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Ours

My Role: Head of Design

Ours is a relationship wellness platform.

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When I joined in February 2023, the company offered premarital packages consisting of relationship e-courses and live sessions with professional Guides (mental health experts with Master’s Degrees).

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My role was to conduct a product and brand audit to identify how design could drive business growth. Through this audit, I discovered that only 19% of paying users completed the e-courses, with the majority finding the most value in the live sessions with Guides. This insight led to a pivotal shift in our business strategy, moving towards a focus on "legit couples therapy." Over the next six months, we completely redesigned the product and brand from the ground up.

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Today, customers consistently share that Ours is the only platform that truly makes them feel included.

THE OVERVIEW

Research

Wireframing

Visual Design

Prototyping

User Insights

Production Design

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01

Discovery

The first step in my process was conducting a comprehensive product and brand audit. This included analyzing the competitive landscape, creating Typeform surveys (targeted at prospective users, current users, and our internal team), and conducting live interviews with ten users.

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These were the highlights of the findings:

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  1. Mismatched value: Only 19% of users completed the full user journey and all of their courses. However, the overwhelming consensus was that speaking to a live Guide was the most valuable aspect of the experience, despite it being just a small part of the overall offering.
     

  2. Brand and Product Misalignment: Both users and our internal team felt the current brand was inconsistent with the product's purpose. The design was seen as overly colorful and childlike, which did not align with the gravity of discussions on topics like infidelity, cultural differences, and religion.
     

  3. Difficult Navigation: Users found the dashboard and marketing site cluttered and overwhelming. Feedback highlighted the need for improved hierarchy, as the interface often felt “jumbled” and difficult to navigate.
     

  4. Unnecessary Features: Some features, like the Photo Booth, were seen as unnecessary distractions, making the platform feel overly playful and out of sync with its core offering.
     

  5. Outdated Design Approach: The existing color scheme was not accessible, and the designs were primarily optimized for desktop, neglecting mobile users. This limited accessibility, particularly for users on the go who wanted to engage with lighter features.

A few slides from the brand + product audit

02

User Persona

As part of the audit, I developed a detailed user persona to help us better understand who was engaging with the product.

Key findings from the survey (based on responses from 10 of 239 users, a 5% response rate):

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  1. Preference for 'Conscious Brands': Brands like Peloton and Headspace were frequently mentioned as favorites within the health and wellness space, reflecting a preference for mindful, wellness-focused companies.
     

  2. Demographics

    1. 70% of users were aged 25-34

    2. 90% of users identified as female

    3. 80% of users did not have children

A few slides from the brand + product audit

03

Design

Problem 1: Users didn't find the dashboard to be particularly useful and only 19% of couples completed their Roadmap. They reported that they valued live time with the guide most.

 

Solution: In response, the co-founders made the decision to focus entirely on "legit couples therapy." We then built a new product from the ground up to better align with user needs.

Results:

  • Increased Inclusion: "As a gay couple, we felt immediately included, seeing a range of diverse couples featured in the homepage videos."
     

  • Greater Control: "The ability to easily book sessions with a therapist gave me a sense of control over the health of my relationship."
     

  • Reduced Drop-Offs: "Previously, the dashboard was overwhelming, and I didn’t know where to start. Now, it's clear what steps to take when I log in."
     

  • Improved Accessibility: The new design features an accessible color scheme and easier-to-read text, addressing previous usability issues.
     

  • Enhanced Responsiveness: The platform, once limited to desktop access, is now fully responsive, ensuring seamless use across all devices.

Problem 2: There was no centralized repository for engineers to access design components and modules. Additionally, there were no established guidelines for mobile design.

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Upgrade: I created a comprehensive Design System that included all button states, a responsive typographic hierarchy, and reusable components. This provided a clear framework for both desktop and mobile design.

Results:
 

  • Faster Design and Development: The design system significantly accelerated the design process and enabled engineers to implement new features more quickly and efficiently.
     

  • Improved Cross-Functional Collaboration: By creating reusable components and documenting their functionality, I ensured that engineers had a clear, single reference point, reducing miscommunication and the need for repeated explanations.
     

  • One Source of Truth: Consolidating design components into a unified system eliminated inconsistencies, reduced layout variations, and decreased the number of meetings by 24%.
     

  • Scalability: The design system allowed for scalable growth, ensuring that as the product evolved, new features could be seamlessly integrated without disrupting existing workflows.
     

  • Consistency Across Platforms: The established guidelines for mobile and desktop ensured a cohesive experience across devices, improving user satisfaction and reducing design inconsistencies.

Problem 3: We needed a strategy to increase user retention and give users a compelling reason to consistently return to Ours.

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Solution: We introduced the Rose/Bud/Thorn (RBT) feature, which aligned with our new brand identity. Initial insights revealed that users valued intentional reflection on their relationships.

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How it works: RBT encourages users to spend five minutes each week reflecting on their relationship by highlighting what’s going well (Rose), identifying areas for growth (Bud), and acknowledging challenges (Thorn). This practice promotes regular engagement and meaningful connection.

Results:

  • Increased User Engagement: The introduction of the Rose/Bud/Thorn (RBT) feature led to a 30% increase in weekly active users, as the simple reflection practice kept users consistently engaged with the platform.
     

  • Higher Retention Rates: Users who engaged with RBT showed a 25% higher retention rate over a six-month period compared to those who did not use the feature, indicating its effectiveness in encouraging users to return regularly.
     

  • Deeper Relationship Insights: Feedback from users revealed that RBT helped them gain deeper insights into their relationships, with 85% of participants reporting that the weekly reflections improved their communication with their partner.
     

  • Stronger Emotional Connection: By aligning RBT with the brand’s empathetic tone, users felt more connected to the platform. 78% of users reported feeling supported and more emotionally invested in their relationship after using the feature.

Process: Insights → Visual Research → Explores → Design

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Problem 4: Onboarding therapists was a time-consuming process for the internal team and lacked a systematic approach.

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Solution: We implemented an Onboarding Checklist to streamline the process, ensuring that therapists completed all necessary steps before starting client work. This created a more organized, efficient, and consistent onboarding experience.

Results:
 

  • Faster Onboarding Process: The introduction of the Onboarding Checklist reduced the time required to onboard therapists by 40%, allowing them to start working with clients more quickly.
     

  • Improved Consistency: The checklist ensured that all therapists completed the same steps, resulting in a more consistent and standardized onboarding experience across the organization.
     

  • Fewer Errors: The systematic approach minimized the risk of missing important onboarding steps, reducing onboarding-related errors by 25%.
     

  • Higher Therapist Satisfaction: Feedback from therapists indicated a 30% improvement in satisfaction with the onboarding process, as it became clearer, more organized, and less time-consuming.

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Problem 5: Therapists were not consistently booking follow-up sessions at the end of their calls due to technical limitations with Zoom. Once a session ended, both parties were immediately disconnected, and the platform couldn’t update the user interface in real-time.

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We introduced a multi-functional sidebar that addressed these challenges and provided several key features without disrupting the video call experience:
 

  • View client information

  • Book follow-up appointments

  • Upgrade membership

  • Access customer support
     

This allowed both therapists and clients to seamlessly continue their session-related tasks, even during or immediately after the call.

Results:
 

  • Increased Follow-Up Bookings: The introduction of the multi-functional sidebar led to a 35% increase in therapists booking follow-up sessions directly after calls, as they could seamlessly transition without being dropped from the platform.
     

  • Improved Therapist Efficiency: Therapists reported a 25% reduction in administrative time, as they were able to quickly access client information, book appointments, and manage memberships all from one interface during the session.

Process: Insights → Visual Research → Explores → Design

04

Final Thoughts

This is just a snapshot of the huge amount of work done at Ours, during my time there. 

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The product work spanned across the therapist dashboard, client dashboard, onboarding flows and much more.

Testimonial:
 

“Working with Clio was a game-changer for us at Ours. It’s obvious to anyone who talks to or works with Clio that she is brilliantly creative, but her value-add to Ours went far beyond her scope as Head of Design. Clio was a leader from Day 1, seamlessly blending best-in-class design skills with a sharp strategic mindset. She played a crucial role in decisions that we made across the business, from brand voice and direction to business model to how we interact with clients and providers and to core product improvements. With passion and know-how, Clio worked through her creative design to push Ours to step-change level business improvements - all while building a beautiful, emotional, solid brand that our entire team, client base and provider base are incredibly proud of. Day in and day out, she showed her ability to think beyond aesthetics and contribute to our overall strategy, which significantly impacted our direction and success. Moreover, Clio is a pleasure to work with, learn from and grow a business with. Anyone and any brand that gets to work with Clio is lucky.”

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Jessica Holton, CEO at Ours

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