Role: Lead UX Designer, Brand Designer & Developer
Scope: Brand Identity, UX Strategy, Copywriting, Website Design & Build
Platform: Squarespace (client-requested)
Laura Harris Farrell is a trauma-focused, somatic therapist seeking to establish a digital presence that reflects both the integrity of her work and the practitioner’s personality. Although a talented and well beloved practitioner, Laura had no online presence, which is crucial in this day in age.
The client requested for a brand identity and website to establish a digital presence to provide credibility and to connect with potential clients to expand her case load. The goal was to ensure that the brand would reflect Laura’s therapeutic practice and style of therapy, while still maintaining a modern and professional feel, along with applying that to a website that was user optimized.
Creating a solid brand and user understanding as a foundation was crucial to create a clear user pathway for potential clients. As a trauma informed therapist, I found that it was most important to make sure the design was curated to be warm, grounding, and show a sense of hope.
Laura has expressed her love for holistic healing, nature, and plants. Using a plant theme provided a subliminal link for the user to connect Laura as a source of healing. Like patients who experience trauma, they require the same care a healthy plant would need, which is grounding, nurture, light, and growth.
The primary audience consisted of individuals experiencing trauma, anxiety, and emotional distress. This drove me to really create a trauma informed approach when creating the design. With patients feeling the weight and heaviness of the emotional load they are bearing, I wanted the user flow to feel simple, easy, and supportive.
If the individual is seeking help, I wanted to make sure the process was as easy as possible. Therefore, I included multiple contact access points throughout the page, to simplify the process of making an appointment. The link provided direct access to the clinicians email, where they could inquire about making an appointment.
Based on research, I had found offering online scheduling to be the most liked form of scheduling an appointment. I had advised Laura to offer various forms of contact outside of email, such as a phone number to call and access to schedule an appointment through an online scheduling platform that she already uses, but she had stated that she didn’t feel comfortable being able to stay on top of patient inquiries, and that she preferred using email only.
Another roadblock was that I suggested using WordPress, as I found Squarespace to be limiting and lack of customization could hinder the user experience. Laura had stressed she had preferred using Squarespace, stating it would be easier for her to maintain the site herself.
I found that it had created a few issues when it came to responsiveness, but overall it did not end up hindering the user experience greatly. Ultimately I was able to successfully design and develop a responsive, trauma-informed designed website.
The website helped transform Laura’s practice from having no digital presence into a trusted, accessible online experience for prospective therapy clients. I designed the UX around emotional safety, clarity, and ease of contact, knowing that users seeking trauma-informed care may already be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or unsure about reaching out.
Within two weeks of launch, Laura’s caseload increased from 12 to 26 clients, and demand grew enough that she started a waitlist with 7 additional potential clients. The result showed that the brand and website experience successfully built trust, reduced friction, and encouraged users to take the first step toward care.
