Oscar VR Therapy; a UX Case Study

Cami Rose
Cami Rose
Jul 27, 2017 · 5 min read

This project is not in affiliation with Oscar Healthcare. It was done as an educational exercise to practice and refine UX skills. Designs were based on Oscar standards and the apps at the time; the apps may be different as of now.

The final design mockup.

The Context

Oscar is a healthcare company based in New York with over 40,000 members. They have become a leader in revolutionizing what it means to have, use, and access Healthcare in the US.

VR Therapy is a tech that has been around for years, but is quickly becoming a prevalent treatment for psychological and occupational therapy.

The Problem Statement

If Oscar were to roll out access to remote VR Therapy sessions for its members with only mobile phones and Google Cardboard, how could we integrate that into their currently existing platforms?


What are our goals for the concept?

Our goal for the patients

Our goal for the doctors


I was given responsibility for the Patient Experience.

Let’s take a look.

Ryan Jackson
29, DTLA
Web Developer

Ryan is a pre-existing Oscar member who receives VR Therapy in-person with his Oscar doctor for arachnophobia and OCD.

We conducted interviews with users that fit our target demographic (like Ryan) to determine the best way to integrate this new feature. We found out that they needed:

1. Easy access to the appointment from their phones

2. Ability to enter VR session with doctor from appointment page

3. Clear directions on how to get ready for the remote session


Here is how we addressed all three needs.

Normally, for patients to access their appointments, they need to:

  1. Click on their profile
  2. Go into their settings
  3. Click on Appointments
  4. Click on the appointment itself

We used A/B testing to decide between different alerts on the home screen to provide ease of access. All of the users preferred Version B, but said the alert didn’t seem like a button and they weren’t sure where (the arrow) would bring them.

Final home screen design.

To address this feedback, we created a clear call to action and labeled the button using Oscar’s design standards. (This button appears 15 minutes before their scheduled appointments.)


The key feedback for Version A was:

  • The text is a too small
  • Appointment info is redundant
  • Address information is unnecessary for a remote session
Final Appointment Info design.

To address this feedback, we enlarged the text and focused on the relevant information.


Based on Oscar’s pre-existing app flow and focus on chat conversations, we created this flow for the patient to connect with their doctor. (The doctor begins the VR experience from the Oscar Doctor portal.) We received great feedback on areas of improvement.

  1. The directions for Screen One were unclear and the “I’m not ready” looked like a button (but couldn’t be clicked.)
  2. Screen Three and Four confused some users, as they expected to be able to go straight into the VR experience and then interface with the doctor there. (Since headphones were already required.)
Final “Begin VR Session” Screens.

To address this feedback, we used clear linguistics to guide the users. We also directed the users straight to the VR session to keep them oriented and able to interface with their doctors within the VR.


The Final Design

Our goal for our patients was to integrate an intuitive way for Oscar VR therapy patients to connect with their doctors and do sessions remotely through the pre-existing Oscar mobile app.

The Case Study for the Doctor Experience by my colleagues Kelsey Egger and Anita Chen will be available soon!


My name is Cami Rose.

I’m a User Experience Designer that uses data, research, and design thinking to analyze, define, and provide actionable solutions to problems.

Find my work at: Design by Cami Rose

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