Ears for Peers
Reimagining Tufts' mental health hotline messaging service to better support student operators.
Client
Ears for Peers @ Tufts
Context
Capstone Project
Role
UX Designer, UX Researcher
Time Frame
4 months
Tools
Figma, Qualtrics, Whimsical, Miro
Team
Olivia Galarza, Maitreyi Kale, Onkee Min
— CONTEXT
What is Ears for Peers (E4P)?
EARS FOR PEERS (E4P) is an anonymous, overnight hotline service run entirely by Tufts students. It strives to lend a listening ear for any student in need of one, ensuring that no one is left to face their challenges alone. Offered via phone or online texting platform, E4P has hotline operators (i.e., Ears) to support over 400 student callers and texters (i.e., Peers) every semester.
— PROBLEM
The platform needs a major revamp
The current text service is fully hosted on Heroku, a cloud application platform. However, since the initial product launch of the messaging platform in 2019, there have been no subsequent user research or design changes implemented to better support users—particularly Ears, who operate the service on a daily basis.
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Although current Ears are required to remain anonymous due to the nature of the organization, my team luckily included Maitreyi, a current Face (i.e. publicly representing E4P) and an E4P executive board member. During our project proposal, we learned from Maitreyi that Ears encounter pain points daily while interacting with the current platform. There are critical design changes that need to be implemented to better meet the needs of Ears on shift.
How can we improve the user experience of the texting platform for Ears (i.e., student hotline operators) so that they are better supported in their role?
Current Ears for Peers online platform: Ears juggle between different chats on a desktop
— SOLUTION
Introducing a new mobile app for Ears
Rather than a website that must be accessed on a computer with a singular login to share among Ears, my team identified the need for a dedicated Ears-only mobile application that interfaces with the Heroku website used by student texters.
A mobile app better matches the physical environment of Ears on shifts who operate overnight on bunk beds. It also includes new features, increased accessibility and flexibility, and improved workflows that effectively align with how Ears operate and their needs.
Four new chat categories​
Chats are categorized into four distinct groups, simplifying Ear's ability to oversee and manage them effectively. This categorization enhances Ear's responsiveness to Peers while reducing the occurrence of hang-ups.
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Mine: Ongoing chats
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Pending: New chat requests
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View-only: Shift partner's ongoing chats
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Closed: Chats that have ended
Transfer chat between shifts​
At the end of an Ears shift, they now have the capability to seamlessly transfer ongoing chats, along with their chat history, to the next Ear on duty. This allows for a smoother transition and consistent support for Ears.
Additionally, in situations that involve sensitive content for the current Ear, they have the option to transfer it to their shift partner.
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Streamlined process of completing a chat​
After a chat ends, Ears fill out a post-text survey externally. However, there is currently lower compliance because of the inconvenient workflow.
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The introduction of the "Closed Chat" tab allows Ears to conveniently revisit their chat history, complete the survey at a time best for them, and monitor their survey completion status. The survey can also be easily accessed from the app via the survey button.​
Quick access to resources​
Instead of needing to consult numerous external documents or posters for mental health resources, all these resources are now centralized in the app's "Resource" tab. This allows Ears to quickly access and browse through them.
Moreover, the Copy function enables Ears to effortlessly share this information with Peers in the chat, simplifying the process of providing support.
Customize settings​
Ears can now customize notification settings and app preferences to their personal device.
— RESEARCH
The discovery phase
The primary users of the Ears for Peers hotline service are twofold:
Students who volunteer to provide support on the overnight hotline
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Take shifts in pairs and operate anonymously
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Emotionally invested in the conversations they have with Peers
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Need support to handle sensitive and emotional topics effectively
Students who are reaching out for emotional support
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May be dealing with various issues, such as homesickness, LGBTQ issues, depression, academic pressure, etc.
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Confidentiality and anonymity are crucial for Peers to feel comfortable and safe seeking help
Ears and Peers are like two sides of a coin, as the ultimate goal of Ears is to support Peers as a listener and confidant, linking both user groups. To better understand the needs and pain points of Ears (and Peers), I collaborated with my team to employ various qualitative user research methodologies including:
Stakeholder analysis
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Survey
We conducted a Qualtrics survey to gather feedback from over 60 users about their experiences with Ears for Peers. Because mental health is a highly sensitive topic and anonymity is integral to the service, we distributed the survey via channels such as Tufts Facebook groups, Reddit, and Sidechat to ensure complete confidentiality.
Respondents who have used E4P's hotline previously validated the benefits of the service, including its accessibility and having someone to vent to, while others expressed concerns regarding anonymity concerns.
Focus group
The most important insights were gathered during a focus group held who graduated Ears (who no longer have to remain anonymous), enabling me to gain insights into their past experiences with the platform.
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We discovered the physical environmental constraints of the room that Ears take their shifts in, a need for greater flexibility and control, the workflow of Ears, and a need for new features.
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Research insights
From our research and affinity mapping activities, I gathered the most critical insights that would eventually drive our design decisions.
Ears experience constraints in their workflow due to their physical room layout.
During overnight shifts, Ears stay in a designated "Ears" room with a bunk bed, desktop computer, and landline phone. When an Ear is asleep or resting and receives an incoming message, they have to jump out of bed to rush towards the desk. These abrupt motions are jarring, inconvenient, and can be dangerous in a dark room. Taking too long to respond can also lead to the Peer "hanging up".
There are challenges when transitioning between shifts.
At shift changes, the outgoing Ear may be required to extend their shift to wait for the incoming Ear to take over the chat. Alternatively, they might request the texter to reconnect with the platform, resulting in the deletion of chat history, inconveniencing the Peer, and potentially causing a hang-up.
Notification alerts are lacking, hindering the chat workflow.
The lack of customizability of notifications and alerts presents notable challenges. The current system only has alerts on one computer, resulting in potentially missed alerts when two Ears are not in the same room. Additionally, notifications are limited to new chats (overlooking ongoing chats), which can lead to missed messages and chats.
There are limitations regarding flexibility and control.
Ears are unable to switch between devices for ongoing chats, which poses difficulties during shift changes. Moreover, the absence of individual profiles or preferences in the shared login system creates confusion and hinders personalization.
There is a lack of centralized resources.
Resources are currently scattered in a Google Doc and posters in the Ears room. Ears have to manually type in that information to relay in the chat, which is inefficient and inconvenient to do.
The post-chat survey has lower-than-ideal compliance rates.
After a chat ends, Ears are required to fill out a post-call log survey externally via Qualtrics. However, due to this process taking place during early morning hours, compliance tends to be low. Ears might either neglect to complete the survey or forget the details of the conversation.
Ears need support too, especially from each other.
Supporting a texter can be emotionally taxing on the listener too. One of the most important resources that Ears rely on is each other, including asking their shift partner how to best navigate the conversation or for their support.
— DEFINE
Platform change: Ears mobile application
Rather than a website that must be accessed on a computer with a singular login to share among Ears, my team identified the need for a dedicated Ears-only Ears for Peers mobile application that interfaces with the Heroku website for student texters.
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See below for how our research insights drove my design decisions, including workflows and functionalities:
Ears experience constraints in their workflow due to their physical room layout
An app allows for greater comfort, as Ears can answer chats from their own bed during overnight hours
There are challenges when transitioning between shifts
Chat transfer functionality that allows for a smoother transition between shifts
Notification alerts are lacking, hindering the chat workflow
Users will have the ability to set notification preferences on their own devices
There are limitations regarding flexibility and control
An app enables Ears to flexibly navigate E4P across devices, including mobile and the computer
There is a lack of centralized resources
In-app, comprehensive resources page with copy-paste functionality
The post-chat survey has lower-than-ideal compliance rates
Ears will be able to refer to chats that have ended, track whether they have completed the survey, and easily access survey
Ears need support too, especially from each other
Ability to view their shift partner's chat to provide help, providing them context without distracting their partner
— WIREFRAMES
Wireframe ideation
After translating user needs to system-level requirements and functionalities, I began ideating wireframes
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LOGIN
MY CHATS
PENDING CHATS
VIEW-ONLY CHATS
PENDING CHATS
TRANSFER CHATS
RESOURCES
ACCOUNT
— MOCKUPS
Creating high-fidelity mockups
Afterward, I applied the visual layer, ensured that design flourishes were consistent and matched the E4P branding, and refined and further built out the user flow so that our stakeholders and developers would be able to understand the design direction.
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The design process was iterative and feedback was critical. I worked closely with my teammates, who communicated with key members of the Ears for Peers executive board and past members to ensure that this design and proposed features met the user needs of Ears.
— TESTING
We received positive feedback!
My team and I conducted usability testing with two former Ears alumni to understand how we can improve upon the mobile app design.
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Tasks performed by our usability test participants included:
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​Accept an incoming chat
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Manage ongoing chats, and determine if there are any chats that need to be answered
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Send a resource
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Transfer a chat
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Navigate to external "Call Log" survey
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The feedback we gathered from testing offered insight into how the design compares to the current platform. Both participants reacted very positively to the mobile app and the new functionalities!
"I feel so supported and feel less alone while using this app, especially because of the new view-only feature"
"It's a lot easier to share links and phone numbers with texters now"
"I like the Call Log survey reminder! I think it'll help increase the number of completed surveys and remind Ears"
— REFLECTION
Learning experience & my takeaways
Navigating conducting user research with anonymous users
Given the sensitive nature of mental health and the E4P service, it was critical that we maintained anonymity. I learned about leveraging resources to anonymously collect data and to gain and maintain trust with users throughout the design process.
Exploring emotional aspects of design and user experience
As a listener and supporter for texters, Ears have a mentally taxing role. I explored how elements, like a minimalist visual design and a structured hierarchy, contribute to creating a calming and grounding app experience.
Designing software for a user's physical environment
Early on in our research, we learned that user's physical environment can have a direct impact on their interactions with the software application. Conducting research early is so important, as this discovery drove many of my design decisions.
Collaboration
I learned so much from my team members, who were skilled in project management, user research, client communication, and design.
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