The canvas comes first
Instead of surrounding the diagram with crowded panels, the tools live close to the work, inside the genogram canvas, and stay out of the way until they’re needed.
Live · in use
A genogram tool therapists actually want to use.
A mental health professional wanted a better way for therapists to map a patient’s family: the people, how they connect, and the kinds of relationships between them. Existing tools were crowded and unintuitive. We designed a modern canvas that makes the whole family system readable at a glance.
The problem
A genogram is a visual map of a patient’s family: individuals across generations, how they’re connected, and the nature of each relationship. It’s a powerful clinical tool, and a dense one.
The tools therapists had were packed with elements and hard to navigate. Finding a specific relative, or understanding how two people relate, took too long. In a session, every minute spent hunting through a diagram is a minute not spent with the patient.
The goal
Stand apart from existing genogram software by being genuinely intuitive:
- Easy access to the tools inside the genogram
- Fast visual scanning of individuals and relationships
- Less time lost locating people during a session
Key decisions
Designed for scanning, not searching
The visualization prioritizes spotting the individuals connected to the patient and the different types of relationships between them, so a therapist can orient themselves in seconds.
Clarity over feature parity
Competitors were overloaded. Rather than matching them feature for feature, we made simplicity the differentiator.
In a therapy session, time spent searching the tool is time taken from the patient.
The principle behind every design decision
Outcome
Live and in useMental health professionals use the tool in their practice today.
Faster orientationDesigned to cut the time it takes in session to locate relatives and relationships.
A calmer canvasA modern, uncluttered alternative to the genogram tools therapists were used to.
Product screens aren’t shown here to respect the client’s confidentiality. The cover is a concept visualization, and I’m happy to walk you through the real work on a call.
Next case studyHelping kids understand their emotions, and parents understand their kids.