Project Detail
Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Tools
Vyond
Figma
Role
UX Researcher
Research Assistant
Content Designer
Duration
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
01 Background
Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety (LUNA) is a long-term research program within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, led by Dr. Storch, PhD.
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LUNA offers a family-based, online treatment program to help children and teens manage and overcome their anxiety. It is based on an internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (iCBT) approach, the most scientifically supported treatment for anxiety in youth.​​​
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I joined this research project as a research assistant, contributing to the adolescent chapter (LUNA-A).
02 Problem
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is the recommended treatment for both autistic and typically-developing (TD) youth with anxiety.
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However, most families do not have access to CBT due to cost, inaccessibility, and shortage of trained providers. Access to CBT is particularly limited for Hispanic or Spanish-speaking families due to lack of services provided in Spanish.
LUNA provides an online therapeutic intervention for these families that overcomes these barriers in cost, travel, time, and stigma. This treatment model, developed by the study team, consists of an interactive website with both parent- and adolescent-facing treatment materials, supported by brief therapist contact (e.g. telehealth sessions), both in English and Spanish.
03 Main Objectives
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Ideate and prototype user-friendly iCBT content for neurodivergent youth, also accessible for Spanish-speaking communities.
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Utilize participatory design methods to incorporate the needs and concerns from the neurodivergent teen advisory board and partnering clinical psychologists.
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Script and design 12 teen modules for the LUNA-A chapter, each addressing a new therapeutic approach and lesson.
03 User Personas
We introduced two main characters that our users can relate to and follow along with throughout the program, each targeting a specific age range and sharing relevant background.
Meet George!
He is a 16-years old autistic boy who loves everything about medieval history.
He loves to read fantasy books and play his favorite medieval video game.
Meet Sophia!
She is a 13-year-old autistic girl who loves anime.
She loves drawing anime characters in her sketchbook and creating characters and storylines in her free time.
04 Ideation + Sketching
I assisted the research study team in brainstorming and sketching out different scenes for each module.
05 Designing
Utilizing Vyond, a video creation platform, I edited and designed full-length videos that reviewed the main objectives for the module, introduced new therapeutic interventions, and inputted relevant scenarios for our teen users.
Module 6: Coping Skills
Module 7: Challenging our Expectations
Module 7 Iterations
Laundry Scene
Feedback:
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diversifying scenes outside of the laundry room
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introducing relevant scenarios for teen users with anxiety
Backyard Scene
Bedroom Scene
Feedback:
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implementing a before and after scene for users to easily understand
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utilizing the thermometer to better visualize emotions
06 Final Videos
After multiple iterations and feedback from both our teenage advisory board and team of clinical psychologists, we finalized our videos.
Module 7: Challenging our Expectations
07 Next Steps
After completing all 12 modules, the research study team will conduct a pilot trial using LUNA-Adolescent to obtain information on parent satisfaction and acceptability, and to refine the treatment and measurement model based on family and clinician feedback.
Key Takeaways
Technology is an effective platform for providing accessible and cost-effective therapeutic treatments for youth with anxiety. Further research and initiatives need to be implemented to leverage and explore the accessibility of technology, especially for marginalized communities. My experience in this lab was instrumental in my growth as a researcher and designer, inspiring me to continue contributing to projects that support and uplift youth minorities.