CoCo - case study
0 likes205 views
The CoCo app provides online counseling for couples through 1-on-1 sessions with expert coaches. The UX researcher conducted interviews and found that while couples were open to online counseling, cost, scheduling, stigma, and finding the right match were concerns. Personas like Anna, Marti and Guillem represented target users. Wireframes, a prototype and usability studies refined the design. The final prototype addressed issues like separating the coach selection and booking processes. Next steps include further testing and accessibility reviews.
CoCo - case study
- 1. CoCo (Couples Counseling) app Gemma Fornons May 2021
- 2. The product: Online 1-on-1 counseling with expert coaches for couples on specific areas of their relationship Project overview Project duration: April 2021 - May 2021
- 3. The problem: Couples counseling is expensive, and can be intimidating for those who never tried or considered it, because they don’t know what to look for or how to look for it. Project overview The goal: Provide an easy, affordable way for couples to access counseling on specific relationship topics.
- 4. My role: UX researcher Project overview Responsibilities: User research, wireframing, prototyping
- 5. Understanding the user ● User research ● Personas ● Problem statements ● User journey maps
- 6. User research: summary User research involved interviews with couples of different age groups (20-30, 30-45, 45-60), relationship status (domestic partners, married couples, couples who live separately) and sexual orientation. They had never tried online counseling before. Originally, it was assumed some of these couples would not be receptive towards the idea of counseling in general, but it was noted that accessing it online was met with more acceptance than expected.
- 7. User research: pain points Cost Couples counseling is perceived as an expensive, not-so-necessary commodity Schedule Physical appointments take a long time, involve transport, being in unfamiliar or uncomfortable places Stigma Seeing a therapist can still be perceived negatively, and most people do not openly speak about it Matching Therapists have different specialisations, and couples have different problems - it might be hard to find a good match 1 2 3 4
- 8. Persona: Name Problem statement: Anna is a young professional in her first serious relationship who needs to balance love, life and work because she wants to avoid falling into routine.
- 9. Persona: Name Problem statement: Martí is a first-time dad who needs to access affordable, on-demand counseling because of the impact the baby has had on his relationship.
- 10. Persona: Name Problem statement: Guillem is a middle-aged married man who needs to rethink on his marriage because he is entering a new life phase.
- 11. User journey map
- 12. ● Paper wireframes ● Digital wireframes ● Low-fidelity prototype ● Usability studies Starting the design
- 13. Paper wireframes Image of paper wireframes including five different versions of the same screen and one image of the new, refined version
- 14. Digital wireframes It was important to create a smooth way for the user to match with a coach based on their needs. - Filters guide the search - Coach profiles are friendly but information-packed Filters allow user to find better-suited coaches Coach profile list allows user to browse and get to know coaches before committing to one
- 15. Digital wireframes The booking page allows users to make all their choices (timing, type of appointment) in one single page Appointments can be scheduled with or without video Easy access to coach availability
- 17. Usability study: parameters Study type: Unmoderated usability study Location: Barcelona, remote Participants: 6 participants (3 couples) Length: 40 minutes
- 18. Usability study: findings People (especially recurrent users) want differentiated processes for selecting a coach and booking an appointment Finding a coach vs booking Opting out Filtering People want to see a ‘back’ option, not too close to confirmation buttons People want to quickly shorten the coaches’ list and/or see the ‘best-match’ coach 1 2 3 Handy info People want to see their scheduled appointments at first glance 4
- 19. ● Mockups ● High-fidelity prototype ● Accessibility Refining the design
- 20. Mockups: home ● Separated coach information and Booking process ● Added information on scheduled appointments for convenience Before usability study After usability study
- 21. Mockups: Find coach ● Added search box and advanced search filters to improve filtering ● Added a ‘star’ system to mark favourites ● Added backlink to improve navigation Before usability study After usability study
- 22. Mockups: Booking ● Divided ‘Date’ and ‘Time’ selection to better guide user through scheduling process ● Added backlink to improve navigation Before usability study After usability study
- 23. Mockups
- 25. Accessibility considerations Colour accessibility WCAG was taken into account when choosing color palette for the app Icons were used in some buttons, in addition to color. Animation speed & Interactions All animations are below 500 ms Gestures are never the only way of accomplishing an action Labels All buttons, links, tags and components are labeled to ensure readability if using a screen reader. 1 2 3
- 26. ● Takeaways ● Next steps Going forward
- 27. Takeaways Impact: The app makes users feel like CoCo really thinks about how to meet their needs. A quote from peer feedback: ‘I would definitely give it a try!’ What I learned: While designing CoCo, I could really understand the value of doing multiple iterations based on feedback (provided by usability studies and/or peers). There was a massive improvement! I also honed my Figma skills and created my first design system, which was very rewarding.
- 28. Next steps Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively address. Consult with an expert to make sure the app is fully accessible and equitable. Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need. 1 2 3
- 29. Let’s connect! IThank you for your time reviewing my work on CoCo (Couples Counseling) app! If you'd like to see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below. Email: gemma@mail.com Website: about.me/gfornons
- 30. Thank you!