WE THRIVE

Optum Employee Assistance Program Portal

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Optum needed to revolutionize its Employee Assistance Program (EAP) into an innovative platform serving as a comprehensive tool for employees that offered assistance across various domains, including mental health, lifestyle services, and facilitating a seamless experience for appointment setting and conducting of research.

MY ROLE

Transform the Employee Assistance Program into a modern application that employees could use for accessing mental health resources, lifestyle services, setting appointments, receiving reminders, and even having a personal assistant assigned for a more tailored support experience.

CHALLENGES

The existing system faced limitations of accessibility and user experience with employees encountering navigation challenges simply by trying to access assistance services. To overcome these hurdles needed a modern application to centralize support services, simplify the user journey, and cater to a wide range of employee needs.

MY PROCESS

Designing the WeThrive platform required a human-centered, methodical UX approach. We moved from research through testing with accessibility, clarity, and engagement at the forefront.

1. Understand the Problem

UX Methods Used:

  • Stakeholder Interviews

  • Contextual Inquiry

  • Empathy Mapping

  • Current-State Journey Mapping

We spoke with employees and HR teams to uncover pain points in the existing system. Key issues included confusing navigation, fragmented services, and uncertainty around where to start.

2. Define & Align

UX Methods Used:

  • Persona Development

  • Experience Mapping

  • UX Audit of Existing System

We created core personas and mapped their experience flows to identify breakdowns. A UX audit highlighted usability issues and inconsistent patterns, helping us focus on clarity, access, and personalization.

3. Ideate & Explore

UX Methods Used:

  • Design Thinking Workshops

  • Brainwriting

  • Sketching

  • Service Blueprinting

We explored design concepts like mood-driven service tiles, simplified flows, and optional assistant support. A service blueprint clarified how these ideas would work across systems and teams.

4. Prototype for Clarity & Access

UX Methods Used:

  • Information Architecture

  • Wireframing (Low to High Fidelity)

  • UI Style Guide Development

  • Accessibility Heuristics (WCAG 2.1 Review)

We built mid- to high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, emphasizing WCAG 2.1 standards, intuitive IA, and emotionally supportive UI. Visuals used hex-tile navigation and friendly language to build trust.

5. Test & Iterate

UX Methods Used:

  • Remote Usability Testing

  • A/B Testing on Micro-interactions

  • Think-Aloud Protocol

  • Feedback Synthesis Matrix

We tested with employees across departments, refining flows based on feedback. Updates focused on simplifying appointment booking and clarifying categories for faster access to help.

6. Measure Impact

UX Methods Used:

  • Success Metrics Definition

  • KPI Tracking Dashboard

  • Post-Launch Surveys

The new experience increased engagement, streamlined appointments, and improved perception of care—especially with the opt-in personal assistant feature, which users cited as a key benefit.

SOLUTIONS

1. COMPREHENSIVE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
The new design offered a diverse range of services, covering mental health support, lifestyle assistance, appointment scheduling, and reminders.

2. USER-CENTRIC INTERFACE
The team prioritized a user-friendly interface, ensuring employees could easily navigate the application and access the assistance services they needed.

3. APPOINTMENT MANAGEMENT
A robust system for setting and managing appointments seamlessly, enhancing employee convenience and promoting proactive engagement with support services.

4. PERSONALIZED ASSISTANCE
Optionally, a user had access to an EAP personal assistant dedicated to addressing their specific needs.

OUTCOMES

1. INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY
Employees experienced enhanced accessibility to a wide array of assistance services through a single, user-friendly platform.

2. IMPROVED USER ENGAGEMENT
The intuitive design and comprehensive services encouraged higher engagement, as employees found it easier to connect with the support they needed.

3. EFFICIENT APPOINTMENT MANAGEMENT
The application's appointment-setting and reminder features streamlined the process for employees, contributing to improved time management and proactive utilization of assistance services.

4. PERSONALIZED SUPPORT
The option for personalized assistance through assigned assistants fostered a sense of individualized care and support among employees.