The Healthy Minds Program is an evidence-based wellness program based on science from Dr. Richard Davidson and his team at the Center for Healthy Minds.
Roles: UX Researcher, Design Facilitator, Content Development, Advisor
Timeframe: 2018 - present
Contributions:
Introduced design sprints for product development and facilitated strategic workshops with major partners.
Intensive UX research, including testing concept prototypes, pilot interviews, longitudinal diary studies, and more.
Collaborated on content development for over 200 guided sessions, including a lean script testing process to improve.
Define and teach the Healthy Minds Masterclass, a training program in use by some of the largest orgs in the world.
Strategy and execution for a diary study focused on inclusion for those of diverse faith, race, and ethnicity.
The Full Story…
Blueprinting the Healthy Minds Journey
The Center for Healthy Minds and Healthy Minds Innovations were founded by Dr. Richard Davidson - a highly influential thought leader in the neuroscience of mindfulness and emotion. They represent a global hub for the scientific understanding of well-being. I joined to help create the Healthy Minds Program: an app-based wellness program aimed at cultivating well-being. I brought a UX priority to the project and got the team thinking human-centered. I started by facilitating a service blueprinting workshop, mapping out data from early pilots onto the current program’s design, revealing clear low-hanging fruit to start improving our offering, along with new questions.
Building Capacity Through a Sprint
Next, I booked a tactical one-week design sprint to prototype and test new directions. I helped screen and recruit participants, leverage existing design materials into a rapid clickable prototype for testing, and put together a scenario-based research methodology. I moderated the sessions while the team observed and took notes. By the end of the week, we had a number of new concepts ready for development, and a whole new set of deeper questions. Most importantly, the team now had direct experience with recruitment, rapid prototyping and lean UX research - these methods have now become a regular part of the Healthy Minds Program design process.
I coached the team’s designers on how to quickly re-purpose existing materials into a high-fidelity prototype we could use to test our ideas with screened participants.
Advanced UX R&D with Live Pilots
As the team continues with lean UX sprints, I have moved on to executing more advanced research methods with participants engaged in live pilots in major organizations. Semi-structured exit interviews have helped us prioritize the longer-term user experience of the program. I fleshed out this understanding with an in-depth diary study: participants used the app for several weeks, submitting a diary after every session. With their explicit consent, we tracked participants’ thoughts and emotions as they moved through the curriculum, taking note of key highs and lows in the user’s journey. I facilitated a workshop where we analyzed this wealth of data together and came up with new storyboards on how to structure the user experience from session to session.
The Impact of Design Leadership
In one year, this integrated UX process has helped transform the app. It now guides people seamlessly into an inspiring, organized experience. The content is well-structured for learning while still offering choice. I was able to inspire the team to serve their audience directly and - as a result - deeply influence the program as a whole. I did not design any new screens. Instead, I facilitated strategic human-centered design processes which led to key insights, enabling confident design decisions. I created a shared purpose which empowered the team to collaborate on major app changes with clarity for the benefit of our audience.
Creating Curriculum for the App and Masterclass
As our scope increases, my role has grown. I’ve played a key role in writing and developing all the content in the Healthy Minds Program app, which includes over 200 guided practices and podcasts. To inform this process, I set up ‘virtual table reads’, where I led online groups through scripted content to get quick feedback before producing high quality recordings. I was also one-third of the team that defined the full curriculum for the Healthy Minds Masterclass, an intensive wellness training program being deployed in major organizations (and for the public). I am also serving as a teacher and facilitator for said program as we expand its reach (virtually amidst COVID-19).
Promoting Inclusion of Diverse Faith, Race, Ethnicity with Fetzer
Through all of this collaboration, I’ve been deeply impressed by the level of integrity in this organization. A simultaneous scientific rigor and deep motivation to serve others lies at the core of this team and the programs it creates. In 2019, we secured a partnership grant with the Fetzer Institute to run a big budget diary study with the explicit mission of designing the program to be more inclusive. We recruited 40 participants of diverse faith, race, and ethnicity along with senior mentors from various faith traditions. I defined the strategy, created the protocols, and helped execute the diary study with a team of moderators. Results are leading to tweaks and changes to help bring evidence-based wellness practices to people of all walks of life. Our programs are growing; this is only the beginning.
