstorming of functionalities was created with the aim of generating a wide range of ideas.
Using the MOSCOW method, an assessment was carried out to determine the priorities and most relevant points to be addressed in relation to the identified problem.
Each idea was evaluated and ranked according to its impact and need, thus building a clear roadmap for the next stage of development and prototyping.
👥 Psychologists: need efficient monitoring and centralisation of patient information.
⏰ Current challenges: scheduling sessions, tracking progress, creating and managing personalised activities.
👤 Patients: require personalised therapeutic activities, review of past issues and feeling accompanied.
🌱 Current difficulties: they want to face difficult situations, learn and grow emotionally.
👥 Psychologists: an improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of their interventions is expected.
👤 Patients: emotional strengthening, increased commitment, motivation and progress are expected.
1. Web platform for psychologists:
· Organisation of time and therapeutic sessions.
· Recording of activities and annotations.
· Visual progress tracking.
· Generation of personalised activities.
2. Mobile Application for Patients:
· Emotional recording and monitoring.
· Activities and therapeutic techniques.
· Interactive graphs of emotional evolution.
3. Repository of Past Sessions:
· Access and review of topics covered.
· Resources and past activities.
4. Integrated Messaging System:
· Rapid therapist-patient communication.
· Follow-up of activities and requests.
5. Sensor-Based Alert System:
· Detection of difficult situations.
· Personalised recommendations.
The next phase consisted of the process of materialising the concepts and solutions generated previously. To do this, we created sketches and low and medium fidelity prototypes, a strategy that allowed us to test ideas quickly and cost-effectively.
These sketches and prototypes were central to the user-centred approach. Through them, solutions were iterated and refined, evaluating various design alternatives and constantly seeking improvements.
We focused on creative exploration and idea generation without being constrained by technical or aesthetic details. This provided the freedom to experiment with different approaches and solutions, without losing sight of the ultimate goal of creating an effective user experience.
Once the required modifications and improvements had been applied to the low and medium fidelity prototype, a usability test was carried out in order to consolidate both the interaction flow and the screen designs, in preparation for the development of the high fidelity phase.
Prior to tackling the high-fidelity interfaces, a visual identity was defined in order to give the product a distinctive look and feel that would stand out from competitors and generate affinity with users.
In this phase, a moodboard was created that captured the essence of the proposal, using colours and typography that expressed key emotions and values.
The idea came up for a representative logo, called ReflectiON, inspired by the myth of Narcissus, which reflects the inner search and look into oneself. We used the capital "ON" to symbolise igniting this search, and the colour yellow to add vitality and dynamism.
In the final stage of the project I developed the high fidelity prototype, with greater detail and precision. This allowed me to visualize and communicate more accurately the structure, layout and interaction of the product I was creating.
By using the visual elements and visual identity defined in the design stage, it is ensured that the coherence and identity of the product is maintained throughout the entire process.
The next step was to obtain information through tests conducted with real users, in order to carry out an evaluation of the usability of the product.
The main purpose of this evaluation was to analyze the usability of the product through a quantitative study with the participation of eight individuals. This study aimed to identify recurring problems and to collect metrics on performance and efficiency in task execution.
Test Method: The approach used was a quantitative usability study conducted remotely and with active moderation.
Stage 1: Preparation
· Eight participants were selected, divided equally between four psychologists and four patients.
· Two specific tasks were assigned for the psychologists, while two others for the patients.
Stage 2: Introduction
· Participants were provided with a concise explanation of the purpose of the test, as well as a brief description of the main functionality and purpose of the product in question.
Stage 3: Task Execution
Psychologists:
· Access available patient records and review their weekly activities and evolution.
· Navigate to the activity creation panel and generate a new activity.
Patients:
· Access your pending activities and complete them.
· Consult the records and the evolution of their therapy.
Stage 4: Interaction, Tracking and Metrics
· During the test session, active moderation was conducted, recording in detail specific comments related to the ease of use, navigation and challenges perceived by the participants.
· Records were kept of the time taken to complete each task, the success rate in completing the tasks, and the overall satisfaction expressed by the participants.
Stage 5: Debriefing
· At the conclusion of the testing session, participants were thanked for their dedication and time invested in the process.
· They were given the opportunity to share additional comments or suggestions that may arise from their evaluation experience.
Through observation of user interaction with the prototype, strengths, vulnerabilities and areas for improvement were identified.
The next steps are directed towards a detailed analysis of the findings, with the purpose of translating them into redesign suggestions for the next iteration.
This approach seeks to validate design choices and ensure that the product is in line with user expectations and needs, with the goal of progressively approaching a final product that successfully fulfills its intended purpose.