Overview
To support a transition into niche intimacy therapy, I conducted competitive discovery to validate a new brand identity. I mapped essential website requirements and optimized user flows, ensuring the digital experience aligned with the new target audience.
Problem Statement
Users face high emotional barriers regarding stigmatized topics like sexual dysfunction and non-monogamy. The practice’s generalist presence failed to mitigate this anxiety, resulting in a disconnected journey lacking the reassuring elements found in competitor standards.
Users & Audience
The primary users were couples, individuals, and polyamorous partnerships seeking specialized sex and intimacy therapy services.
Role & Scope
Sole UX Researcher & Designer leading strategy, brand definition, research, IA, prototyping, and Webflow development.
8 months, June 2024 – Feb 2025
Methods & Tools
Constraints
The main constraint was HIPAA restrictions, requiring us to substitute formal interviews with proxy user research (forum analysis).
Discovery, Alignment, and Defining the Brand
Notes:
By leading Values Workshops, we defined core principles and achieved brand alignment. The result was the name “Redefined Intimacy Therapy,” solving the primary messaging challenge before design began.
Market Benchmarking and Pain Point Analysis
Notes:
Proxy research and competitive analysis were used due to HIPAA. This exposed competitors’ lack of transparency and users’ high anxiety, informing the strategic decision to prioritize clear policy information.
Defining Information Architecture and Content Strategy
Notes:
Using MoSCoW and custom content guides, we overcame “writer’s block” and created a single, transparent policies page. This structure was key to mitigating user anxiety.
Design, Development, and Handoff
Notes:
Prototypes led to a low-risk Webflow development and a launch with research-driven FAQs. The client was empowered with a CMS, reducing long-term costs.
Outcomes & next steps
The project delivered a fully responsive website and brand identity, validated through a rigorous research phase. By conducting a Competitive Analysis of five key competitors and plotting them on a Perceptual Map, I successfully positioned the brand to fill a unique market gap.
To ensure usability, I synthesized insights from stakeholder interviews and forum research to build a Client Journey Map, pinpointing the exact moments where users felt friction. I then addressed the top 5 user pain points by using the MoSCoW method to prioritize essential features. This led to a highly organized Sitemap, wireframe prototypes, and final designs that create a safe, seamless experience for the target audience.
Next Steps:
- Monitor site analytics to validate that the new Sitemap and Information Architecture are successfully reducing bounce rates.
- Track email inquiries to confirm that the brand positioning is attracting the correct target audience and reducing booking friction.
