Previous research conducted by the Student Health Center (SHC) demonstrated a need to improve the SHC's gender-affirming medical care. The workgroup was created to co-design innovations that would support trans and non-binary students contemplating or pursuing gender-affirming care. This would be done through collaboration with NYU students, SHC staff, and LGBTQ+ center staff.
The workgroup started with a survey to collect actionable information about student experiences and perceptions that could be used to improve gender-affirming care at the SHC. The results of the survey illuminated an underlying issue with accessing services: many students were unaware of what was available at the center or how to navigate the appointment process.
Based on the data, the workgroup decided to focus on improving the NYU webpage related to gender-affirming services in order to make the process of seeking care more accessible and understandable to students.
As the member of the team with experience in user research, I trained workgroup participants on design thinking, interviewing skills, and user research tactics.
When it was time for usability testing of the existing webpage, I wrote facilitation scripts for participants to run the tests. We gave users two tasks: to "make an appointment" at the SHC for gender-affirming care and to determine what services would be available for them.
After the first round of testing, we made edits to the page to streamline information and provide clearer information. When we conducted a second round of testing, many of the challenges users encountered were gone.
The workgroup had an end date of December 2023, so the second round of usability testing was the last activity that fell within the scope of the project. However, the SHC can still use the data to make further improvements.
If we were to look at the experience of accessing care through a user journey map, this project was most focused on user awareness and exploration of the process. It would be interesting to conduct further research that captures the next steps and the pain points that might be present.