The Story Behind the Work
This project started as more than a design challenge. It began with lived experience. At a time when I was seeking mental health support, I found myself overwhelmed by how fragmented the system felt. I was navigating both emotional and physical healing, but the care I received never acknowledged the connection between the two. I learned I wasn’t alone.
Research shows that 70% of people with mental health conditions also live with chronic physical conditions, yet care remains seperate. That gap became the question I couldn’t stop thinking about: What if care could acknowledge the whole person — not just the diagnosis?
-
Responsive Web MVP Design
-
Concept Development, User Research, UXUI, Branding
-
6 Weeks
-
Designed an MVP focused on holistic therapy integration.
Prioritized AI-powered therapist matching and health data integration.
Limited scope to mental health & wellness (excluded direct PCP-therapist integration due to complexity).
Constraints included tight timeline, resource limitations, and technical feasibility of integrating external health data.
-
Figma
The Problem
Many people seeking mental health support struggle to find care that considers both their emotional and physical well-being together. While physical symptoms like fatigue, hormonal changes, or chronic pain may be acknowledged, they’re often treated separately — referred out to other specialists with no followup, addressed with medication alone, or viewed in isolation rather than as part of a connected whole.
Why It Matters
The disconnect between mental and physical care isn’t just personal — it’s systemic.
A 2023 study published in BMJ Mental Health found that individuals with severe mental illness are significantly more likely to experience multiple chronic physical conditions, yet these are often treated separately within fragmented healthcare systems.
While symptoms like fatigue, pain, or hormonal imbalance are acknowledged in therapy, they’re often referred out, medicated, or siloed — leaving the person behind the symptoms to coordinate their own care.
Project Goal
At its core, the goal was to shift the experience from fragmented and clinical to personal, grounded, and complete — giving users and therapists a shared, integrative view of well-being.
The Designs
Let’s start with the screens — because I know your time is valuable. These designs are placed up front so you can get a clear sense of the solution before diving into the details. Each one reflects a direction shaped by research, iteration, and personal experience — all of which I break down further below. If anything catches your eye, feel free to scroll on and explore how it all came together.
Landing Page – Value Proposition
The Wellnest landing page introduces a new era of therapy—one that embraces the connection between mind and body. With a focus on holistic well-being, the page highlights Wellnest’s unique approach: AI-powered therapist matching, personalized health data insights, and integrated wellness support. The design evokes warmth, safety, and clarity, helping users feel empowered from the very first step of their journey.
AI Chatbot – Therapist Matching
Meet Ella, an AI-powered wellness assistant. This feature streamlines the process of finding a therapist, offering a guided and stress-free experience. Users can interact with Ella to receive therapist recommendations, ask about insurance coverage, and navigate Wellnest’s offerings. To eliminate decision fatigue and make starting therapy feel approachable and intuitive.
Therapist Search Results
Finding the right therapist can be overwhelming, but Wellnest’s search results simplify the process. Users can filter therapists by availability, specialization, gender, ethnicity, and consultation type. Each therapist listing provides key details upfront, including specialties, insurance acceptance, and next available openings, ensuring a transparent and efficient selection process.
Therapist Profile:
Personalized Connection
Building trust before the first session is key. The therapist profile page provides a deeper look into each therapist’s approach, specialties, and background.
A video introduction allows users to hear the therapist’s voice and see their personality before booking.
A photo gallery gives a sense of their practice environment, fostering familiarity and comfort.
Reviews and therapy modalities are also displayed, ensuring users can make an informed and confident choice.
Integrate Health Data Sources
Bridging the gap between mental and physical health, Wellnest allows users to sync their wellness data from trusted sources. This screen provides a simple, secure way to connect with health apps like Apple Health, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, and more, ensuring that therapists have a holistic view of a user's well-being.
Selection of Health Data to Share
User control is key. Wellnest lets individuals choose which health metrics to share, including heart rate variability (HRV), sleep patterns, cortisol levels, menstrual cycles, and more. This empowers users to personalize their therapy experience while ensuring therapists have relevant insights to offer a tailored and effective treatment plan.
Dashboard:
A Centralized Wellness Hub
The Wellnest dashboard serves as a centralized space where users and therapists can access key wellness insights together. Including Mood Tracker, Health Data Insights, Care Team Notes, Goals and Milestones, to ensure the mental health care is informed by real-time physical health data, fostering a truly holistic approach to therapy.
By giving therapists access to these insights, Wellnest allows for more informed, personalized, and effective therapy sessions, ensuring that users receive care that resonates with their whole being—mind and body alike.
Secondary Research:
The Rise of Holistic Solutions
Before diving into primary research, I wanted to better understand the broader landscape. Was this gap between physical and mental health something others were feeling too — or just a personal frustration? What I found confirmed that this wasn’t an isolated pain point.
Scientific Evidence
Researchers are continuing to explore how physical health directly impacts emotional well-being. From sleep disturbances to hormone imbalances, these factors are now recognized as contributors to conditions like depression and anxiety. One study found that 70% of individuals with mental health conditions also live with at least one chronic physical illness, reinforcing the need for integrated care.
Growing Patient Demand
More people are looking for support that treats them as a whole person and not just a diagnosis.
A 2022 APA survey found that:
73% of adults believe mental and physical health are connected
69% are interested in treatment approaches that address both
Technology as a Bridge
With the rise of AI and telehealth, we now have better tools to connect the dots. Personalized, remote, and data-informed care is becoming more possible — and more expected.
According to a 2023 Accenture report, the global telehealth market is projected to reach $634 billion by 2027, a sign of just how quickly the space is evolving.
Key takeaway
The disconnect between mental and physical health isn’t new — but people are becoming more aware of it, and technology is finally catching up. There’s a growing desire for care that sees the whole person, not just isolated symptoms.
Primary Research
Highlights of User Interviews
“…I’m exhausted all the time, my stomach is never happy, and with the kids draining my energy all day, it’s a bad combo. My doctor just called it anxiety and gave me medication for it, but it made me feel like a zombie, unable to function regularly, it’s effecting my life and career tremendously.
I just want an alternative ”
— M.G.
“Physical and mental health is important to me, but I’m a busy mom. It’s hard to navigate my family’s health and mine all scattered. I want a solution that can simplify things for me and fit my crazy schedule.”
— C.L.
“The stigma around mental health makes it hard to admit I need help. And the process of finding a therapist is just overwhelming. There’s either too much or too little information about them, I never know if they’ll be a good fit, who they are and how our sessions will be like. It’s just easier to put it off, even though I know I need to do something. That first step of booking feels like a mountain to climb.”
— K.F.
User interviews revealed a deep desire for a holistic, supportive, and approachable mental health service, both first-time seekers and the experienced. Mentions of “the stigma and the process are overwhelming”, and “I want an alternative to medication”, highlight the need for de-stigmatizing access and holistic solutions. This suggests the service should go beyond generalized therapist profiles and create a comprehensive, welcoming experience for individual navigating mental health challenges.
Affinity Mapping
User interviews and subsequent affinity mapping painted a clear picture of what therapy seekers yearn for: clarity, convenience, and a holistic approach. The mapping provided a clear direction for transparent therapist profiles, as well as reducing stress for the process. For health integration, there were indications of a possibility in integrating primary care physicians and the therapist.
From this round of affinity mapping, I’ve raised questions such as:
“What does this look like?”
“What’s the best way for PCP (Primary Care Physician) and MHP (Mental Health Practitioner, or Therapist) to connect”
“Does the patient see the conversation between PCP and MHP?”
From these questions, I’ve gathered that more research is needed to see the if it is feasible to integrate PCP and MHP for the journey in developing Wellnest.
Challenge & Key Takeaways
With the possibility of integrating primary care physicians directly into the platform, I’ve explored for options with a SWOT analysis, which revealed this was overly ambitious, and it may morph the project scope away from mental health focused service.
Instead, with the SWOT analysis, I’ve found focus on integrating health data from existing apps like sleep trackers and fitness apps, offering a feasible and impactful solution that aligns with user needs for a holistic perspective within mental wellness. I’ve also found additional opportunities with A.I. chatbot integration to assist with matching of therapists, personalization and managing user expectations and real time interactions (especially important for users looking for mental health support). And a dashboard to integrate the health data and other information such as appointments and additional resources, thereby resolving the need for users looking for a integrated overview of their wellness in one setting.
Strategic Marketing Position: By concentrating on health data integration, Wellnest could position itself strategically in the market, offering a distinctive feature that sets it apart from competitors while addressing a key user need that was both attainable and valuable.
User Personas
Persona #1
The first persona is someone who already has experience with therapy, but have not found the solution that meets the criterias.
Name: Olivia Miller
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Location: Austin, TX
Marital Status: Married with 1 child (age 2)
Value & Beliefs
Prioritizes family wellbeing
Values preventative care and natural solutions, seeking alternatives to medication whenever possible
Recognizes the mind-body connection
Health Concerns
History of depression, with recent depressive symptoms returning
Physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, and digestive issues with no clear medical explaination
Diagnosed with anxiety and depression by primary care doctor, but medication worsened her symptoms
Triggers & Life Events
History of personal and family challenges (job loss, grief, relationship issues) that were not addressed due to busy schedules
Feeling overwhelmed and unsupported, leading to increased symptoms
Challenges
Difficulties addressing her own needs due to prioritizing family and career demands
Frustration with unexplained physical symptoms and lack of answers from traditional medicine
Physical symptoms’ intensity increases with or without reason
Feeling out of control over her body and mind
Overwhelmed by the abundance of resources and unsure which ones are reliable
Balancing the cost and time commitment of holistic approaches with family responsibilities
Needs & Expectations
Ability to find qualified & trustworthy holistic practitioners who specialize in treating depression and anxiety
Personalized recommendations and insights based on her needs and medical history
Resources and tools that fit into her busy schedule and are affordable for her family
A platform that integrates mental health and holistic care
Goals & Motivations
Manage symptoms and understand the reason behind the connection of physical and mental
Improve overall wellbeing and be fully present for her family
Feel empowered to advocate for her health and make informed decisions about her treatment plan
Persona #2
The second persona is someone who is fairly new to therapy. Has booked a therapist a few times but is not satisfied about the process.
Name: Robert Zhang
Occupation: Graphic Designer
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Marital Status: Single
Value & Beliefs
Starting to see the need to prioritize mental health and wellbeing, seeking treatments to improve his mental state
Values information clarity and transparency on therapy process and therapist qualifications
Recognizes the mind-body connection
Health Concerns
Attempting to manage ongoing anxiety, experiencing recent recurrence of symptoms
Physical symptoms include fatigue, headaches, dizziness, blurry eyes and digestive issues
Triggers & Life Events
Stress and burnout from career responsibilities, notices imposter syndrome
Challenges in relationship, adding to overall stress and emotional burden
Challenges
Feeling overwhelmed by a large number of mental health support options and unsure how decide on one
Anxiety about confidentiality and privacy
Discomfort of talking to a stranger, with difficulty building a trusting relationship
Needs & Expectations
Clear information on therapy types and qualifications before committing to booking
Want an easy to use platform for booking and managing appointments, as well as a process that can help reduce the anxiety
Prefers therapists with specific qualifications or specialties related to their struggles
Desires resources and features that are less anxiety-inducing and promote a smooth experience
Goals & Motivations
Wants to organize thoughts and hold himself accountable through therapy
Seeks feedbacks and clarity from the therapist with his/her case studies and/or personal experiences
To feel truly accepted and supported
Product Hypothesis
This is the problem: Individuals seeking holistic mental healthcare struggle to find comprehensive care that addresses the interconnectedness of the mind and body. The current "mental health only" therapy model often leaves gaps in addressing the full spectrum of well-being, neglecting the impact of physical health on mental health, and vice versa.
If we: Develop Wellnest, a platform that offers:
Holistic Therapist Matching
Connecting users with qualified therapists who consider the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of well-being.
Health Data Integration
Integrating health data from existing apps like sleep trackers and fitness apps to provide a comprehensive view of user health and potential connections between physical and mental well-being.
A.I. Powered Features
Implementing an AI chatbot for therapist matching, personalization, and managing user expectations, alongside a user-friendly dashboard for health data visualization and appointment management.
Then we get: A more accessible and user-friendly platform that addresses the unmet needs of therapy seekers.
The result will be: Improved user satisfaction, increased engagement with the platform, and potentially better mental health outcomes for users due to the holistic approach offered by Wellnest.