CoenThornton,LMHC

UX researcher passionate about human-centered design in healthcare and behavioral health

Say Hello See the Work

Case Studies

01 / 03

Behavioral Health · UX Research · 2026

Behavioral Health UX, an Information Architecture & Intake Funnel Redesign

The organization is a group practice located in NYC, offering affordable counseling care on a sliding scale. Due to a poor conversion rate and missing their target sessions per month, the leadership team and operations team brought me on as an advisor and consultant to do user research and propose a redesign of the website landing page. A customer journey map, competitive analysis, and heuristic evaluation led to a wireframe sketch and prototype which clarified the path forward for stakeholders. The website redesign and user research will happen simultaneously during and after implementation to improve future iterations of the site.

Expert Review Journey Mapping IA Redesign Design System
Read Case Study
Visitors 4,000
Submit intake 300–400
New sessions ~50
Conversion 1.25%
Reported Conversion
Current-state customer journey map for a self-referred adult seeking counseling, across five stages from Awareness to Start Intake Current-State Journey
Current-state information architecture diagram for redeemercounseling.com Current-State IA
The prototype homepage: a header with an anchor rail for cost, openings, counselors, how it works and FAQ, then a hero reading "Counseling in New York City, priced on a sliding scale to your income", with chips for $70 to $250 a session, 31 openings this week and 48 counselors, above buttons to start an intake or get help right now Prototype Homepage

02 / 03

Product Design · UX Research · 2025

Removing Barriers to New Rider Adoption in the NYC Ferry App

The NYC Ferry app was failing to convert potential riders before they ever boarded. A self-initiated usability study using think-aloud protocol and emotional journey mapping across three core tasks revealed significant navigation barriers that were pushing new users toward other transit options. Findings informed a clickable prototype redesigning the app's core routing and scheduling flows.

Usability Testing Persona Development Journey Mapping Prototyping
Read Case Study
User Persona
Rachel
Social Copywriter · 27–32
Occasional Rider Mobile-First Exploration-Motivated
“I would give up and find the answers on Google.”
Goals
→ Reach Red Hook & Greenpoint via ferry
→ Buy tickets in-app, not at terminal
Pain Points
→ App can’t answer “can it get me there?”
→ Terminal names don’t map to neighborhoods
Rider Persona
Prototype Change 03
Neighborhood-first
terminal labels
Terminal names like “Stuyvesant Cove” left users with no geographic context — and no way forward.
3 of 5 participants couldn't confirm they found the right terminal even after completing the task
Before
ST. GEORGE
Ferry Terminal
After
ST. GEORGE
Staten Island
Ferry Terminal
Terminal Labels
NYC Ferry app journey map Journey Map

03 / 03

Service Design · 2025

Reducing Wait Times at Solid State Coffee

Long wait times were impacting customer acquisition and raising reputational concerns at Solid State Coffee — but the root causes weren't obvious. Mixed methods research across consumer interviews, wait time analysis, and contextual inquiry surfaced the real bottlenecks and shifted how the organization prioritized its operational redesign.

Contextual Inquiry 1:1 Interviews Mixed Methods Service Design
Read Case Study
Avg wait time, in minutes
0:00 3:00 6:00 9:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 Wait time 4:14 3:19 7:33 8:13 3:12 11:25 8:37 6:05 14:42 7:52 4:51 12:43 Mon–Thu Friday Saturday Sunday
Wait Time Analysis
Service blueprint — current-state mapping Service Blueprint
Solid State Coffee — counter and ordering area Order Counter

Contact Information

Want to talk? Good news:there's no co-pay anymore.

thornton.coen@gmail.com

Say Hello See the Work