Market Context

We worked with the Child Mind Institute, a leading research and clinical care organization focused on supporting youth mental health, to understand how to best scale digital tools for youth mental health.

There has been a surge in reported mental and behavioral health conditions among young people, and the U.S. healthcare system is severely underequipped to provide them with the help and ongoing support they need. The Child Mind Institute (CMI) engaged Formative to apply our expertise and capabilities to help scale digital assessments and interventions for youth mental health.

Challenge

Ensure CMI’s digital tools align with real-world needs and healthcare requirements.

It’s widely accepted that we need expanded care to support youth mental and behavioral health – but the role of digital products is not settled. What makes a digital product appropriate and impactful? How can we make scientifically validated tools accessible? How and when do products connect to healthcare providers? What is the goal of these products and their retention of users over time, and as their condition evolves? Where is there an unmet need in the market? What are the needs and requirements for adoption, and how does that differ in the general marketplace versus in healthcare?

Solution

CMI engaged Formative to conduct in-depth landscape analyses of digital products supporting youth in three categories: 1) mental health, 2) behavioral health, and 3) learning challenges. Our team conducted literature reviews and gained subject matter expert input to inform each landscape approach, priority product, and evaluation criteria. We evaluated 40-60 digital products in each of the three categories against 100+ individual evaluation criteria, yielding category-level and overarching insights, differencing factors, go-to-market requirements, areas of saturation vs. white space, and opportunities for partnerships and innovation.

First, Formative established overarching evaluation criteria and analysis frameworks based on literature review and expert interview insights, leveraging existing evaluation frameworks where appropriate to generate over 100 individual evaluation criteria. Criteria were then weighted, based on audience priorities gathered through surveys.

From there, we applied a systematic workflow across each of the topic categories, including:

• Brief literature review to identify themes, needs, barriers, strengths, and weaknesses of digital products and interventions, as well as identification of leading or otherwise notable products
• In-depth interviews with diverse stakeholders and SMEs to gain insights into the role of digital products in supporting youth needs, and receive input into the relative importance or refinement in category-specific evaluation criteria. Also, surfacing and rationalizing notable science supporting or refuting the role digital products, identifying needs and barriers for the adoption of digital products, as well as further identification of leading or otherwise notable products
• Finalization of category-specific evaluation criteria and selection of products for analysis
• Product auditor training and calibration with subset of products
• Full product evaluations, category analysis, presentation and discussion with the CMI team

Results

Formative's analysis identified opportunities for new products, application of client capabilities or services, partnerships to meet organization, clinician, and end user needs, and go-to-market insights. These are being applied to CMI strategy moving forward, and this analysis not only addressed current gaps, but also delivered strategic insights to guide long-term growth and innovation in the youth mental health space.