Why This Project
Our counsellors are the heart of the platform, but when it came to sharing resources, they were struggling.
Despite having a growing library of videos, worksheets, and self-help tools, most experts admitted they rarely used it. Speaking one on one with counsellors revealed, things like:
“I Google something mid-session or after.”
“I have a personal folder which I share from. I can’t browse the library without a client account.”
This was a red flag: if our experts couldn’t find resources quickly, users were missing valuable support.
The Challenge
When we dug into the data and sat with experts, a few problems became clear:
- Low awareness: Many didn’t know what resources existed.
- Poor access: Experts couldn’t browse content from their own accounts.
- Bad timing: Sharing something mid-session was clunky, broke the flow.
- No quick access: No favourites, no “most used” shortcuts.
We even heard stories of some experts creating dummy user accounts just to view the resource corner. That’s when we knew this wasn’t a nice-to-have, it was a critical gap.
Macro shifts reinforced the challenge:
Modes were changing: Video sessions had grown several-fold over the past few years, while chat had steadily declined – a sign of the changing times.
Cohorts behaved differently: Some groups overwhelmingly used chat, others leaned heavily toward video making a one-size-fits-all resource system ineffective.
Resource sharing was highly uneven. Roughly half of counsellors rarely used the tool, while a smaller group shared frequently each month.
A large majority of shared resources still came from external sites rather than the platform.
Awareness of the library was low, with many counsellors rating it at the bottom of the scale, clustered at 1-2 out of 5.
The Goal
We defined three priorities + goals:
- Make the resource corner visible and accessible from the expert dashboard:
Aim for clear, measurable improvements in Awareness and Ease of Access, with early signals showing 25-30%+ uplift in perceived discoverability after launch. - Enable quick actions mid-session without breaking flow:
Target around 20%+ improvement in Sharing Speed and In-Session Usability, so counsellors could search, copy, and share resources without losing momentum. - Build memory & efficiency through favourites, categories, and filters:
Aim for noticeable lifts in Relevance and Satisfaction, with counsellors returning to saved tools instead of relying on external workaround
First Steps
Interviews: Spoke with more than a dozen counsellors to understand pain points, hacks, and wish lists.
Quick surveys: Asked where resources were currently sourced from.
Live observations: Conducted mock sessions, to play back and understand when and why sharing broke the flow.
Key findings:
- Most resource sharing happened after sessions, not during them, disrupting flow.
- Current categories didn’t hold the same meaning as the users had intended; experts thought in clinical clusters (“eg. “procrastination” commonly being a symptom of “anxiety”).
- Journaling + videos most-used formats, and they needed faster copy-paste.
- Topic preferences differed by demographic group: women sought relationship support almost 40% more, men chose career sessions over 30% more.
As we analysed expert behaviour across sessions, it seemed the issue wasn’t just access: it was different working styles. Some counsellors needed tools instantly during live sessions, others preferred to curate resources after sessions, and a small group had built workarounds to bypass platform gaps.
A single “ideal” flow wouldn’t work. The system had to adapt to how counsellors actually would utilise it.
These patterns crystallised into two working styles that shaped every product decision:
How We Built It
Unified Resource Corner
Introduced a dedicated tab in the expert dashboard, no need to switch accounts.
Added keyword search and multi-layer filters (format, category, duration, mood tags).
Designed results with preview + one-click copy to save time in-session.
Favourites & Quick Access
Built a “My Favourites” section so counsellors could save their most-used tools.
Created a simple one-click add/remove interaction for feedback.
Synced favourites across sessions and devices for continuity.
Seamless Sharing
Integrated share buttons directly into chat, audio, and video interfaces.
Links opened in-app for users, keeping the experience frictionless.
Supported both real-time sharing during sessions and follow-up sharing afterwards.
Awareness & Onboarding
Rolled out via training slides, and WhatsApp nudges to experts.
Sent timely launch emails to show quick wins.
Created an experts-only support group for FAQs, tips, and feedback loops.
Working Process
Hurdles Along The Way
Category design: Balancing plain-language vs clinical framing.
Discoverability: Many counsellors still forgot the tool existed; layered onboarding helped.
Phased rollout constraints: The first version of the resource corner ran inside an iframe, which meant favourites couldn’t be tied to counsellor accounts initially. We shipped without login-based persistence, then worked with engineering on a workaround to enable favourites once authentication was feasible, allowing us to deliver value early without blocking the launch.
Results (2 Months Post-Launch)
- Weekly usage increased: Nearly twice as many counsellors began opening the resource tab compared to before.
- Resource sharing grew: Especially among the previously inactive group.
- Mid-session usage increased, but after-session sharing still remained the dominant behaviour.
- Survey feedback showed a clear improvement in ease of access and perceived usefulness.
What Counsellors Say
“Wasn't really aware had resources that could be shared with clients. But now there is a huge respository that I can send to clients, quite helpful”
“It's great to finally find videos & quizzes easily for sharing with users”
“I love the favourite feature, makes it easier for us to share between fellow counsellors too.”
“Feels more organised now.”
Key Takeaway
The Counsellor Resource Corner transformed resources from an afterthought into a core counselling tool: fast, personalised, embedded into workflows.
What’s Next?
A major ask, and something in progress: allowing counsellors to upload their own material.
Build a suggestion feature for Experts into the chat, based on (for privacy reasons) the category chosen by User.
Build richer analytics, and surface the top-shared resources for onboarding of counsellors.