Empowering companies to support the well-being of their employees

Stuward Health is a product that helps companies support their employees' mental health. An extension of the of digital healthcare platform Stuward Vü, it's only available in Portugal.

Stuward Health works by helping companies offer employees access to quality care and insights into their mental health. Employers are able to monitor the well-being of their workforce over time, helping identify areas of focus to maintain and enhance employee well-being. This case study goes through the evolution of the existing product and my efforts to differentiate it.

Stuward Health was born out of the need to differentiate the existing Stuward Vü product and find new sources of revenue. This objective led me to propose a structured process to define Where To Play and How To Win. This was driven by close collaboration across stakeholders in Product, Engineering, Marketing, as well as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) (e.g., therapists, doctors).

I kicked off with a comprehensive assessment of existing metrics (e.g., growth rate, user satisfaction levels). From there, I worked to identify our winning aspiration. Through co-design sessions, we ideated potential solutions, and determined what we needed to learn in order to de-risk our solutions.

To test our options, we used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative tests. We meticulously worked through the existing risks, before arriving at an agreed-upon solution.

In order to make good on our goal to differentiate, we chose a B2B strategy, targeting a new segment called Corporates (i.e., companies). This allowed us to capitalise on our existing relationships with companies, and avoid competing in the crowded direct-to-consumer space.

Our decisions were based in both strategic thinking and user-centred research. For example, qualitative research helped us get a better understanding of the needs of the Corporate segment, expanding our Jobs-to-be-Done framework.

Another instance involved using a survey as a lean test to assess employee concerns about privacy. This specific concern was seen as a serious barrier, as it could undermine product adoption by employees. Our results showed this wasn't a strong concern for employees at all.

The outcome of the process we went through and that I led resulted in the product expanding beyond its original JTBD. It now serves dozens of companies, having helped more 300 employees better understand their mental health needs. Additionally, companies have now access to insights from hundreds of data points, expanding their capabilities.

Still, there’s continuous improvements that need to be made. For example, despite the validation we have through recurring revenue, we recognise that the product still requires considerable uplift. A major part would be to further refine the types of recommendations we can offer employees and employers alike.

A key lesson that I've took out of this project, is that as a small startup, it’s rare to have enough resources to build features at will. It’s crucial to stop, think, and justify our actions. By addressing potential concerns and barriers for product adoption, we can increase our chances of success.