BetterHelp Product Design Internship: Summer 2022
Posted on
March 7, 2023
Category
Reflections
This past summer, I interned (remotely) at BetterHelp as a Product Design and Content Intern for 3–4 months.
My time there was packed with growth opportunities. As both my first internship and the company’s first formal internship program, I was able to customize my experience to fit my learning goals. I made the most of my time by connecting with new colleagues, gaining insights into the company through regular meetings and events, and honing my skills through hands-on project work!
Background
I’m in my fourth year of studying Communication and Media Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My design background is non-traditional, and I’ve gained most of my experience through extracurricular activities and professional opportunities outside school.
What is BetterHelp?
BetterHelp is an online counseling and therapy platform that connects individuals with licensed therapists for affordable and accessible mental health support. Offering a range of specialties, including individual, couple, and family therapy, BetterHelp provides a convenient and confidential alternative to traditional in-person therapy. With a mission to make mental health care accessible to all, BetterHelp offers online therapy sessions via text, phone, or video.
BetterHelp’s website
By making therapy accessible online, BetterHelp is helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and increase the number of people who can receive the care they need, regardless of their location or schedule. The company aims to improve the overall mental well-being of individuals and communities by providing high-quality, accessible mental health care. This mission was at the core of every meeting, project, and objective during my time at the company.
The Interview Process
I was actively applying for internship roles when I found BetterHelp’s listing on LinkedIn. There was an initial Workable application to collect general information, along with your resume and portfolio work.
The day-to-day tasks were advertised as follows:
Contribute to user research and usability testing (planning and post-research analysis).
Design thoughtful UI/UX solutions to pain points identified through user research/testing.
Document visual and language inconsistencies throughout the product.
Help maintain and improve both the design system and internal processes.
The interview process for this role consisted of an informational interview with a recruiter, an online portfolio review with a Senior UX Designer and UX Writer, and lastly, a group video call where I had the opportunity to formally share some of my work and meet with more of the team (the design manager, other product designers, etc.).
Application timeline — April 2022
I had a fantastic time working with Andrew Santore, my recruiter. He streamlined the process with timely email communication and constructive answers & feedback!
My Team
My internship revolved around the daily operations of the company’s sole product design team, and I was immersed in everyone’s meetings and active projects from the get-go. The group, led by the fantastic design manager Andrea Chen, was small yet mighty. During my time there, I had the opportunity to work under the guidance of Senior UX Designer Alexis Maietta and UX Writer Cole Waldron. When I wasn’t busy, I collaborated with other talented designers: Chris Ko, Alex Ross, Josie Biteng, and Cole Fortson!
I was officially employed in the company’s Research and Development department. Therefore, the design team worked directly with product managers and developers to create new features and initiatives. I spent a lot of time cross-collaborating with those roles as a result.
What did I do?
Research
As mentioned, I could choose what projects I wanted to tackle throughout my internship to maximize my learning experience. In the initial phase of my role, I dedicated the first week to researching and analyzing the existing product. I first took a deep dive into the company’s resources for user feedback, taking notes on common complaints, suggestions, and pain points. I also had several conversations with people from the Clinical and Member Success teams to gain clarification on any missing features and possibilities for expansion. Finally, I compiled all my findings into an organized document, which I presented to my design team for review.
To my surprise, the document I created with these insights was shared with other product managers across BetterHelp. It was particularly heartening to know that my insights and analyses had captured their attention and were deemed to be of value. Also, my efforts led to discussions about potential growth opportunities and experiment ideas for the company!
Design
Throughout my internship, I focused on improving the client-side account settings page. More specifically, I designed a feature addition that gave users more information about their therapist in their account settings.
I had two smaller projects left as design proposals at the end of my internship: (1) profile picture improvements and (2) navigation system upgrades. I, unfortunately, didn’t have enough time to see these through to the end, but I hope to see them live on the site one day!
Develop
Not only did I have the chance to design a fully-fledged concept from sketch to prototype, but I also had the opportunity to work with a team of developers and data scientists to put it into action on the BetterHelp platform. We conducted an experiment to measure my design’s success, which was an exciting process.
Working with a developer was a new experience for me. While I was responsible for researching and designing the core user experience, developers brought that design to life by writing the code to make the product function as intended. I learned how to create detailed and accurate wireframes and design specifications for handoff. I met with my developer several times to review any technical or design-related issues, but mainly to ensure the design vision was maintained throughout the process.
I also learned a ton working with the data science team; we worked together to set up and run an A/B test to evaluate the effectiveness of different design decisions. We had several meetings to choose the appropriate metrics to measure the prototype and test’s success and set up the necessary tracking and data analysis systems.
Side Quests
In addition to my primary projects, I shadowed and assisted the other product designers with their everyday tasks. I learned how to draft a user interview flow with one designer and took detailed notes while she moderated conversations with BetterHelp’s users. Another designer was working on an updated design system, so I had to chance to create a new set of segmented picker components for him. Our UX writer allowed me to suggest changes for a project on updating some SMS copy, and my suggestions were later entirely accepted into sprint (my first official win!).
The Company Itself
Meetings
As an intern, I had a full schedule of meetings each week. From company gatherings to sprint meetings, project discussions to design critiques, one-on-ones with my manager, and bi-weekly team meetings, I was constantly engaged with my colleagues. I also took advantage of the opportunity to meet with other team members to gain insight into their work and advice on project challenges. This led to fantastic shadowing opportunities and collaborations that greatly enriched my internship experience. Building personal connections and bonding over shared interests with coworkers made my time at BetterHelp truly memorable.
Design Critiques
Once a week, the design team would gather to review ongoing projects. Each team member showcased their work, including updates on the design system and newly created components, and presented detailed prototype flows. This regular check-in not only gave me a glimpse into my colleagues’ daily tasks but also allowed for a comprehensive overview of the design-to-development process. The feedback received during these meetings was invaluable, and I made sure to put it into practice on my projects.
Work-Life Balance
At BetterHelp, the company culture and mission prioritize their employees’ mental health and well-being. My team supported and valued me throughout my internship, and the work atmosphere always prioritized my mental well-being.
Welcome Box with BetterHelp Merch
An anecdote to convey the importance of work-life balance for the company: after completing my first week on the team, I opened my computer at 9 AM on Monday, expecting a flood of messages from the weekend. To my surprise, there was nothing! No notifications, no emails, no urgent tasks. Every Monday, we were refreshed from the weekend and hit the ground running, which was amazing for my productivity.
Work-on-Site (WOW) Week
I’ll begin with one of the coolest features of the internship: the Work-on-Site week. Research has shown that bringing remote teams together for collaborative events has many valuable benefits, including increased productivity, employee satisfaction, and a greater sense of community. BetterHelp leverages these outcomes by bringing their remote teams together to Mountain View, CA, once every few weeks.
I completed my internship remotely from Sacramento, CA. I was invited to join the Product team on-site halfway through my internship, and I was lucky enough to have my hotel & transportation covered by the company — a HUGE perk. While on-site, I had the fantastic opportunity to meet the product managers, developers, and designers I had worked with for the past few weeks! We had meals together, participated in bonding events, and got some work done in person. The office was fun, relaxing, and had all the amenities you could want; I even got an assigned desk for the week!
Free Food
The interns were spoiled when it came to free food, whether we were in the office or at home. During the WOW week, it was food heaven: Kona Shaved Ice and Chicken & Waffles trucks outside the office, catered lunches, and team dinners. They were all fantastic opportunities to sit and bond with coworkers over yummy meals.
One of my favorite moments was spending time with my team at a local udon stop — we spent hours talking about anything and everything, from their experiences as women in tech to how the design industry has changed in recent years.
Intern Events
As the sole Product Design intern, I was given numerous opportunities to connect with my cohort virtually and in person. During the WOW week, I had the chance to enjoy lunches, dinners, and leisurely walks around downtown Mountain View with my fellow interns.
We also participated in four remote events as a group, including an online escape room, a virtual paint night, workshops on goal-setting and resume building, and a small-group meeting with BetterHelp’s CEO Alon Matas, where we learned about his background and the company’s vision. These experiences fostered a sense of community and camaraderie among us, and I am proud to say that I am still in touch with many of my cohort members to this day!
On-site matcha run & Intern Paint Night from home
In the End…
On the last day of my internship, my manager threw a going-away party with everyone I worked with: my design team, product manager, and recruiter. We shared our best memories from working together and reflected on some of my highlights, particularly how much I had changed as a designer from the start to the end of my internship.
Overall, my internship was a dream. All of my hard work from the past few years led me to this opportunity, and I came out of it so fulfilled, inspired, and even more in love with design than I ever have been. I’m forever grateful to Alexis, Andrea, the rest of the design team, and everyone else at BetterHelp who influenced my experience in even the smallest ways.
Special thanks to Tiffany Eaton and her DocuSign Product Design Internship Summer 2016 article, which I used as a framework to write my own!