**Status:** Complete / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

## Getting started

The Volunteer Lifecycle Management (VLM) team was neglected for a long time due to resourcing and staffing constraints and failed to make substantial progress on most initiatives; they were primarily operating under the pretense of pure 'maintenance'. Eventually, the team was properly staffed and there was a need to create a working strategy that identified high-priority and high-impact initiatives.

I led a research discovery effort with both internal VLM staff and our responders through the course of a month, having various conversations with them to identify relevant themes that impacted their ability to carry out their tasks.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F0jxZJINcnDELd20lIfoj%2Fc4707ae8-29b6-4cf5-a384-0c46b9c1738d.png?alt=media&token=fa1717e3-f703-45fd-ab0a-2a22ec09f7ba","id":"c4707ae8-29b6-4cf5-a384-0c46b9c1738d","width":892,"height":1494,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 10.53.08 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Internal staff notes","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F0jxZJINcnDELd20lIfoj%2F7ab08318-03ad-428b-b4bb-8d1a7980c0bd.png?alt=media&token=3013c682-e76e-4a89-9052-6f05f89f80b3","id":"7ab08318-03ad-428b-b4bb-8d1a7980c0bd","width":10260,"height":15700,"filename":"VLM Discovery - Notes (responders 2.0).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Responder notes","border":false}]}
```

Responders were recruited based on segmentation:

* **Non-trainees** - applicants who were accepted into the program, but didn't sign up for training.

* **Deferred** - applicants who didn't complete their training.

* **Late melters** - applicants who completed their training, but didn't take their first conversation yet.

* **Churned** - applicants who haven't taken a conversation within the last 28 days.

Research for this initiative consisted mainly of:

* **User interviews** - thorough discussions with each user to understand their role and experience, including challenges they faced that impacted their time with us.

Creating a product roadmap through research

**Status:** Complete (and shipped!) / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

Access to the final product is gated behind a medical prescription from a medical professional, so all of the final screens are not available for viewing here. Please reach out to me directly if you would like to chat about this specific project.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2Fa0ef3576-a377-40f3-876f-fa63e5828ae3.jpg?alt=media&token=10be40c8-4c95-47db-9ebe-db35b0cd6afd","id":"a0ef3576-a377-40f3-876f-fa63e5828ae3","width":375,"height":812,"filename":"HL1.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"Example screens.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2Fbdaa0d54-091c-4c5a-a543-19efdbe851ce.jpg?alt=media&token=3d4e38eb-c774-4c89-b9b1-0422688a62e5","id":"bdaa0d54-091c-4c5a-a543-19efdbe851ce","width":375,"height":812,"filename":"HL2.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F3e88a14f-5457-496c-8874-efca4253a82a.jpg?alt=media&token=c76cd24e-2710-40da-950f-087ed0a9c497","id":"3e88a14f-5457-496c-8874-efca4253a82a","width":375,"height":905,"filename":"HL3.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2Fbee143c3-8c75-4dad-96ad-799dfb071190.jpg?alt=media&token=b3790a16-e8f1-447d-858c-deb53b287c01","id":"bee143c3-8c75-4dad-96ad-799dfb071190","width":375,"height":812,"filename":"HL4.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F96165840-fe2e-4a13-aa25-a926f90c7760.jpg?alt=media&token=6f962117-d553-476e-8b45-e1887a393f67","id":"96165840-fe2e-4a13-aa25-a926f90c7760","width":375,"height":812,"filename":"HL5.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

**Final results:**

* **100%** completion in both comprehension and usability for **80%** of the available lessons.

* Post launch, there was an increase in **42%** first lesson completion.

## Overview

First lesson completion in reSET/reSET-O was incredibly low (<40%) due to a combination of outdated and stigmatizing language and lack of engaging content, leading to negative long-term results for patients in recovery and a lack of revenue for the company.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2Fc6c63294-f107-4f4f-8f40-86a39ed9ee01.png?alt=media&token=9a426db7-b4a3-4e42-8592-25d31b7e28fa","id":"c6c63294-f107-4f4f-8f40-86a39ed9ee01","width":700,"height":1246,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.19.30 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Old lesson designs.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F0e05cbbe-7617-4cdf-b655-9acca5705d6f.png?alt=media&token=476dfa51-b475-4de1-ada5-8c7902dce18f","id":"0e05cbbe-7617-4cdf-b655-9acca5705d6f","width":698,"height":1248,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.19.39 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F5a9c0f3f-d813-44c8-9692-9304ae83d364.png?alt=media&token=5fe9480a-1812-45e1-ae4c-a0e6b78a566c","id":"5a9c0f3f-d813-44c8-9692-9304ae83d364","width":696,"height":1246,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.19.47 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

Research for this project consisted of:

* **Landscape analysis** - documenting existing lesson layouts and best practices.

* **Concept testing** - testing initial wireframes and concepts of lesson designs and layouts with patients to understand navigation and interaction patterns.

* **Usability and comprehension testing** - testing a complete, functioning prototype with patients to assess and document their understanding and usability of the final product to report to the FDA.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F1bb8af26-8f02-48ed-9356-dcabe85fefbe.png?alt=media&token=2800b403-d791-4371-a3d8-e259a674dbc3","id":"1bb8af26-8f02-48ed-9356-dcabe85fefbe","width":1730,"height":1384,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.56.06 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Overview of lessons prototyped.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2Faf61eb3c-36a4-4171-8b83-bd7efc0dc5be.png?alt=media&token=70eb2b10-738b-4309-8d30-f7abba2b5a34","id":"af61eb3c-36a4-4171-8b83-bd7efc0dc5be","width":952,"height":434,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.53.14 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Final lesson layout template.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F2w71mAZKZ7ozoFUM8BnL%2F40a507e8-0573-4334-a262-63414d256071.png?alt=media&token=de703014-0791-4a80-aab6-edabdba357fb","id":"40a507e8-0573-4334-a262-63414d256071","width":948,"height":424,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-04-15 at 8.53.21 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

Increasing lesson completion for patients in addiction recovery.

**Status:** In development for MVP (Aug 2023) / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

## Supervisors

Supervisors are clinical staff members who take shifts on the 24/7 platform to provide clinical support to responders; they are the individuals that directly contact emergency services and/or authorities when intervention is required as a result of safety. Supervisors typically oversee 20+ conversations at a given time **on top** of handling various workflows and tasks when they are on the platform. Due to the massive amount of multitasking required of supervisors, it was critical for our team to craft an experience that streamlined workflows, extended their overall capacity to multitask, and feel in control of their caseload.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F1c4204ec-176e-4c4b-93f8-e93389d10580.jpg?alt=media&token=876c9d3c-ed91-49cd-af1a-4320d5a967b0","id":"1c4204ec-176e-4c4b-93f8-e93389d10580","width":1512,"height":1460,"filename":"Monitoring off; taking texters, consulting.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"Early concept for flexibility in roles and responsibilities.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F5bfb3a0b-21ba-4ab3-a5b1-b45d3fa66c02.jpg?alt=media&token=cd85b801-d820-4211-aa88-c7ce860da66d","id":"5bfb3a0b-21ba-4ab3-a5b1-b45d3fa66c02","width":1512,"height":1469,"filename":"Default Profile.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"Main supervisor view with supplemental information access.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F888f9308-9ef6-413c-bb03-0d540ad7cde4.png?alt=media&token=0fc33d29-7634-4a5d-a911-5bda127328ca","id":"888f9308-9ef6-413c-bb03-0d540ad7cde4","width":984,"height":922,"filename":"In-convo notifications (2).png","type":"image/png","caption":"In-convo message notifications with responders.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2Fb3c8dfa4-0138-49b3-87f5-44e0e3730c80.png?alt=media&token=2cd6e826-cd8d-4a85-8fa1-987ee765d323","id":"b3c8dfa4-0138-49b3-87f5-44e0e3730c80","width":978,"height":980,"filename":"In-convo notifications (3).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Expanded in-convo message notifications with responders.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F2a2bddf5-186f-4153-8106-55c41c072084.png?alt=media&token=c3bc30a8-32b3-497e-aaeb-93d3b06b5d31","id":"2a2bddf5-186f-4153-8106-55c41c072084","width":1516,"height":1068,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 9.13.44 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Pinning and flag notifications.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F2d92cac9-ce3e-420e-a9ab-b96518e9a236.png?alt=media&token=026a641e-765b-45ea-8c1b-2e82bff3fad2","id":"2d92cac9-ce3e-420e-a9ab-b96518e9a236","width":1516,"height":1070,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 9.13.52 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Research on supervisors consisted of:

1. **Contextual inquiries / observations** - learning how supervisors find band-aid solutions to existing technological challenges, interact with the platform, and use tools to do their job.

2. **Foundational interviews** - existing challenges, behaviors, and needs that impact their experience as a supervisor.

3. **Concept testing** - exploring various interaction models to identify what worked the best for supervisors with their day to day responsibilities.

4. **Usability testing** - assessing concepts and documenting learnability and recognition of proposed designs.

5. **Co-design** - collaborating with our clinical team to craft a supervisor experience that streamlines task completion and prevents things from falling through the crack.

## Earlier in the process

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F795e2a3a-6eb5-400e-a88b-707466ca5316.png?alt=media&token=1820ce8e-a028-4a75-9b62-7c52aa66968a","id":"795e2a3a-6eb5-400e-a88b-707466ca5316","width":2088,"height":1614,"filename":"Early concepts (1).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Early concepts","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2Ffc8dac88-246e-4179-bba2-9c6cca622a39.png?alt=media&token=d9d6c5f6-4fd3-438d-a115-b688af0cd889","id":"fc8dac88-246e-4179-bba2-9c6cca622a39","width":2224,"height":1592,"filename":"Early concepts (2).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F2ba49bfd-a11e-40de-a6d1-09fe9e5a812e.png?alt=media&token=1ada8195-473f-48a6-9d8e-3a230c245bab","id":"2ba49bfd-a11e-40de-a6d1-09fe9e5a812e","width":2214,"height":1684,"filename":"Early concepts (3).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2Fa428bf6e-fb01-405c-b73b-f041cf091483.png?alt=media&token=b9978e03-5dd3-4845-8549-aaa2649b9596","id":"a428bf6e-fb01-405c-b73b-f041cf091483","width":2400,"height":1294,"filename":"Early concepts (4).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2Fa30158ac-232e-48d4-895e-2dc206dea192.png?alt=media&token=54d4c80a-8638-4892-942e-371e124ff542","id":"a30158ac-232e-48d4-895e-2dc206dea192","width":2128,"height":1294,"filename":"Early concepts (7).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Further explorations into conversation grid view.","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2F8wTBWfZe5UUGhpHudPzo%2F6872e42f-2d03-4fe2-855c-8571c16179c9.png?alt=media&token=80ce75f1-dcf6-4c08-aa9e-43c92f34e1a6","id":"6872e42f-2d03-4fe2-855c-8571c16179c9","width":2108,"height":1290,"filename":"Early concepts (8).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

Continuous exploration and testing with supervisors allowed us to better understand how a new platform needs to function for a supervisor to do their role effectively. By simply showing them a few of these concepts, supervisors indicated whether or not it would work based on their experience, making it very clear in terms of what would best support a supervisor.

Extending a supervisor's ability to efficiently support responders.

## User roles and permissions

* This artifact was created to visualize the proliferation of roles and permissions on the platform throughout the years; roles continued to change based what is needed to support the service without consideration for optimization.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Fb942f91c-d263-4768-af87-bf8a388ee29c.png?alt=media&token=804d6046-3b1c-485d-8077-5ba1912ba6a9","id":"b942f91c-d263-4768-af87-bf8a388ee29c","width":32768,"height":5972,"filename":"User Roles and Features Access (Legacy).png","type":"image/png","caption":"User roles and permissions","border":false}]}
```

## User roles hierarchy (Affiliates)

* This diagram was created to represent the support hierarchy of each affiliate and their respective roles;. All of the organizations had different roles with different responsibilities, highlighting the lack of uniformity and lack of a unified clinical policy on how to best support texters in need.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Fe0275fd0-6a64-4486-825b-6e10df218c9a.png?alt=media&token=350f5854-a4f0-40d8-b8a5-6baea7aab896","id":"e0275fd0-6a64-4486-825b-6e10df218c9a","width":12768,"height":5600,"filename":"User Platform Roles across Affiliates.png","type":"image/png","caption":"User support hierarchies across affiliates","border":false}]}
```

## User role personas

* These were created to document existing qualitative and quantitive data about the specific user role. Through documenting this data, the team was able to understand the user's pain points

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F2f7aa972-169f-4e8f-82e0-5aed42c7c5c6.png?alt=media&token=2079fb0a-1893-4dbb-8498-34f56d10d781","id":"2f7aa972-169f-4e8f-82e0-5aed42c7c5c6","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"Role-based Personas - Responders.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Responders","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F3423b2b1-224c-4972-9a7f-81f5ea757fd4.png?alt=media&token=cfca9b30-8133-423e-9af0-209cc39ec04d","id":"3423b2b1-224c-4972-9a7f-81f5ea757fd4","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"Role-based Personas - Supervisors.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Supervisors","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Fba62175d-791f-4237-b8f1-5b6d6362a44f.png?alt=media&token=ac82ebc0-1121-4239-b394-f715ed4d080a","id":"ba62175d-791f-4237-b8f1-5b6d6362a44f","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"Role-based Personas - Coaches.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Coaches","border":false}]}
```

## Responder application flow

* This flow was created to visualize the steps that a potential responder went through and the communication messages that they received during their application process.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F3cb8b425-6948-4974-9adc-35b49cfe750b.png?alt=media&token=776ca6e7-d041-401f-861e-75a069745daa","id":"3cb8b425-6948-4974-9adc-35b49cfe750b","width":7724,"height":3636,"filename":"VX Application Flow.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Responder application flow and messaging","border":false}]}
```

## Platform coordinator diagram

* This diagram was created to represent the inconsistent workflows and responsibilities of each platform coordinator between affiliates. Even though they were described as the same role, it became clear that there was a lack of standardization as a result of individual teams reacting to the needs of their service.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Fd26671fe-7766-4c5d-aea1-fa2b5e17fdc8.png?alt=media&token=c27afb22-a322-4dc2-9ff1-6a5a899811d2","id":"d26671fe-7766-4c5d-aea1-fa2b5e17fdc8","width":32576,"height":4896,"filename":"PSLs_PCs - Overview.png","type":"image/png","caption":"PCs/PSLs diagram","border":false}]}
```

## Recurring user observations

* Recurring user observations of both supervisors and responders provided continuous learning opportunities for the team to do trend analysis.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F85520cf1-9e5c-406c-a3f1-bd55ec328839.png?alt=media&token=c3212d66-34f5-4747-a5ee-b225008db9b8","id":"85520cf1-9e5c-406c-a3f1-bd55ec328839","width":9324,"height":11468,"filename":"Recurring Observations.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Recurring observation templates","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F832a92af-395f-4e38-b359-96fb2292f729.png?alt=media&token=65cbb5d2-d205-49a6-a06f-1bc481e447f5","id":"832a92af-395f-4e38-b359-96fb2292f729","width":13455,"height":28000,"filename":"Observations Notes - supervisors.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Supervisors notes","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2F7e97491f-1999-4086-8527-dfa19a94603b.png?alt=media&token=c9365eb5-86cf-4185-a6b5-f0501e77af4f","id":"7e97491f-1999-4086-8527-dfa19a94603b","width":9652,"height":9452,"filename":"Observations Notes - PCs.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Platform coordinator notes","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Fdc27a8d4-0eeb-4d0b-b8e4-34faf8d0f472.png?alt=media&token=615af379-7168-4c97-9703-43a64fa416bd","id":"dc27a8d4-0eeb-4d0b-b8e4-34faf8d0f472","width":13184,"height":7622,"filename":"Observations Notes - coaches.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Coach notes","border":false},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FEIap7cRhqyodBNePLJxj%2Ff3cadaef-823a-401d-860b-03f22aebccb7.png?alt=media&token=6f809716-5868-4cb4-9d7e-fb0bcffad0f9","id":"f3cadaef-823a-401d-860b-03f22aebccb7","width":9760,"height":12736,"filename":"Observations Notes - responders.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Responder notes","border":false}]}
```

Research artifacts

Presented at AER 2020.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FH2TJnaFPmj2TvPuCWYTe%2F631e6261-d4af-41d9-beca-e4ce4fca256f.jpg?alt=media&token=ee5fabd4-affc-4809-b07a-13c027c5d29a","id":"631e6261-d4af-41d9-beca-e4ce4fca256f","width":2448,"height":3168,"filename":"Huber_AER Paradata Poster_AER2020 (final).jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

"Obtaining Informed Consent for the Collection and Use of Online Research-Associated Paradata"

**Status:** In progress (Aug 2024) / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

## Faster!!

Crisis Text Line partners with 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline, and takes a portion of their users. Because of this partnership, we have a contractual obligation to meet certain requirements. Our clinical team transitioned to a new safety assessment model from a fairly linear, straightforward one, to a much more complex one to meet industry standards. Due to the change, our product's average speed of answer (ASA) increased significantly, pushing us out of the range agreed upon with 988. It was all-hands on deck to find opportunities that could reduce our ASA.

Through ongoing observations, the team documented a variety of inefficient workflows that caused a trickle-down effect on speed; if a supervisor was slow to support a responder, that responder would take more time to get through the conversation and take another one. In a collaborative brainstorm session, we mapped out those workflows to a user problem and proposed a few solutions that might help out.

On the contrary, the team also did a range of secondary research via our Community and saw a high volume of responders complaining about how challenging implementing the new safety assessment model was.

The main feedback from responders was:

* More seasoned/experienced responders stopped volunteer because they were unable to adopt the new safety assessment model; they were so familiar with the old safety assessment model that they found it too challenging to move away from it.

* Responders lost their confidence in taking conversations and were slower to progress through them because they weren't familiar with the new safety assessment mode.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FM9sqPFmlOQGHAMY8LuVA%2F33f1ae15-8a91-4015-b123-0dd2004bfacd.png?alt=media&token=cd812d6a-1d23-433f-840f-ca70f40958c3","id":"33f1ae15-8a91-4015-b123-0dd2004bfacd","width":14694,"height":9258,"filename":"ASA Reduction Brainstorm.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Collaborative brainstorm with team","border":false}]}
```

Research for this initiative consisted of:

* **Contextual inquiries** - observing supervisors and responders during a shift provided insight into how they implemented the new safety assessment

* **Surveys** - getting supervisor input on proposed changes to a Legacy platform and how it could impact their workflow

Improving average speed of answer (ASA) through workflow optimization

Creating a 0-1 provider product to increase provider engagement and patient adherence.

**Status:** In progress / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

## Responder Churn

Our existing responder acquisition funnel was quite bad - there was significant drop off and a lot of internal folks attributed it to our responders being volunteers and not always being able to fully commit to it. However, the organization was putting money and resources into the process to onboard and train them; their eventual churn was costing us a ton of money per year!

* Each responder training and onboarding cost us roughly **\~$1008**.

* All applications that were accepted triggered a background check via Checkr, which cost us **$10 per individual**.

* On average every 6 months, we saw about **19K** applicants get accepted to become a responder, but only **7K** ended up taking their first conversation.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FanD1f42By6Nm6oZYvcJ9%2Fc7e97555-df46-48f2-a30d-e2b88af40558.png?alt=media&token=a814161f-2ce9-402a-a5e0-df43a43a01ef","id":"c7e97555-df46-48f2-a30d-e2b88af40558","width":772,"height":880,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-08-10 at 12.07.28 AM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Responder acquistion funnel; 6 months.","border":false}]}
```

Research on responder churn consisted of:

* **Surveys** - to assess, at scale, what was causing responders-in-training to drop off during their onboarding.

* **User interviews** - interviewed user segmentations to uncover motivations and barriers of going through onboarding and training. User segments included: non-trainees, deferred (didn't finish trainee), late melters (didn't take first conversation, but finished training), and churned responders.

Reducing responder churn by facilitating connection and fulfillment

**Status:** In development for MVP (Sep 2023) / **Role:** Lead UX Researcher

## Responders

Responders are trained volunteers who take conversations and help individuals in their crises (texters); they have certain protocols regarding safety to adhere to and are mandated reporters in situations involving minors. Due to the high stakes and high stress environment that a responder may experience when working on the platform, it was critical for our team to craft an experience that facilitated confidence, comfort, and connection to the broader responder community.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2Ffccd6279-1b5b-400b-acc6-0b2bb6ef48c2.png?alt=media&token=a06daa13-8f78-4234-81dd-eec017af457e","id":"fccd6279-1b5b-400b-acc6-0b2bb6ef48c2","width":1412,"height":858,"filename":"Responder - Homepage.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Homepage","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2Fdfb43a11-0f28-4b9b-8298-03acce1b8aad.png?alt=media&token=3453919b-b524-4d62-a86b-abc80ecf8432","id":"dfb43a11-0f28-4b9b-8298-03acce1b8aad","width":1656,"height":1008,"filename":"Responder - Transfers (1).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Main responder view.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2Ff54a3210-5942-42d4-8b64-5c772d8fd0e8.png?alt=media&token=8955a3e0-774d-4d51-83e4-f044ced81584","id":"f54a3210-5942-42d4-8b64-5c772d8fd0e8","width":1658,"height":1012,"filename":"Responder - Transfers (2).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2F9dc9d591-19cc-479c-8485-aed26ee962f5.png?alt=media&token=678d2646-d58b-4e19-ac4c-6c552bb19972","id":"9dc9d591-19cc-479c-8485-aed26ee962f5","width":1654,"height":1006,"filename":"Responder - Transfers (3).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2F5e133397-d8af-41b7-acf3-bfe2048df8eb.png?alt=media&token=1b858b37-4726-491c-a7e3-e16ea7adee2b","id":"5e133397-d8af-41b7-acf3-bfe2048df8eb","width":1656,"height":1006,"filename":"Responder - Transfers (4).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2F0abb12fe-572f-4f6a-aead-fac8ec0e3586.png?alt=media&token=661cb359-9f88-4ce3-921d-d0807032787d","id":"0abb12fe-572f-4f6a-aead-fac8ec0e3586","width":1918,"height":1170,"filename":"Responder - Texter Profile (1).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Supplemental functionality.","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2F3887721e-ee64-4487-91be-8881c8dce92b.png?alt=media&token=c35287d6-945b-4758-bb31-5591f07e5f2d","id":"3887721e-ee64-4487-91be-8881c8dce92b","width":1916,"height":1164,"filename":"Responder - Texter Profile (2).png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Research on responders consisted of:

1. **Contextual inquiries / observations** - learning how responders interact with the platform and use tools, internal and external, to do their tasks

2. **Foundational interviews** - existing challenges, behaviors, and needs that impact their experience as a responder

3. **Concept testing** - exploring various interaction models to identify what resonated the most with users

4. **Usability testing** - assessing concepts and documenting learnability and recognition of proposed designs

5. **Co-design** - collaborating with our responder community to craft an experience that feels intuitive and makes sense to use

A valuable asset we created was a journey map to detail and document the different stages within the responder experience and any associated information and data to supplement our understanding of it.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FdVbeiBG6Njsnf323SwEA%2F76f564c4-91be-4b9d-8e6a-0403a8d3f8ff.jpg?alt=media&token=c7829e96-5448-4748-ac5b-35e7aad1a11d","id":"76f564c4-91be-4b9d-8e6a-0403a8d3f8ff","width":4736,"height":4510,"filename":"Journey Map.jpg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"","border":true}]}
```

Increasing confidence in responders to take on conversations.

**Status:** Complete  **/ Role:** Lead UX Researcher

The momentum of social unrest during the summer of 2020 re: race, in combination with the evident impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented communities fueled this project **– taking a deep look at our own product and practices and assess what opportunities we could pursue in response to that.**

Qualitative interviews allowed us to identify the motivations and barriers of participants participating in research.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F456967bc-3732-48f2-9584-0de32e69229a.png?alt=media&token=24274a60-0cac-4551-882d-ee3f6c031197","id":"456967bc-3732-48f2-9584-0de32e69229a","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (6).png","type":"image/png","caption":"List of motivations and barriers for research participation.","border":false}]}
```

Taking a lead from the motivations - led to more academic research, specifically for race-based research and taking more steps to publicize its existence to our users. A study called the Black Representation in Genomics Research (BRGR) study was submitted to our IRB and approved.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F11968142-cbd2-473c-bd88-87102f949949.png?alt=media&token=6ced3b62-36ff-4474-92b2-b82f915cb01c","id":"11968142-cbd2-473c-bd88-87102f949949","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (7).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Research poster of our Black Representation in Genomics Research (BRGR) study at ASHG 2021.","border":false}]}
```

On the flip side, we took a lead from the barriers **– specifically about the misunderstanding of company/research practices** and lack of transparency and visibility about the work being done.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F51a249fc-359c-4169-9f3f-cf414ee7ebe8.png?alt=media&token=1b2417be-f367-430d-92cf-234908814781","id":"51a249fc-359c-4169-9f3f-cf414ee7ebe8","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (9).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Example research communication materials to enhance visibility and transparency on the 23andMe blog.","border":false}]}
```

## **The Product and Problem**

The [Health and Ancestry Kit](https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search_shopping&utm_campaign=US_eho_sales_prs&utm_content=shopping_generic_ha&gclid=CjwKCAjwiY6MBhBqEiwARFSCPkpm1ccLUyDXc1ARkki50H9di67vn8QPiizwpfH_ofGq9vQQWIsW_xoCl2EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&sub=ver2&sp=true), 23andMe's bread and butter, relies on reference panels from other 23andMe customers to improve its accuracy and granularity. Additional product features, like polygenic-risk scores (PRS) and whether or not someone might think cilantro tastes like soap are also impacted by this because within the product, customers can answer research questions that might lead to new data trends.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F7b090604-e9d0-4a00-a62a-0f603a29c729.png?alt=media&token=7b3f4a2c-7f8e-4133-9045-f8aa013e2681","id":"7b090604-e9d0-4a00-a62a-0f603a29c729","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (5).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Internal triangulation of data into an opportunity.","border":false}]}
```

This type of analysis benefits greatly when there are more individuals of diverse backgrounds since there's more variance between data points; both the product and the database are very Euro-centric as a result of skewed data points and are generally more applicable for European/White populations.

Participation in research was relatively low in comparison for underrepresented communities in our research program and we knew that it was something to address.

**Due to our current Eurocentric-skewed database, the overall accuracy, ethnic/racial granularity, and relevance of our product, failed to satisfy both new and existing customers.**

* What were some of the motivations and barriers of the participants who did participate in research?

* How can the barriers be mitigated/addressed?

* What opportunities could we identify to build upon the intrinsic motivations of existing participants?

## **Research Process**

> **`Preparation and Planning`**

We didn't want to reinvent the wheel in this space because there was already so much existing literature and data on research engagement in URM communities. Using already accomplished-work provided us a benchmark to start thinking about potential frameworks and/or ideas that this research could feed into.

Being on the Research Ethics team meant that we knew about the historic racial injustices towards individuals from said communities, particularly African American men, and how that perspective towards medicine and science continues to exist. Knowing that, we factored a level of sensitivity and care around the questions we asked to mitigate bias and any potential uncomfortable moments in the sessions we hosted.

A few highlights we learned from existing literature:

1. Generations passed the 'discomfort towards medicine and science' to their offspring, indicating a level of familial influence.

2. Individuals from URM communities faced various factors, like access to transportation, demand of time, and legal status, that prevented them from engaging with potential research initiatives, indicating that research participation is (and will remain) a privilege.

3. Relationship-building with URM communities continues to be the most effective strategy in engaging URM populations. Although challenging, building trust is a priority and lacking trust results in a lack of unsustainable engagement and progress.

> **`Methodology and Research Execution`**

The potential sensitive nature of this topic presented two issues to consider -

1. With it being sensitive, there would be a lot of anecdotal data that would be incredibly valuable and powerful to understand for stakeholder buy-in and potential recommendations.

2. With it being sensitive, there might be a lot of discomfort and/or resistance to being honest about the particular subject that would prevent any opportunity for us to have next steps.

Interviewing felt like the right choice because of its ability to let me build rapport, probe into areas of interest and encourage active participation in concept ideation, but to also read body language (through Zoom...) if it was getting a little uncomfortable for them.

Recruitment was done through a recruiting platform and screening questions targeted ethnic/racial classification. All participants were 23andMe customers since this particular platform allowed us to create a cohort of them in our recruitment efforts. Consent status to participate in research was not required since we wanted perspectives of both those who consented (to understand why they participated) and who didn't consent (to understand why they didn't participate).

> **`Analysis and Recap`**

It was very noticeable that there was a lot of misconception and confusion about what the research program was since a majority of the participants didn't even realize that we had an ongoing research program. Participants also sometimes interpreted the content wrong (which was on us) and corrective feedback intended to clarify the assumption during the interview reassured users about how their data was being used.

## **Next Steps**

These findings -

* motivated our Consumer Insights team to launch the "Black Health Initiative," a large-scale qual and quant project that focused on understanding the African-American/Black experience in healthcare.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F937f60e9-bd28-4f26-943a-0cd7f4ba2c6a.png?alt=media&token=239b57c6-5a03-4de1-8298-fb448502ab7b","id":"937f60e9-bd28-4f26-943a-0cd7f4ba2c6a","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (10).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Consumer Insights brief for their larger qual and quant study.","border":false}]}
```

* established an initiative to develop recurring communication materials (monthly newsletter and blog posts) for research participants to provide updates on the research.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2Fc5a30d9a-8163-4193-900c-37c745fb86a7.png?alt=media&token=5bdfab77-a9cd-4514-b7bf-c2ee529e75dc","id":"c5a30d9a-8163-4193-900c-37c745fb86a7","width":1548,"height":1142,"filename":"Screen Shot 2021-11-04 at 8.14.50 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/insights-from-ipf-study/","border":false}]}
```

* supported the decision to continue conducting in-depth interviews with other demographic groups

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FepVQrvFbAJOF3r5fj2FH%2F03105b08-9f69-44c0-b44d-7dc6e309d2e2.png?alt=media&token=45fed1f7-0278-4005-a536-1a5e21182c59","id":"03105b08-9f69-44c0-b44d-7dc6e309d2e2","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (11).png","type":"image/png","caption":"The other two racial groups that were lacking in our database.","border":false}]}
```

Prior to my departure from the company, I finished interviewing a cohort of South Asian individuals and planned on sharing broadly. The goal was to run analyses across each cohort to see if there were overlapping themes across populations that pointed to potential initiatives.

## **Limitations**

These recommendations are meant to holistically address **any concerns** about the 23andMe research program to increase transparency and visibility into the work being done. Post launch, we would monitor the enrollment rates of those from URM communities for any change.

Increasing research participation in underrepresented communities.

Our website has relatively high traffic with low conversion rates for each of the user cohorts that exist within our ecosystem.

* **Potential texters** - individuals with the intention to text into the service to get support.

* **Potential responders -** individuals with the intention to sign up to become a responder and volunteer on the platform.

* **Potential donors** - individuals with the intention to donate to the org.

Each of these cohorts have a unique decision making process and by understanding what values and information they prioritize during that process, we are able to curate an experience that addresses all of their questions and concerns. Short surveys were sent out on UserTesting.com with various questions and tasks; users were screened for behavior that best resembled the cohort they fit into (e.g., potential texters were screen for past behavior of reaching out to a mental health support organization.)

## **Cohort Values**

* **Potential texters** - ease, fit, transparency

* **Potential responders** - ease, fit, impact, transparency

* **Potential donors** - ease, fit, impact, transparency

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2Fku7DxbgMQteLRSGWfLgP%2F14aaa11a-8035-49dc-a36b-9eabeed61329.png?alt=media&token=6ddd51ed-1393-4455-bedf-a6eba6bc739d","id":"14aaa11a-8035-49dc-a36b-9eabeed61329","width":574,"height":354,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 8.57.28 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Potential texters","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2Fku7DxbgMQteLRSGWfLgP%2Fce478384-2e53-498e-baf8-0140df817b1a.png?alt=media&token=3f4dde48-3d36-467b-8fc1-52430127cafb","id":"ce478384-2e53-498e-baf8-0140df817b1a","width":572,"height":352,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 8.57.39 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Potential responders","border":true},{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2Fku7DxbgMQteLRSGWfLgP%2Ff5e38424-b2cc-4bd0-b227-2e27358a1df4.png?alt=media&token=46b1cfd7-bf82-4fbf-afca-b0431e1a7431","id":"f5e38424-b2cc-4bd0-b227-2e27358a1df4","width":576,"height":352,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 8.57.47 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Potential donors","border":true}]}
```

Interestingly enough, each cohort overlapped with each other in terms of the information they were seeking throughout the decision making process, but had a different interpretation due to their intentions. The [current website](https://www.crisistextline.org/) is optimized for potential texters and forces the other user cohorts to seek out information, potentially hindering them from making a decision due to not being able to find what they were looking for.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2Fku7DxbgMQteLRSGWfLgP%2Fdcdd24fa-080e-455b-8605-2e320972bb9f.png?alt=media&token=e7d549b8-d1b1-407c-907a-c062911ffc87","id":"dcdd24fa-080e-455b-8605-2e320972bb9f","width":2616,"height":1308,"filename":"Screenshot 2024-03-20 at 9.02.25 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Screenshot of the website's homepage. (2024 Feb)","border":true}]}
```

With these themes in mind, the team is able to think about curating user flows from the moment a user visits our website to when they disengage; doing so increases the chances of conversion by ensuring that all of their needs are met and there is no room for doubt.

**Curation of the flows include:**

1. A/B testing to assess which flows convert the most users

2. Content strategy, including tone and voice

3. Visual branding

4. Highlights from users themself to build empathy and trust

Increasing conversion rates of website visitors based on their intentions.

**Status:** Incomplete (prior to departure)  **/ Role:** Lead UX Researcher

A regulatory requirement for human subjects research (HSR) was recently revised and required all research organizations to update their informed consent to be in compliance. Even though our main research study was technically grandfathered into compliance since it existed before the regulatory requirement, our IRB still expected us to make the appropriate updates due to the sheer capacity of what this research was covering.

Since the consent's content was going to be updated, we saw an opportunity to also update the consent's design to revamp the entire process from start to finish to -

* Address new and existing concerns about what our users were consenting to,

* Increase consent rate of users, and

* Meet brand design standards.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FyxtOI9Im2u58hcrZtACl%2Fb121275f-62c3-49d4-a4d8-8f8cf612af84.png?alt=media&token=2fcca216-76c9-4784-82f0-c17f2d257788","id":"b121275f-62c3-49d4-a4d8-8f8cf612af84","width":960,"height":540,"filename":"New Work Sample_Trung Le (8).png","type":"image/png","caption":"Prototype of a new informed consent document.","border":false}]}
```

Throughout this process, we planned to ensure the following -

* Easy accessibility and navigation for users to identify and read information that mattered to them,

* Easy digestibility for users to actually understand what they were consenting to.

## **A Blast from the Past!**

As a result of unethical practices in human subjects research (e.g., the Tuskegee Syphilis Study), informed consent became a regulatory requirement to protect those that participated in research to increase our scientific knowledge. The current regulations have the minimum requirements on ***what*** to share with prospective participants, but lack any guidance on ***how***.

The Common Rule (45 CFR 46) was revised for the first time in 2018-2019 and established new requirements for informed consent to adapt to the rapid improvements in scientific research. **The lack of regulatory guidance provided an opportunity to explore how we wanted to implement said regulatory requirements.** Some of the main areas that we dug into were focused on -

* What did potential research participants value when participating in genetic research?

* What were some hesitations of research participation?

* What were some existing issues that negatively impacted research consent/participation?

## **Research Process**

**`Baseline`**

Based on the media alone, the company had "an inkling" about the negative sentiment that the public had about our product - lots of folks had this conception that 23andMe sold data to health insurance companies to raise premiums, but that wasn't the case at all! Despite that, we wanted to start with a clean slate and establish a baseline understanding of what new users expected to see in a consent and how.

Since this was meant to be a baseline that supplemented what we already knew from various feedback channels, we opted for some unmoderated sessions to be quick, but to also replicate the environment that a person might be reading the consent (by themself...for the most part).

* For the consent content: participants were asked questions about what they expected to read about in a consent and what they wanted to read in a consent.

* For the consent design: participants were shown the consent and were asked to give their initial thoughts and reactions on how it impacted their interpretation and processing.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FyxtOI9Im2u58hcrZtACl%2Fb1e125bc-a643-40d1-9aad-d9f8a2f12109.png?alt=media&token=11ff604d-ae0d-45c6-be38-17dd345bded3","id":"b1e125bc-a643-40d1-9aad-d9f8a2f12109","width":2144,"height":1220,"filename":"Screen Shot 2021-06-10 at 9.01.46 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"A screenshot of what the beginning of the consent document looks like.","border":false}]}
```

> **`Define and Refine`**

We then created a list of topics that a prospective customer might expect and want to read in an informed consent document for a research study.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FyxtOI9Im2u58hcrZtACl%2F452f0700-f6a8-4247-bd4d-dd2502378a33.png?alt=media&token=f5e08031-41e5-416c-b95e-6a685ea9623e","id":"452f0700-f6a8-4247-bd4d-dd2502378a33","width":504,"height":391,"filename":"Screen Shot 2021-06-10 at 9.37.12 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"List of consent elements that users expected to see in a consent document for genetic research.","border":false}]}
```

With the list above, we launched another round of research to refine how we addressed one of the new regulatory requirement updates: the **key information summary.** The key information summary is meant to be a TLDR before the full consent to give participants a brief overview of what the study entailed, but there was no regulatory definition of what was to be included in it.

To do so, we had participants do a card sorting activity with a Likert-scale rating with the different topics that other participants had identified as essential to an informed consent document. We chose "very important" as the topics that would be included in the key information summary. And of course, participants were encouraged to provide open-ended feedback about their rating.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FXOpokGkgIta84ju5DrmqrfCdGM63%2FyxtOI9Im2u58hcrZtACl%2F07e5e815-13cd-4f56-9cfd-26eec90aecee.png?alt=media&token=7297631c-5a5b-44af-9a5e-b8ddc15701ec","id":"07e5e815-13cd-4f56-9cfd-26eec90aecee","width":948,"height":566,"filename":"Screen Shot 2021-06-10 at 9.37.21 PM.png","type":"image/png","caption":"Card sorting activity with Likert-scale. Users could drag and drop elements they classified as \"very important\" to \"very unimportant.\"","border":false}]}
```

The other part of the first round of research was to explore potential informed consent document designs - the main consensus was that **"the consent was a huge wall of text."** It looked intimidating, overwhelming, and had legalese, which contributed a bit of anxiety due to not knowing if they properly understood what it meant. The scrolling never stopped and each section was just full of text that participants couldn't be bothered to look at closely - and not looking at it closely meant they might not fully comprehend what our research was like, which fueled the negative sentiment that 23andMe was already experiencing.

To get some initial concepts started, we visited a few online resources and did a brief literature review to see what other folks had already done in this space. SageBionetworks was one of the resources that inspired our early concept - a recurring sentiment was the lack of *navigation and transparency* in the content, making it seem like it was purposefully hiding something in the massive wall of text. By breaking down the different sections to emphasize personal narrative and progression, participants could feel empowered to read at what they deemed most appropriate for themself.

## **Next Steps**

Although this was one of my favorite projects, it unfortunately came to end as my time at 23andMe was coming to an end. We were on track to meet with our assigned product team to get this into the roadmap and establish proper resourcing and were in early discussions with design, engineering, and legal to tease apart what we could and couldn't do.

Prior to leaving 23andMe:

* **The consent language was in its final stages of revision by internal stakeholders and our IRB.** We wanted to include our IRB in on this project because ultimately, they would be the ones reviewing and approving it. We also wanted to take this chance to show them how UX research could be used in this manner to make participant-centric decisions for our study.

* **The final consent design was still being discussed based on existing backend infrastructure and designer resourcing.** As always, we're limited by what is feasible for engineering to do and that discussion still needed to happen.

Increasing participant comprehension and autonomy throughout the consent process.

UX Researcher

Master Rank

Cognitive Science; Specialization in Computing
Global Health Minor

PRIM&R Virtual Conference 
Advancing Ethical Research (AER)

Established a rolling research program to understand, empower, and support the Creator community.

Creator Sessions

UX Research

Led research for both product and cross-functional initiatives.

Established best practices and ethical guidelines in how we approach sensitive research topics with participants.

Sensitive Research

Led research for new product development for the Provider Experience team.

Provider Platform Creation

Spearheaded UX research at the intersection of research ethics and regulatory requirements of human subjects research to make participant-driven decisions for our Population and Participant Advocacy team.

Equitable and Inclusive Research

Research Ethics

Led research to revamp the current consent language and design to be compliant with federal regulations and be in line with participant needs.

Informed Consent Redesign

Senior UX Researcher

Research Ethics; Human Research Protection Program

Trung Le

2024

2023

2022

2021