Therapy Website Project
The Product
My Role
UX Designer
October 2025 - ongoing
Overview
A personal website for an independent therapist, Laura Adlam, designed to help current and potential clients access information about therapy services, understand what to expect, find supportive resources, and contact Laura easily to book a session.
The Problem
Although the website felt calm and well intentioned, it was not effectively supporting new client acquisition. Following a recent rebrand, Laura was not receiving enough enquiries or bookings through the website. Users who visited the site often struggled to find key information, understand services quickly, or feel confident taking the next step to make contact.
This resulted in missed opportunities where potential clients felt reassured by the tone but did not convert into enquiries.
Original Website
Context
Design a therapy website that reduces friction for emotionally sensitive users while clearly guiding them toward contacting Laura to book a session, without introducing pressure or sales-driven patterns.
Challenge
Solution
Redesign the website to balance emotional reassurance with clarity and direction. The solution improves information hierarchy, readability, trust signals, and contact flows so users can move from uncertainty to action in a calm, supported way.
Understanding the User
Research Goal
To understand how users experience Laura’s website when seeking therapy support, including where they feel reassured, confused, overwhelmed, or unsure about what to do next.
Research aimed to understand not only how users felt while browsing the site, but why reassurance alone was not translating into enquiries or bookings.
User research summary
I conducted qualitative interviews and a usability survey with participants representing different therapy-seeking stages. While users generally described the site as calm and easy to navigate, research revealed consistent challenges around information clarity, trust signals, and booking confidence.
“The amount of text stressed me out a bit. So much to read!”
- Client
“You can’t click on the icons for services or costs etc which is what people tend to do.”
- Client
“The colours are calm and the photos are soothing, but the amount of text stressed me out.”
- Client
“I couldn’t work out pricing for face-to-face sessions.”
- Potential Client
User Groups Identified
Research identified several overlapping user needs rather than rigid personas.
Some users were seeking trauma-informed support and prioritised safety, reassurance, and trust. Others experienced anxiety or overthinking and felt overwhelmed by long paragraphs or too many options. Users experiencing burnout valued direct explanations and minimal steps. Early-stage browsers needed clear, non-technical guidance before committing. Ready-to-book users wanted fast access to pricing, availability, and contact details. Past or current clients highlighted friction based on real booking experiences.
User Personas
What Worked
Most users found the website visually calm and generally easy to navigate
The tone felt supportive and non-clinical
Users felt reassured by the overall presentation
Research Insights
Where Users Struggled
Important elements such as images and icons did not behave as expected
Pricing information was unclear or difficult to find
Text stretched too widely across the screen, making reading tiring
There was no built-in booking or contact flow beyond static details
Users wanted stronger personal cues such as photos of Laura or the therapy space
Service information required too much scrolling and effort to digest
Insight Summary
Even small moments of friction disrupted trust and confidence during a highly sensitive decision-making process.
Pain Points
Users expected interactive elements to be clickable but they were not.
Wide and long text layouts increased cognitive load.
Limited personal visuals reduced emotional connection.
Pricing lacked clarity, especially for face-to-face sessions
The absence of an embedded contact or booking flow added friction.
Service information was not structured for quick scanning.
Ideation
Affinity mapping revealed that the primary issue was not missing information, but how and when information was presented. The design needed to reduce cognitive effort while reinforcing emotional safety.
This led to clearer content hierarchy, improved readability, visible pricing, interactive service elements, and a simplified contact experience.
User Journey Mapping
A simplified journey map highlighted key moments where users hesitated, particularly when trying to understand services, pricing, and how to make contact.
These insights informed the structure and sequencing of content across the site.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Low-fidelity wireframes focused on restructuring information to reduce overwhelm. The aim was to test whether users could quickly understand what Laura offers, feel reassured, and identify how to get in touch without reading everything.
Visual design was intentionally minimal to prioritise structure and flow.
Usability testing was conducted using a mid to high fidelity mock-up to evaluate whether changes to structure, readability, and booking flow helped users move more confidently toward contacting Laura.
An unmoderated usability study was run with five UK-based participants. Each participant was asked to locate key information such as services offered, pricing, and how to book, then complete a booking-related task independently. Sessions concluded with a short questionnaire reflecting on clarity, confidence, and friction points.
Testing focused on time on task, ability to identify pricing and services, and successful completion of the booking flow without assistance.
Validating Clarity and Booking Confidence
Usability Test
Key Findings
Participants were generally able to navigate the site and complete tasks, but testing surfaced specific opportunities to further reduce friction and hesitation before booking.
Users wanted quicker access to contact options without having to commit to a full form.
Some users preferred direct messaging rather than structured booking flows.
Homepage information was clearer, but resources competed for attention, causing confusion in user journey flow.
Returning users wanted flexibility rather than a single prescribed path.
These insights reinforced that users approach therapy booking with different levels of readiness and emotional energy.
Iteration After Usability Testing
Based on testing insights, the design evolved to better support multiple entry points and user preferences without increasing cognitive load.
Key changes included:
Adding a floating WhatsApp action button to support low effort contact
Moving resources to a dedicated page to reduce distraction during booking
Reorganising the booking page so all users can choose between a form or direct contact
Clarifying that booking is optional and flexible, reducing perceived pressure
These changes aimed to support users who were ready to book, as well as those who needed reassurance before taking the next step.
Final Prototype
The final prototype supports users seeking therapy by balancing a calm, reassuring tone with clear structure and guidance.
It provides scannable service information, improved readability, clearer pricing cues, trust-building visuals, and a simple, low-stress way to contact Laura to book a session.
The design allows users to move from uncertainty to confidence at their own pace, without pressure or overwhelm, while supporting Laura’s goal of increasing genuine client enquiries following her rebrand.
