Enhanced user onboarding, trust, navigation, and awareness by redesigning Ahum’s mental health app and developing new outreach methods. These improvements led to increased sign-ups and user engagement.
Industry
Mental Health
Wellness
Timeline
June 2024
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Project Manager
Client
Context
About Ahum
Ahum is a mental health platform that offers therapy matching to B2C users and self-help resources for employees of corporate clients. They aim to make psychotherapy more accessible and more effective by reducing barriers for people to take proactive steps toward improving their well-being.
App With Self-Help Materials
for employees of their corporate clients to manage their mental health independently.
A guide in Ahum's app
Self-help page in Ahum's app
Therapy matching on Ahum's website
Therapy matching in Ahum's app
Therapist Matching Service Online and in Their App
matching users with psychologists tailored to their needs.
Overview
This project was part of a 4 week course where we worked with Ahum to improve their mental health services by addressing the challenges in the onboarding process, which had led to low user engagement and retention.
0/1000…
of those who have acess to Ahum's self-help services uses them.
Problem Statement
"How can Ahum attract corporate clients to the app and ensure they return?"
Objective
Enhance the onboarding experience and increase user engagement, retention and sign-ups for Ahum's app
Project Results Sneak Peek
We redesigned the onboarding emails, created workplace flyers, and refined the app experience and interface. Despite challenges such as limited access to user data and a tight timeline, the client was highly satisfied with the impactful solutions delivered, which significantly improved Ahum’s understanding of user experience and customer needs.
Successfully addressed identified key issues
Enhanced user trust
Improved app navigation
Increased awareness of Ahum's self-help services
Highly satisfied client
Understanding the Users
Hypothesizing Where and Why Users Might Drop Off
We created a detailed hypothetical customer journey to identify where and why users might drop off and pinpoint critical touchpoints. This is a user who has no prior knowledge of Ahum but still logs in and uses the app.
1
Receives an email from Ahum whom they have never heard of before.
First email users receive
2
Unclear of what was provided, they Google Ahum to find out more.
Ahums website
3
Downloads and navigates the app, finds and completes a self-help guide.
A self-help guide in Ahums app
Research and Insights
Talking to Users and Testing the Onboarding Experience
To examine if our hypothetical user journeywas correct, we conducted interviews and surveys with potential users to gather qualitative and quantitative data to understand their needs, preferences, and challenges.
Immediately after the interviews, participants tested the existing user journey to identify pain points and preferences.
Identified Problems and Proposed Solutions
As expected in our hypothetical user journey they need to improve how they introduce their services to users if they want to improve user engagement and retention. Users often found the initial email communication untrustworthy, the app’s navigation confusing, and the self-help resources poorly communicated. Here are the problems we found and the solutions we proposed based on user insights.
1. Negative Connotations of the Term
“Self-Help”
deterring potential users who are more interested in personal development.
Solution
Rebranding as “Self-Development”
to appeal to users interested in proactive personal growth and to avoid negative associations.
2. No One Trusted the Initial Email
which made them ignore or delete the email and not engage with Ahum’s services.
Solution 1
Informative Flyers in Workplaces
Solution 2
Rewritten Email (Template)
that explains who Ahum are, why the user is receiving the email, and the benefits of their services.
Usability Testing
Testing Our New User Journey
We conducted usability tests on the new email format and app navigation to identify any remaining issues.
Feedback
Participants appreciated the clarity and improved trustworthiness of the redesigned onboarding emails. However, they still indicated a preference for direct communication from HR departments rather than external sources.
The improved content categorization received great feedback, with users noting that the redesigned layout, featuring more and clearer icons, filters and clearer sections, made information easier to digest. The previous text-heavy approach was replaced with concise, engaging content that held users’ interest. However, some users suggested that detailed guides could benefit from videos or more interactive content.
Results and Impact
Measuring the Success of the Project
Successfully Addressing Discovered Issues
The final of HR-branded onboarding emails, an informative flyer, and an updated app interface with improved navigation effectively addressed the trust, usability, and awareness issues identified during the research phase.
Business Impact
These improvements resulted in better user retention and satisfaction, strengthening Ahum’s value proposition to corporate clients and improving overall business performance.
Client Feedback:
"…greatly enhanced our understanding of user needs."
The client was very satisfied with our findings and proposed solutions.
Elin Forsberg
Head of Content - Ahum
"Ludvig led a UX project for Ahum, significantly improving our onboarding process. Despite challenges like limited user data and tight deadlines, he delivered insightful recommendations that have greatly enhanced our understanding of user needs. His ability to identify issues and propose effective solutions has been invaluable."
Conclusion
Reflection and Learnings
Reflecting on the Journey
Reflecting on this project, it’s clear that it’s been one of the most significant experiences in my career. Designing for a mental health app really made me think about how vital trust and empathy are in user experience.
No Access to Actual Users
One of the main challenges we faced was not being able to interview Ahum’s actual users directly. Instead, we focused on gathering insights from people who represent Ahum’s target group, including corporate employees. This meant we had to carefully piece together insights from different perspectives, which was tough but rewarding. The tight deadline of 4 weeks added to the pressure, pushing us to be really efficient with our time and priorities. In the end, these challenges made us better at problem-solving and staying flexible.
What I Learned
This project made me truly understand the importance of clear, trustworthy communication from a reliable source, especially in areas as sensitive as mental health. I also learned the value of gathering applying user needs, whether from interviews, usability tests, or other research methods to create designs that are not only functional but also build an appropriate emotional connection with users. These lessons will definitely guide my work in the future.
Future Possibilities
If we would help Ahum further, potential next steps would include A/B testing different email formats to further improve engagement, and continually refining the self-help section of the app based on ongoing user feedback. Additionally, exploring ways to personalize the app experience further would be appreciated by users and improve long-term engagement and brand loyalty.
Reflecting on My Role and Team Collaboration
This project would not have been nearly as successful without my team and our amazing teamwork. As the Project Manager, I was responsible for delivering on the timeline and had to ensure our solutions were focused on the user and addressed the problems we identified. I coordinated the team, managed timelines, and kept everyone informed and connected. By working closely together and helping each other, we used our different skills and ideas to overcome challenges and create a successful final product that the client was very satisfied with.
Team Credits
Ludvig Hedin (Me):
Project Manager & Design Lead
Emma Wållberg:
Research Lead
Emil Arkel Wärn:
Researcher & Designer
Lydia Wolf:
Researcher & UX Writer
Kieran Pereira:
Designer
