Messaging Experience

Equip is a virtual eating disorder treatment program, earning a spot on the TIME100 Most Influential Companies in 2023.

They serve patients aged 8-24 with a five-person provider team.

As Equip's first full-time designer, I transformed the patient experience by launching a mobile-friendly web app.

This case study looks at the largest feature: messaging.

The project goals were to ensure a user-friendly messaging experience for patients and families, streamline provider workflows, and optimize admissions.

Before my hire, Equip faced messaging issues in their initial app versions. My research involved reviewing 200 feedback submissions, interviewing 15 providers and domain experts, and analyzing messaging data, such as send rate and average message length. I used these insights to create design principles.



As I produced designs, I conducted remote usability testing for validation, as well as soliciting feedback from providers and domain experts.

Through many rounds of explorations and iterations, I conceived, refined, and introduced a user-friendly messaging feature, which was also part of Equip's first mobile experience.

Simultaneously, I developed Equip's first design system.

In just four months of launch, we achieved a 31% increase in admissions rate and reduced the time to admit by 24%.

Providers ranked the messaging feature as their favorite in an internal poll, while families praised the new design and mobile-friendliness.

Engineering and product leaders were so impressed with the user-friendliness that they adopted the same design for the internal chat tool a few months later.

Messaging components I designed were leveraged across the Equip app, saving significant design time for other team members.