Building Trust through Design for ADHD Support
BRAND
SUMMARY
I redesigned Cog Clinic's experience by developing a strategic flow that empowered users to confidently book sessions while maintaining an engaging and intuitive journey.
ROLE
DURATION
3 weeks
TOOLS
Figma
Notion
Photoshop
Illustrator
SETTING THE STAGE
Cog Clinic’s design was failing to convert users into booking therapy sessions, even free ones. With over 2.6 million people in the UK affected by ADHD, Cog’s mission is to make therapy accessible and affordable. My role was to redesign the user flow to build trust and drive engagement, ensuring more users could access the support they need.
MY ROLE
I conducted an audit of the current clinic flow, identifying critical issues.
I explored competitive products and best practices in digital therapy platforms.
I developed solutions and collaborated with engineers to refine the most feasible ones.
I designed a prototype, implemented it with engineers, and tracked results.
While there's a significant demand for affordable neurodiverse support, few are booking Cog's therapy sessions.
Our challenge was to build trust in the value of our therapists and their sessions and pave a clear path for users to book them.
Existing design
Understanding User Hesitations
Upon launching the beta version of COG, preliminary feedback from testers was positive and promising. However, once the MVP was live, we didn't register any independent session sign-ups.
Given the disconnect, the question arose: What was the underlying issue? We even offered a free intro session, which we thought should be inviting enough, yet this feature wasn’t getting the traction it deserved.
A closer examination of the app revealed multiple pain points:
#01 Aesthetics and Branding
The clinic's design aesthetic didn't align with the overall app, creating a disjointed brand experience.
#02 Information Overload
Users were presented with excessive and sometimes irrelevant text, making key information difficult to locate or overshadowed.
#03 Confusing User Flow
The Cog clinic's navigation was confusing. The 'self-help' feature, which isn't related to the clinic, was prominently placed in the main navigation. Moreover the process of toggling between coaches and grasping how the clinic operates wasn't intuitive.
#04 Invisibility of key features
Crucial offerings, like the free intro session, weren’t highlighted adequately.
#05 Inaccessibility
Colour contrast between white text and orange background was too low to be accessible.
Metodology
MARKET RESEARCH AND IDEATION
A crucial part of converting a user is then creating a specialist profile that builds trust and gives the user the confidence to book. Given our target demographic's potential for short attention spans, striking a balance between thoroughness and brevity was vital.
The research sparked many ideas, and I curated a list of possible sections for therapist profiles, as well as some concepts for a 'How it Works' segment that explains how ADHD therapy at Cog works.
After several rounds of exploratory sketches, one idea stood out. I engaged with the developers to assess its feasibility, ensuring that my sketches avoided potential implementation pitfalls.
Challenges
maintainING consistency in coach profiles
Despite a set template, therapist profiles varied in length and style. I introduced ideal word counts and style guidelines, providing a clear blueprint for consistency and streamlining the scaling process.
Solution
Designing a seamless and engaging User Experience
#01 Enhanced navigation
In the redesign Self-help was separated from Coaching and moved to a location in the main nav-bar. As a result the tabs in the Clinic could be used to allow users seamlessly transition between "How it works" and the coach listings.
before
after
#02 Focused content
In the redesign Self-help was separated from Coaching and moved to a location in the main nav-bar. As a result the tabs in the Clinic could be used to allow users seamlessly transition between "How it works" and the coach listings.
#03 Optimised coach profiles
The aim of the profiles was to strike a balance—providing enough information to earn user's trust without being overwhelming. I integrated client testimonials into the coach profiles, offering users insight into each coach's impact. In alignment with COG's mission to destigmatise ADHD, I designed profiles that could evoke positive feelings in users. Lastly, I ensured the removal of the inaccessible colour combinations.
#04 User centric CTA's
Knowing that some user can have issues with making final decisions, I changed the main CTA from "Book Now" to "Check Availability." Additionally, the offer for a free intro session was also highlighted at the end of the profile with a CTA to book.
Results
Post-launch conversion rates going up
We released the updated app to 300 members of the COG community to gauge the impact of the changes, and the response was instantaneous. In the first couple of days, four clients initiated a free consultation through the app.
Three months after the launch, the impact was still visible. Since launching at the beginning of August, 76 free and 35 paid sessions have been booked.
Key learnings
Designing through empathy, consistency, and collaboration
Understanding our target audience (those with ADHD) played a crucial role. Catering to their specific needs, such as shorter attention spans, directly influenced design decisions like the use of visuals and concise content.
The redesign emphasised a unified look and feel, ensuring that all screen's are aligned with Cog's brand. Consistency not only enhances aesthetics but also builds trust and predictability for users.
Working with limited resources and a startup environment highlighted the need to prioritise design changes that are both impactful and feasible. Collaborating closely with engineers and understanding technical constraints early in the process allowed for immediate design implementation.
What's Next
social proof and refining based on user insights
Moving forward, we plan to closely monitor clinic sign-ups and users' commitment to their therapists, while actively gathering user feedback. Our goal is to understand the clinic users' experiences, starting from the moment they land on the page and decide to sign up, through their therapy sessions, and afterward.
Current feedback already indicates that what greatly influences users' decisions to book a therapist is what others say about them. Therefore, we aim to introduce a therapist rating system as the next step.
Caroline Jaworsky
LET's connect
I find great joy in working with others and testing my skills in new environments. Whether you would like to collaborate on a project or simply want to chat, feel free to reach out to me.
Reach me here
