1. The Challenge: Navigating the "Therapy Jungle"

Mental health issues are one of Sweden's biggest public health challenges, especially among young adults. The problem is not just widespread, it's quantifiable: according to data from the Public Health Agency of Sweden, 41% of women aged 16-29 report issues with anxiety, worry, or distress, while 28% in the same group feel stressed. At the same time, the threshold for seeking professional help is dauntingly high.

Why this project was needed

Exhale Health had a broad ambition to address this problem but lacked the specific, user-centered data required to build a sustainable product. My research project was the critical bridge from a vague idea to a concrete, validated business opportunity. The purpose was to dissect this "high threshold" and understand the real barriers.

My Mission (Research Questions)

To provide the company with the clarity it needed, my mission focused on answering four central questions:

• What do people in the target audience do today to manage their mental well-being, and what obstacles do they face when trying to seek professional help?
• What is the relationship between a patient and a therapist, and what factors are crucial for a successful experience?
• Why is the therapy process perceived as difficult, and who holds the responsibility in the sessions?
• What are the current work processes and the level of digital maturity for practicing therapists in Sweden?

2. My Process: A Two-Phase Research Journey

My Role in the Story

For this project, I was engaged as a part-time, self-employed User Researcher over two key periods: July 2020 - April 2021 and August 2022 - February 2023. My responsibility was to independently lead the foundational qualitative research—from planning and recruitment to analysis and the delivery of actionable insights.

How I Executed the Mission

Method: Secondary Research & Competitive Analysis

Why: To establish a fact-based foundation and understand the existing market.
How: I analyzed reports from the Public Health Agency of Sweden to quantify the problem. Concurrently, I analyzed customer journeys of digital players like Kry and Mindler, as well as the features of wellness apps like Wysa, Daylio, and Elevate.

Method: Qualitative In-depth Interviews

Why: To capture the deep, personal experience and understand the "why" that quantitative data cannot explain.
How: I was responsible for the entire interview process, including recruitment. In total, I conducted 30 semi-structured interviews via Zoom. The selection criteria included a mix of ages (30-60), genders, and individuals with and without prior therapy experience to ensure a diverse range of perspectives.

Method: Affinity Diagramming

Why: To systematically transform hundreds of raw data points from the interviews into meaningful themes and actionable insights.
How: I transcribed key quotes and observations from the 30 interviews onto digital sticky notes. I then iteratively sorted and grouped these notes, which allowed clear patterns and themes to emerge from the complex data.

3. The Findings: Key Insights from the Research

The analysis revealed several critical insights that would redefine the project's entire direction.

• Insight 1: The fear of showing weakness is a fundamental barrier. Many feel they should handle their problems themselves. This leads them to wait far too long before seeking help.

  "I had this hero-image of myself... that I have to manage on my own, and if you can't sort things out yourself, you're a bad person".

• Insight 2: The process of finding the right therapist is a major pain point. The journey was described as a "catastrophe" and a "jungle". Users face long wait times, an overwhelming number of choices, and uninformative websites.
• Insight 3: Personal chemistry is the deciding factor. The single most important factor for successful therapy is the "click" and feeling of trust between the patient and therapist. A bad match leads to the patient not opening up.

  "I think it's very much about the person you get, personal chemistry is the most important thing when it comes to therapy.".

• Insight 4: Patients desire proactive therapists with concrete tools. A common frustration is when therapists are perceived as too passive. There is a strong desire for more guidance and tangible tools to manage daily life—not just "talking it out".

  "I just felt like, ‘okay, you're leaving the entire responsibility to me, to manage this meeting’... I want them to take more responsibility".

• Insight 5: Young women are driven by intense pressure to be perfect. They experience unreasonable demands from themselves and in their relationships, which creates stress.

4. The Users We Met: Key Personas

To make the research findings tangible and build empathy within the team, I synthesized the insights into three key personas. These archetypes represent the patterns and behaviors I observed during the interviews.

5. The Outcome: Framing the Opportunities

My deliverable was not a recommendation, but a set of strategic design opportunities framed as "How Might We" questions. This translated the complex user problems I had uncovered into clear, actionable challenges.

The Key Design Opportunities I Delivered:

• How might we inspire young women to open up about their anxiety and stress so they don’t have to be alone to deal with their problems?
• How might we help young women to accept themselves as they are instead of maintaining someone’s else image of you?
• How might we encourage young women to dare changing their high-demanding requirements?
• How might we make young women aware of the current consequences caused by their demanding aspirations?
• How might we make the fear of missing out less stressful for young women?

Impact

With these foundational insights and clearly defined opportunities, my client had the necessary clarity to move forward with their work. My research provided the strategic understanding that enabled them to pivot from their initial concept. The initiative ultimately evolved into Exhale Health: a B2B platform where therapists can manage their patient journals and their practice more effectively.

Personal Learnings

This project was a powerful demonstration of how foundational UX research can and should influence business strategy. My biggest challenge was navigating a complex and sensitive topic, but by combining different methods, I was able to build a solid foundation for the company's decisions. A personal takeaway is to never underestimate the value of understanding the entire ecosystem. By expanding my research to include the therapist's perspective, I was able to uncover a significantly more meaningful and viable business opportunity.