Sandbox Demo Analysis: Thrive 360
My demo consisted of three main parts. First, I explored the web-based platform (https://app.thrive360.com/a/library), where I browsed the streaming-service-like interface and played with the different categories and content modules. I watched two sessions on anxiety that targeted unconscious ways to soothe anxiety and stress. Then, I looked at mock-ups for their mobile app that is in development. The mobile app looks very similar to the web-based app and has the same functionality. However, I found that it worked a little more seamlessly. Lastly, I was given a VR headset that had 4 of their video sessions uploaded to it. They are still working on the VR experience as a whole, so I wasn’t able to see the program all together. However, I was able to access some mockups of what the VR world is going to look like. The VR sessions are definitely the highlight of Thrive360. They create a fully immersed therapy or hypnosis session with absolutely no distractions, which is hard to achieve in any other way. This space provides the ideal setting for a therapy session, but it is less accessible because a large portion of users will not have access to a VR headset and the same space is not created on the mobile and web apps. As a young adult with a history of mental illness, watching these sessions impacted me greatly. I was able to work through self-help and self-care from my bed and I could process things completely internally. This was valuable for me because I didn’t feel pressure to gather my thoughts or articulate what was going on in my head during the sessions. My biggest struggle in therapy, especially virtual therapy, is figuring out a “perfect” way to talk about myself and my internal dialogue. The programming on Thrive360 completely erases that struggle.
The concept of Thrive360 is very new to me. I have never experimented with virtual therapy that wasn’t person to person interaction. However, the platform functions in a manner similar to video streaming platforms like Netflix or Hulu. I think that Netflix could be a good model for the organization of content on Thrive360. The issue that stuck out to me the most was the categorization of sessions on the website, app, VR mockups. The content is sorted into categories like “Most Popular”, “Betterment”, or “Miscellaneous”. These were pretty unhelpful when I was looking for a particular problem to address like anxiety or sleep help. I think the platform would be more user-friendly if it compiled the sessions in groups of the problem that they are addressing. I also think that a podcast version or audio-only sessions would be really helpful for people that want to listen on the go, whether that be in the car or on a walk.
Considering its Value Proposition, Thrive360 is an incredibly innovative concept. Combining the success of streaming platforms and the increasing need for therapy at home, Thrive360 has created a service that uses an existing concept to target a new problem. They are creating a new market for more medical uses of VR. It is a customizable service that can address a myriad of mental hardships all on one platform. In its current beta mode, Thrive360’s web-based platform is free to anyone that wants to test it out. This is a huge advantage because they can recruit new users while also getting tangible feedback from outside of the company.
Thrive360 has a wide range of UI opportunities. From a web-based platform to a Virtual Reality world, Thrive360 has created several ways for the user to interact with virtual therapy sessions. In the VR mockups that I had access to, I was able to see how VR would be beneficial to their sessions. Behind each video session is a serene landscape that creates a virtual meditation space, and the user can customize their view of the landscape. Thrive360 has made each of the 3 platforms complete on their own, but they have unique benefits as well. The mobile app and website are more accessible and convenient, so they are ideal for an everyday user. However, the VR platform creates an entire experience that a more tech-savvy consumer would prefer. This variation could also be a weakness because new users may not know where to start. I think once the user starts though, the choice of medium and content will start to address their main motivation, which is self-improvement on a digital platform. Thrive360 has curated a virtual space with programs that can enable almost any user to find their best mode of self-help.
Regarding the community that I am studying, the online mental health community, Thrive360 would be an incredible asset for members of all ages and backgrounds. This program could be perfectly integrated into young adult patients’ lives. It would allow them to receive help on their own schedule and at a low price point. It could also remedy their pain of worrying about body language during a person-to-person virtual therapy session. Since the sessions are prerecorded, body language would become negligible. For a first-time therapy seeker, Thrive360 would seem more approachable than a more traditional therapy session. It is a lower monetary commitment, and it reduces the barrier between getting to know/trusting a stranger to be your therapist. The therapists, however, would have a more troublesome time using the platform for their practices. They would have to get in touch with the content curators for Thrive360 and discuss becoming a provider for the platform. This would entail them adapting to a prerecorded style of a session and being approved by the company.
Thrive360 is creating valuable platforms for the online mental health community. By compiling a wide range of content, adapting the content to fit several different mediums including VR, and offering their service free of cost currently, Thrive360 is making their virtual service “accessible” to any user with internet access, without excluding a more technologically passionate consumer. Overall, the platforms that I got to demo represent a shift in virtual mental health to a more on-demand, streaming service UX.
