Rethinking intake from the ground up
The problem
The first step for becoming a patient at Talkiatry is an intake. It’s more than just a medical form. It’s the way patients understand whether or not they’re a fit for the practice. The trouble? It was a lengthy process originally created with the practice in mind, not the patient. In order to understand if Talkiatry could even see them they had to complete 35 questions (including providing sensitive information about their medical history. While Talkiatry was getting the information it needed, we weren’t providing value to the patient in the process. Since part of Talkiatry’s mission is a patient-centered approach, something needed to change.
The process
In order to understand patient needs, we had to hear from patients. The discovery process included patient interviews, as well as a deep dive into feedback in NPS surveys and on our social channels to locate specific pain points. We also consulted clinical leadership, operations, and counsel to understand what information was essential in addition to what was most useful. After this holistic process, we created a prototype and went into user testing.
The product
A complete overhaul of the intake’s tone was just the beginning. Instead of needing to finish the entire intake, patients could understand if Talkiatry was a fit within 4 questions. This is useful not just for the patients who are a fit, but those who aren’t. We also included value propositions and FAQ throughout this opening section to set expectations throughout the process. Since psychiatry is about talking with your doctor about how you feel, we also made intake feel and look like the beginning of that conversation, and a preview of what’s to come.
Annotated journey
The first screen sets the tone and locates the user. Since any of our paid ads lead directly here, we also included a short brand video that sets basic expectations.
We didn’t have the ability to make the UI design responsive, so I added brand cues and non-linear conversational style to emulate a back-and-forth. Since this is the handshake, we ask for preferred names only.
You’ve given us some info. We’ll give you some, too. This also helps with a secondary problem. If people come to the assessment straight from a paid ad, they’ll likely need more info in order to convert.
Using conditional formatting to make this feel like a conversation and build momentum throughout the experience.
Framing the input here along with the benefit, as well as including a pop-out with our most frequently asked question.
Adding cues as to how close someone is to the end. Button copy sets clear expectations for the upcoming medical question.
Sharing your condition? It’s a lot to ask for. I added an I’m not sure option for people who might be new to mental health care.
A final screen with reassurance and clear next steps towards care.