Aidan Nickerson
OPen
Client:
Serene
Mobile
Desktop
Design Systems

Serene

Industry

Psychotherapy

Scope

End-to-End

Location

London

Year

2024

Serene is a mental health platform offering therapy for individuals, couples, and groups via in-person sessions, video calls, or chat. The project involved designing a mobile app for patients and a desktop platform for therapists to manage appointments, along with a business management system to streamline operations. From branding to development, the platform integrates tools like Zoom for therapy and Stripe for payments, ensuring a seamless experience.

My Role

I led the nine-month design process, working closely with a Head of Design, Project Manager, and Tech Lead. From research and insights to user flows, wireframing, and creating high-fidelity prototypes, I ensured each phase was aligned with user needs and business goals. I also built a scalable design system in Figma, facilitated testing with the client, and collaborated with developers to deliver a smooth handover using Storybook.

Challenge

Therapy is personal, and many users feel overwhelmed when choosing a therapist or session format. The challenge was to create a platform that fosters trust and reduces friction while offering flexibility for users and therapists. With a tight timeline for the beta launch, we needed a solution that was both scalable and user-friendly, gathering valuable insights to inform future iterations.

Target Audience

Serene’s users are individuals, couples, or groups looking for accessible therapy options that fit into their busy lives, alongside therapists managing bookings and sessions. Research revealed users often feel overwhelmed during onboarding, value flexibility in session formats, and need trust signals, like therapist profiles and reviews, to confidently make decisions.

Design Process

Through interviews and research with our client and therapists, I identified key pain points, including decision overwhelm, inefficient booking flows, and the need for trust-building features. Users sought a smoother booking process, flexible communication options, and trust signals like therapist profiles and user reviews, while therapists needed an intuitive backend to manage bookings and reduce administrative tasks. To address these issues, I designed a simplified experience with a three-step booking process, choosing a therapist, selecting a format (in-person, video, or chat), and scheduling a session, alongside a tailored onboarding flow to provide personalised therapist recommendations based on user preferences and needs.

Design System

I developed a scalable design system and component library focusing on consistency, usability, and scalability. Leveraging Figma, I utilised auto-layout for the majority of components and implemented variables, along with primitive and component tokens. This approach enabled seamless updates to colours and styles, automatically applying changes across all relevant components. The result was a cohesive, efficient, and streamlined design process.

A Platform for All

Serene offers a user-centric platform that simplifies the therapy experience, making mental health support more accessible and flexible. With a seamless three-step booking flow, personalised onboarding, and options for in-person, video, or chat-based sessions, Serene empowers users to choose therapy that fits their needs and lifestyle. Trust-building features like therapist profiles and reviews, combined with robust tools for therapists to manage appointments and streamline operations, create a solution that fosters confidence and efficiency for all users.

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Impact

Serene launched its open beta in November 2024, achieving promising early results. 15% of users successfully booked sessions during their first interaction. While qualitative feedback emphasised the intuitive interface and personalised experience, with many praising the flexible session options as a standout feature that set Serene apart.

Learnings

Although it's still early days, I'm proud of the product we delivered for our client. Our human-centred design process built trust and reduced friction for first-time therapy seekers. While a robust design system empowered rapid iteration and ensured consistency across mobile and desktop.

If you would like to learn more about this project, please get in touch. I'm always open to chat.

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