CLEO: How I made a Pregnancy and Early Parenthood program accessible through your phone.

This case study details how I helped families enrolled in Cleo’s pregnancy and early parenthood program discover the true value of the service. By leveraging user research and journey mapping, I identified key barriers to engagement and designed a personalized experience that delivered timely, relevant content and made it easier for families to connect with their guides. Through these meaningful, tailored interactions—based on each family’s unique needs and stage in their journey—we fostered greater trust, comfort, and ongoing engagement with Cleo’s support system.

Cleo’s mission is to transform support for working parents by integrating technology with a global network of healthcare professionals. The program, offered as a benefit by employers, allows employees to access expert advice through a mobile app, scheduling 1:1 sessions with healthcare experts.

Despite its potential, families enrolling in the program struggled to see its value, leading to poor engagement. Only 35% completed onboarding, and few interacted with their guides—doulas or midwives who provide ongoing support. Additionally, the scheduling rate for expert sessions was low. Families viewed Cleo as merely a scheduling tool, unaware of the comprehensive support available.

To tackle these challenges, we undertook several key initiatives:

1. User Research: Conducted interviews and surveys to gain a deep understanding of user pain points and expectations. This revealed that families often saw Cleo as secondary to existing support systems from employers, healthcare providers, and family.

1. Journey Mapping: Collaborated with the team to create detailed user journey maps, identifying specific points where families disengaged during onboarding.

3. Product Audit: Analyzed the app’s current functionality and user interface to identify friction points and areas for improvement. 
4. Inclusive Design: Recognized the need to engage not just pregnant women and mothers but also their partners, who often enroll first through their workplace benefits. 
5. Hypothesis Testing: We hypothesized that making the connection with Cleo guides the primary call-to-action would enhance engagement, as this was a key selling point. We believed the “magic moment” would occur when families scheduled their first call with a guide. However, families were hesitant to schedule calls with a guide they didn’t know, indicating a need for more familiarization and trust-building.

Insights

Our research also revealed that families are constantly seeking information throughout their pregnancy and parenting journey. This insight led us to explore ways the app could proactively prompt families to explore relevant content, fostering meaningful, organic interactions with their guide. These content prompts were personalized based on each family’s stage in pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of engagement and creating more opportunities for connection.

2. Brand and Experience Redesign: Defined Cleo’s brand attributes and visual language, reimagining the user experience to clearly communicate value and foster long-term relationships.

For Families:

• Activation rates improved from 35% to 52% within a month.
• Increased micro-interactions with guides.
• Clearer understanding of Cleo’s value, enhancing long-term engagement.

Business Impact:

• Reduced manual outreach for app downloads and activations by 10%.
• Decreased guide intervention for activation by 50%.
• Anticipated reduction in 1:1 sessions, optimizing costs and margins.
• Highlighted the importance of content investment for automation and cost management.