988 National Suicide and Crisis Hotline
Our 10-digit crisis and suicide hotline in the U.S. transitioned to the 3-digit number 988 in 2022. (Because who remembers 10 digits when they are upset anyway?!) The highest priority was to ensure that millions of calls would be answered. Other aspects of the calling experience were neglected. An interactive voice response system (IVR) is the first thing individuals hear when calling for help. Examining the analytics of drop-offs, the 988 IVR had to improve. In fact, getting someone to hold on for help could mean the difference between life and death.
Role
Research Lead
Designer
When I heard about the planned quantitative testing, I suggested that we first do qualitative research. I wanted to to get the public’s input on the script, voice, and music. After developing the research plan, I led two feedback workshops, one live with students and one remotely with colleagues. I then led intercept content testing with individuals on the National Mall in DC. We also sought input from those with lived experience too of course!
Screenshot of the Mural board for our workshop with colleagues around the U.S. We evaluated 17 voices and whittled them down to 3 options to be tested in another workshop with students and with the general public.
We conducted intercept concept testing on the National Mall in DC. Many people were happy to talk with us once they realized we didn’t want money. (Hide the clipboard!)
The clipboard, conversation, and 988 script used for user testing. We had participants circle words that were unclear to them and asked them how they defined certain words.
Actions on this project
The podcast Radiolab featured our 988 work in this episode and recreated some of our research on music on the streets of NYC - with the same results. Listen to it here.
FeEDBACK WORKSHOP x 2
User research (CONTENT TESTING)
INTENSIVE Collaboration with DaTA ScIENTISTS
UX design recommendations
Analytics analysis
We tested different voices, words, and hold music. We learned that the word “youth” leads to a lot of confusion, and that slow piano music can feel like a “death march.” We iterated many times, then re-recorded the opening messages and selected new music. We then let the data scientists take the lead. We entered a national A/B test for 4 weeks – one-half of callers received the standard IVR and the other half the new IVR. The intervention created a statistically significant decrease in drop-off rates.
The new improvements were then scaled for all callers. With research and care, we transformed what had been an impersonal interaction into one that feels human—and lifesaving.
“Melissa was critical in the 988 Suicide Lifeline’s project to revamp the voice entry experience. Her thorough planning and expertise kicked us off with an organized workshop that aligned so much expertise in a short amount of time. Her leadership and hands on nature resulted in structured user experience research and script improvements, all in alignment with federal rules and restrictions, leading to a successful outcome in 114,000 additional connections to care a year.”
Results
~ 114K more connections to a counselor per year for individuals in crisis
Helped reduce the average time to connection with a counselor by 9.6 seconds
Demonstrated to SAMHSA leadership understand the importance of early and frequent qualitative testing.