Northstar behavioral health App

What does it take to provide thoughtful care to a vulnerable population? Designing for those suffering from substance abuse disorder with Northstar Behavioral Health

Format: Website, Mobile App

Research: Stakeholder Interviews, Comparative Analysis, Deep Dives, Kanban, Touchpoint Map, Secondary Research

Tools: Figma, Excel, Invision, Zoom, Google Slides

Group or Solo Project: Group

Executive Summary

Problem-Space

Northstar Behavioral Health (NBH) asked us to help them expand their ability to engage with those suffering from substance abuse disorder, maintain that engagement from initial contact to in-patient treatment, and give them a mobile app for resources.

Solution

After conducting stakeholder interviews and secondary research, I developed a suite of physical media touchpoints with QR codes to expand their user base and bring them into a website, which will give them tools to get an immediate assessment. From there, they can download a mobile app that allows them to connect with counselors, those in treatment, and attend and view classes.

How Did We Get Here?

The current Northstar Behavioral Health home page

NBH provides services focusing on supporting individuals diagnosed with opioid and stimulant use disorder. They use evidence-based practices to provide industry-leading standards of care across Minnesota. They are the only company offering care from withdrawal management/detox, to inpatient and medication-assisted treatment, to outpatient care and beyond. NBH is also a low-cost provider, focused on servicing all individuals suffering from addiction. Their care model focuses on a 90-day inpatient / 9-month outpatient system, providing 365 days of care to each individual for around the same cost as much shorter treatments.


Changes to state legislation around substance abuse have flipped the manner in which individuals get access to care, moving from a payer-driven model to an “open access” or personal choice model. This change means that individuals now hold the decision-making power, and are able to get services from any organization that will accept them once they have a Rule-25 Assessment completed. NBH is looking for ways they can better meet people where they are at, getting in touch with people at the very moment when they want to get treatment, and maintaining a connection with them all the way from first contact, through the assessment phase, into referral for treatment.

Comparative Analysis

Several of NBH’s comparators were evaluated in order to determine what services they offer as well as technological solutions that could be of interest. Some of those comparators included:

  • Nuway

  • Nystrom & Associates

  • Hope House

  • Meridian Behavioral Health

  • Noom

  • Pear ReSET

Findings

  • Most comparative organizations offered more general treatment services and were not specialized for opioid / stimulant substance abuse disorder

  • No other organizations offered the 90-day / 9-month treatment plan that NBH offers, typically offering a 28-day inpatient and undetermined outpatient treatment plan

  • No other organizations offered free transportation as NBH does

  • Some apps offer sobriety checks, mental health courses and chat functions, but none were tied to a specific organization within Minnesota

Stakeholder Interviews

In order to better understand NBH’s mission and project goals, a stakeholder interview was conducted on April 26, 2021 with the NBH President, VP of Business Development, Project Manager, and VP of Marketing. Some of the key findings include:

The current NBH logo featuring the 8-pointed north star

  • The current Rule-25 Assessment process take up to three weeks to complete, and NBH wants to bring that time down

  • About 90% of their clients come from the web via google searches

  • Interested in expanding touchpoints into the physical world to increase traffic

  • They want first point of engagement to be easy, anonymous and give the user choice and agency

  • They want to be the assessor of choice in MN

  • NBH uses a program called “Withdrawal Management” to try to maintain a user’s engagement from the assessment, through the waiting period to the point of referral

  • However, this is a third-party government program and they want to have their own proprietary tools to do the same thing

  • Looking for a mobile app that will allow the user to get an assessment quickly, maintain engagement during the waiting period, and offer live and on-demand classes and community resources

Deep Dives

As the project timelines didn’t allow for primary user research or interviews, secondary research was conducted using the “deep dive” strategy. Each group member chose a subject to research and then present to the rest of the group. I researched the Rule-25 Assessment and ASAM Certification process, two critical subjects for NBH.

A Rule-25 Assessment is a legal assessment conducted by an assessor on a subject who may be suffering from substance abuse disorder. Once the assessment is completed and processed, a recommendation is made regarding whether the subject requires inpatient care, and if so, provides a referral to do so. NBH requires a Rule-25 Assessment to be completed for any person seeking inpatient care with them. Currently, it can take up to two weeks for an assessment to be scheduled, conducted, and processed to completion, and NBH is looking for ways to bring down the wait time.

ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medication) is the nation’s premier evidence-based addiction treatment research program, and they offer certifications to treatment centers that provide access to research, grants and other resources. NBH is in the process of getting its ASAM Certification.

Touchpoints / User Flow

As NBH demonstrated that they were interested in expanding their visibility in both the digital and physical realms, we decided that the best way to move forward with determining what kind of experience to craft their needs was to create a Touchpoint Map. This tool allowed us to create a logical flow for our intended users from the point of first engagement all the way through treatment and into recovery.

This working document helped keep the team focused and prevented “scope-creep”

The working map was created using Invision, and the flow was divided into two main phases: pre-care and in-care/post-care. Below, from left and right you can see the stages of treatment laid out along with their corresponding touchpoints (methods that a user will interact with NBH). Above the working map, sticky notes list key actions that will need to be prototyped. A final map was constructed using Figma.

The final map utilizes some of the design language created for the app as well as the physical touchpoint materials

From this map, a basic flow of our plan was crafted, also using Invision. We envisioned the engagement points to lead users to a landing page on the NBH website, allowing users to take a Rule-25 assessment. At this point, a mobile app could be downloaded, which will give users resources and keep them engaged until the referral for treatment comes in, at which point the app would be used in conjunction with their inpatient and outpatient treatment. Let’s look at this flow in greater detail.

Believe it or not, this simple flow diagram gave us all the structure we needed to create high-fidelity prototypes

Prototypes

High-fidelity prototypes of this flow were created using Figma. I was primarily responsible for the initial engagement prototypes, touchpoint map, and presentation deck layout and design These prototypes were annotated, bundled into a presentation deck, and presented to NBH leadership on April 30, 2021.

Engagement

Redesigned NBH logo

  • Increases NBH visibility in the physical world by introducing a suite of physical media

  • Bold colors and a simple call to action dictated the design philosophy and ensure media is easily recognizable amid busy public spaces

  • All media designed with a scannable QR code that brings users to the NBH landing site

  • Logo redesigned to be easily readable from long-distance and mesh consistently with other physical media

An example of an NBH poster in situ

  • The posters are designed to hang semi-permanently in public spaces, bathroom, gyms, detox centers, etc

  • The plastic “AA” style chips and business cards are meant to be handed out by NBH program graduates to those in need

  • The coasters are designed to be given out in bars to discreetly encourage potential clients to seek help

  • The goal is not necessarily for a single touch point to elicit engagement with NBH, but for a combination of encounters with branded media to subconsciously encourage potential clients to seek help and to do it through NBH

Plastic “AA” chips to be given out by NBH program graduates

Coasters present a more discreet touchpoint that can nonetheless be impactful

Website Landing Page

  • Simplifies the dashboard into a single “above-the-fold” screen

  • Gives the users three key options: take a Rule-25 Assessment, take a self-assessment, or learn more about NBH and get access to other resources

The website landing page was designed for both desktop and mobile use

Self-Assessment

  • Starts with general questions and narrows focus based on answers user gives

  • Allows users suffering from any type of substance abuse disorder (beyond opioid and stimulant)  to receive recommendations regarding the types of treatment they should seek

  • Gives users clear results based on the DSM5 definitions of substance abuse disorder.

Questions taken straight from DSM5

Results given explicitly so user knows where they stand

Rule-25 Assessment

  • Intake form has been simplified to ensure those suffering an immediate crisis can get care as quickly as possible

  • Designed for vulnerable populations who may have trouble filling out longer or more complex forms

Public Pre-Care App

  • Provides a simplified version of the private app that gives users access to care resources, helps them start their journey of sobriety and prepares them for inpatient treatment while waiting for assessment results to come back

  • Can also be used by any person seeking informal treatment or resources for a friend or family member who is suffering from substance abuse disorder

Private In-Care App

  • Given access to users who have completed a Rule-25 Assessment and are entering full inpatient treatment with NBH

  • Gives users daily mental and physical health tasks, personalized affirmations, and the ability to schedule classes, watch live classes, and search archived classes

  • Provides a chat function to help users build and maintain a community as well as access NBH staff when needed

Showing the main page

Demonstrating the chat function

 Deliverables

Our findings and recommendations were presented to the NBH CEO on April 30, 2021. In addition, a digital handoff package of our work was sent to NBH containing the following:

  • All physical touchpoint art assets in high-quality print-ready PNG files

  • Annotated wireframes detailing all art assets, website pages and mobile application pages

  • Presentation slide deck and recording of our presentation