Background: Around one in five people may experience paranoid thoughts. An intervention of structured therapy developed by psychologists has been effective in improving such thought processes (Garety et al, 2014, Ross et al, 2009; Waller et al, 2011, 2015). However, engagement and persistence with the intervention remained difficult. This study explores how inclusive design methodologies transformed the intervention, and raises methodological questions as the practice moves further into the field of mental health.

Method: An interdisciplinary team of psychologists and designers worked closely with service users in the research and development of an improved intervention, conducting in-depth interviews, observations of therapy, collaborative synthesis of findings, iterative prototyping and extensive user testing.

Results: The revised intervention is a digital therapy platform (‘SlowMo’). This supports therapy sessions with interactive web-based media; this tailored content synchronises with a smartphone to allow the service user to benefit from the therapy outside of sessions. Pilot results are promising; extensive trials are scheduled for early 2017.

Conclusions: Inclusive design methods need careful application in this area; occasionally design decisions must balance user benefit against user opinion. The correct application of inclusive design methodologies can lead to improved engagement with, and benefit from, such therapy.