Improving measurement-based care tracking
Design lead | 2 month duration | Team of 8
Key results
28% increase in 1st survey completions
7% increase in ongoing survey completion
Completion rates of an important member mental health assessment were low within the Ginger mobile app. Our goal was to increase completion rates by 30% to help providers better personalize care for their members.
Context & challenge
This project centered around the redesign of a mobile app feature that surveyed mental health members on their emotional well-being every two weeks.
Background
Know as the PHQ-9/GAD-7, the assessment served as a critical care metric for tracking symptoms of anxiety and depression. It informed adjustments to each member’s treatment plan, helping behavioral health coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists deliver more effective care.
Problem
Despite its importance, very few members completed the survey more than once, if at all. Without consistent check-ins, care providers struggled to track symptom improvements over time, limiting the app's effectiveness as a clinical support tool.
Challenge
Increase completion rates by 30% to help providers better personalize care for their members and improve outcomes.
My role + responsibilities
I was the lead designer tasked with uncovering why members weren’t engaging with the survey and designing a solution that would increase initial and ongoing survey completion rates, in collaboration with Product, Engineering, Care Leadership, and Brand.
Research
We set out to understand why members weren’t completing the biweekly check-in survey consistently, or at all. Specifically, we wanted to learn why so few members started the survey, what barriers might be preventing completion, and what might motivate them to take the survey on a recurring-basis.
Methods
Our research began with a heuristic evaluation of the existing check-in experience. Given the short timeline, we interviewed coaches and therapists to learn what they had heard from members or observed directly about their experience with the assessment. This was done as a proxy for speaking directly with members.
Key findings
Ideation & strategy
To jumpstart ideation and open-ended exploration, I reframed our challenges into three key opportunity areas and reviewed them with the team for feedback and alignment. These became our design goals.
Brainstorming
Using our design goals and HMW statements as a guide, I reviewed other apps for inspiration on how they had tackled related problems and began exploring ideas through sketching.
Concepting
Four key design concepts emerged through our explorations.
1) Re-invisioned profile
Hypothesis:
If we integrate check-ins into a profile screen designed to summarize and track member progress, then completion rates will increase, because the task will be contextually relevant and visible.
Hypothesis:
If we let users complete check-ins when they want to, in addition to the two week cadence reminders, then adherence rates will increase because autonomy supports intrinsic motivation.
2) Results feedback
Hypothesis:
If we add progress tracking and feedback after each survey, then users will complete the assessment more frequently, because visible progress reinforces a sense of achievement and continued motivation.
3) Personalized reminders
Hypothesis:
If we add and frame external prompts as if they are coming from the member’s care provider, then compliance and completion rates will increase, because a personal prompt activates social connection and accountability.
4) Reduced friction
Hypothesis:
If we reduce the number of survey screen taps and add progress indicators, then more users will complete the survey, because cognitive load and time to completion will decrease.
Key challenges & how I navigated them
Not enough time to redesign the Profile tab or build graphs
Engineering pushed back on the concept of a true “home” for progress in a newly designed Profile tab, due to time constraints.
They also were concerned about building or integrating a graph data visualization. It meant front-end and server-side work.
Solution: Elevate check-in visibility
To navigate this, I gave the check-in a prominent and permanent location on the Home tab to ensure members could easily start and review past check-ins.
Solution: Interpret results for members and suggest next steps
I also leaned into an “insights” based approach to help members reflect on feelings/behaviors they reported experiencing most frequently and teamed up with our brand designer to create visualizations of each insight.
We also used the insights to suggest relevant content (activities, videos, articles), to help members build new skills and self-soothe.
Final solution
Flow based prototype
Outcomes & impact
Completion of the initial survey increased by 28%, helping care teams establish benchmarks for care improvements. We also saw a 7% lift in overall survey completion rates, although rates continued to decline after the 3rd or 4th assessment.