Find Therapy
Gamify your search for therapist
Find Therapy helps members connect with a therapist, or behavioral health professional seamlessly through an immersive, gamified frontend experience with a robust backend logic.
Overview
Role: Design Lead, Project Management | Duration: 7 months
Team: Director of Product, Content Strategist, Content Designer, Developers, Accessibility Developer, Medical Director
The challenge
Members with UHC/Optum plans struggled to find therapy providers quickly due to a confusing, outdated search process filled with complex terminology, choice fatigue, and poor scheduling options. This led to inappropriate provider matches and high abandonment rates, with members turning to external platforms like Google.
The opportunity
The goal was clear: simplify the provider search, reduce cognitive load, and create a seamless, supportive experience—especially for members facing mental health challenges.
Impact
80%
CONVERSION RATE
NPS SCORES
POSITIVE MEMBER FEEDBACK
PROVIDER SEARCH TIME
BOUNCE RATES
Discovery and strategy
Let’s dig in!
The first thing I did for this effort was develop a strong understanding of our current state. What are the user pain points? How can we create a user-centric product while driving positive business outcomes?
I approached this by analyzing both subjective information, such as user verbatims, and objective data on how users currently navigate our website. The goal was to bring the team together to brainstorm ideas and define KPIs, providing measurable ways to track our progress and achieve our goals.
Design
A design for everybody
After gathering insights from users, analyzing similar past experiences, and adding a touch of fun to a tedious process, my design approach included:
Immersive, Gamified UI: Engaging users while reducing cognitive load
Micro-Interactions & Information Architecture: Enhancing user flow clarity
Copy & Microcopy: Simplifying terminology for clarity and user support
Experience it for yourself—explore our clickable prototype here.
Concept Validation
Once the designs were in place, we validated our concepts through:
Wireframes & Prototypes: Early designs tested with real users
Stakeholder Reviews: Ensuring alignment with business goals and compliance
Usability & A/B Testing: Refining concepts based on feedback
“I liked the clean design. It was short and easy to get to my results.”
- Usability tester
Dev Relay
Challenge
After incorporating insights from usability testing and stakeholder feedback, I collaborated with the technical team to address challenges integrating Find a Therapist with legacy systems:
Frontend & Backend Integration: Partnered with multiple development teams to ensure seamless communication
Iterative Development: Supported agile sprints with continuous UX involvement for quick feedback loops
Accessibility Compliance: Worked closely with accessibility developers to meet WCAG standards
Optimization
What’s next?
Post-launch, I focused on continuous improvement by:
Analytics & Metrics: Tracked conversion rates, NPS scores, and bounce rates
User Feedback Loops: Regular surveys and usability tests informed updates
Scalability: Planned for decoupling from Care Explorer to allow flexible entry points and enhanced tracking of user behavior
Refletion and Learnings
This project showcased how gamification and immersive design can transform traditionally rigid healthcare experiences. Despite challenges integrating with existing systems, launching a strong MVP secured stakeholder buy-in for future iterations. Applying cross-industry mental models to healthcare proved successful, balancing innovation with regulatory compliance.
Start small. Send it. Iterate. Optimize and Advocate.