MARKET RESEARCH

• In order to really understand what will be successful for a healthcare app home page design, market research is crucial.
• Taking a look at what is successful and what is unsuccessful for apps in the same space will allow for informed decisions on modern, user-friendly design.
• In addition, market research will inform a strategy to create unique selling points that other competitors are not doing.
• Market research should be used as a tool to find what is working in the space and yet avoid copying and develop a unique platform.
• Some top apps in the mental healthcare space include the following:
•  Breath2Relax: Available on IOS and Android.
•  Lantern: Available on IOS.
•  PTSD Coach: Available on IOS and Android.
•  Talkspace: Available on IOS and Android.
•  SAM: Available on IOS and Android.
• Some worst rated apps in the mental healthcare space include the following:
• Rethink BH: Available on Android.
• MENtal Health: Available on Android.
• NP Psyciatric Mental Health: Available on Android.

FOCUS ON USER EXPERIENCE AND FUNCTIONALITY

• While visuals are important, the most successful apps focus more on functionality and usability.
• Consumers do not want to spend a lot of time learning how to use an app or inputting information. By minimizing the time a user has to spend on tasks and ensuring ease of use entering data, users will be more inclined to continue using an app.
• Generating feedback during the Beta stage and even into the live app can greatly increase chances of success.
• The registration process should be as fast and easy to understand as possible. If a user has frustration with the registration or sign up process, they most-likely will not continue to see what the rest of the app is like.
• The best approach seem to be a graphical design that categorizes the on boarding process and organizes information in an easy to read way.
• In addition, keeping icons and information on the homepage in a minimal design that is easily identifiable will generate a clean look without confusing users.

HAVE A CLEAN APPEARENCE

• There are several factors to consider when creating a clean appearance within an app including, icon placement, color, visuals, spacing, and notifications.
•  Icon placement should make sense to the user with important icons displayed in an organized manner by user priority.
•  Any actionable elements on the home page should be placed where the user can easily identify them but far enough away from each other to not cause clutter or confusion.
• Appearance should reflect the target audience, for example elderly consumers prefer larger text while younger users may prefer a discrete design to maintain privacy if using the app in public.
• In addition, the color can have an impact on the overall aesthetic of the app. If the goal is to present a calming image, hard colors like dark red would be intimidating while light blue would be more calming.
•  Notification color and style are also some things to consider. Organizing notifications by urgency, color, or placement based on what the notification is indicating can be a welcome feature for people managing health care problems as it can reduce anxiety about what the notifications mean.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

• Perhaps one of the biggest things to consider is keeping the homepage simple. The worst thing to do to users is overwhelmed them with information, visuals, and clutter right away.
• The home page should be a place to get an overview of the app, having long descriptions of each section, article links with lengthy introductions, health care provider information, or detailed visuals can be too much for consumers, especially on a small phone screen.
• Being minimalistic has proven to be the most successful in health care apps by making the app feel more professional as well as appearing to be more user-friendly.
• In addition, the design should avoid unnecessary advertisements, articles, or other distractions within the chat or help process. If a user is looking for help with a problem or support, they do not want to waste time with ads and articles that are not helpful to them.
•  Advertisements should be placed in areas of the app that are either won't limit usability, or don't serve an urgent purpose such as blogs, articles, and other nondescript areas of the app.
• Consideration should be taken into what the consumer is there for, the app should only ask relevant questions, provide clear information, reduce unnecessary information, and easily identify HELP and FAQ sections within the app.

RESEARCH STRATEGY