A pharmaceutical company asked us to test the design preferences and usability of a mobile application designed as a 6-week treatment program to help patients manage their depression
Evaluate the usability of a digital therapy app designed to treat mental health disorders such as depression
Challenge
As the mobile app had yet to be deployed in the United Kingdom, it was fundamental for the client to ensure that the app was appropriately localized to resonate with the UK market. Additionally, as the app would be entering a new market, it was important to examine the UK’s healthcare system and identify barriers to access in creating pathways for integrating the app into a patient’s ongoing care.
Approach
We conducted 90-minute remote usability sessions with adult patients throughout the UK using mid- to high-fidelity prototypes. Participants interacted with the prototypes using remote screen control to evaluate the value of the content, the usability of the app, and their overall sentiment towards digital therapies. We worked closely with the client throughout the project to ensure information security and ethical best practices were followed at all times.
Outcome
Our research uncovered various pain points and potential barriers to accessing specialist care in the typical patient journey. Further, we provided feedback on the design and users’ perceived value of the content within the app, highlighting what worked well, potential design improvements and approaches that the client could adopt to localize the content to help to appeal more to the UK patient population.