ICare Mental Health App
Your personal mental health companion
A mobile app that helps/empowers international students navigate complex mental health system and feel inclusive
Duration
May - Aug 2023
(4 Months)
Project Type
Individual Project
My Role
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Tools
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Figma
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Miro
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Google Form
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Google Sheet
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Procreate
Project Planning
User Research
Secondary Research
Literature Review
Competitor Analysis
Primary Research
Expert Interview
User Interview
Define
Ideate
Design
Affinity Map
User Persona
User Journey Map
Brainstorm
Concept Design
Storyboarding
User Flow Chart
Information Architecture
Low-fi Design
Design Iteration
Design System
High-fi Design
Overview
01 Goal
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Empower Claremont Colleges (5C) international students finding accessible mental health support and feel inclusive, regardless language, income level or immigration status
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Provide a safe and supportive intelligent tool for international students to connect, learn, and grow
02 Problem
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Mental health issues are more and more prevalent among International students, and they face additional barriers seeking accessible mental health support from current 5C school system
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International students face difficulties in adapting to a new culture, overcoming social isolation, and feeling a lack of belongingness
03 Solution
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Design a digital tool that can empower 5C international students seeking accessible mental health support and make connections
This project is featured in Scripps Magazine!
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I was honored to be interviewed by Scripps Magazine to share my "defining moment" during my time at Scripps. ICare is one of the key projects I highlighted in the interview. Feel free to check it out here
Design Solution
Take a sneak peek at the final results👇
1
Personal Companion
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Communicate with you in your most comfortable language
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Guide you through the whole therapist booking process in school
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Match you with the right therapist based on your personal preferences
2
Find Suitable Resources and Activities around Campus
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Browse through ongoing and upcoming school events and provide recommendation based on your needs
3
Keep in touch and have regular check-in
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Keep in touch with you throughout the appointment
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Follow up with you after sessions to get to know your feelings
Story Behind
How I Get Started
Many of my international friends often expressed “I don’t belong here” during our daily conversation. They struggled with navigating cultural differences and coping with mental health issues in a foreign environment.
As an international student, I deeply understand the importance of having access to resources that can help with these challenges. However, current resources are not accessible and inclusive for most international students in Claremont Colleges.
Made Possible with Support From
The whole project started from my initial thought about creating a platform designed specifically for international students and helping them find inclusive and accessible mental health supports. Luckily, my thought was able to be turned into real action.
We Act Grant in my school provides strong support to me. It supports self-designed projects during summer that transform knowledge, passion, and ideas into action, demonstrate creative problem-solving, and produce a positive impact. This is how ICare gets started!
Research
Secondary Research
Literature Review
Competitor Analysis
Primary Research
Expert Interview
Online Survey
User Interview
Secondary Research
01 Literature Review
Goal
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To gather information and insights from existing studies related to the research topic, which can be used to inform the design.
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To gain a deeper understanding of the user group being studied.
Findings
42% international college students in the US have mental health issues
35% increase in international college students' mental health issues
(from 2020 to 2023)
02 Competitor Analysis
Goal
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To identify existing threats and explore potential opportunities
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To gain inspiration from the existing platforms or apps
Opportunities
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Lack of international-specific resources
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Navigation is complex and not-intuitive
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Tone is too formal and not user-friendly
Primary Research
03 Expert Interview
Goal
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To understand common challenges that international college students are facing in the US
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To delve deeper into mental health issues and the factors contributing to them among international college students
Procedure
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Semi-structured interview
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Conducted 4 expert interviews
(3 therapists, 1 psychology professor) -
30-40 min each interview
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Use affinity map to synthesize data
Findings
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International students face significant life challenges when they come to a new country
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Stigmatization prevent international students seeking for mental health support
04 User Interview
Goal
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To understand life challenges that international students are facing in the US
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To gain understanding of international students’ perceptions about current mental health resources
Identify possible ways that can alleviate international students’ mental struggles
Procedure
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Semi-structured interview
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Conducted 4 user interviews
(All 4 interviewees are international students at Claremont Colleges) -
30-40 min each interview
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Use affinity map to synthesize data
Findings
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International students feel socially isolated
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International students struggle with navigating complicated school mental health care system
05 Online Survey
Goal
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To obtain a large amount of information in a relatively short amount of time
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To find potential willing interview targets
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To understand the main challenges for international students in the US
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To support qualitative research findings
Procedure
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Created a google survey to collect responses
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Collected 33 survey responses and received 31 valid responses
Survey Results
67% international students are not satisfied with current mental health resources
83.9% international students think Cultural Adaptation is the biggest challenge for them in the US
54.8% international students report Navigation Difficulty and Therapy Limitation when finding mental health support
80% international students in the survey report mental health issues
Key Findings & Design Requirements
Problem Statement
Mental health issues are more and more prevalent among international college students, and they face additional barriers in seeking accessible mental health support and finding community
06 User Persona
Popular
Recipes
07 User Journey Map
Popular
Recipes
Ideation
How Might We create a digital tool that can help international students find the right and accessible mental health support and make connections?
01 Crazy 8
I sketched 8 concepts in 8 minutes and this fast sketching helped me generate ideas that inspire further ideations
02 Three Concepts and Concept Testing
Popular
Recipes
Concept 1
Educational Platform
(Mental health and Culture 101)
Pro
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Very informative
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Has strong educational purpose
Con
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Schools and other mental health platforms already have plenty of existing resources
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Looks like a course, so users might lack the motivation to use
03 Final Concept
04 Information Architecture
05 User Flow
Design
01 Low Fi Design
02 Design Improvement (UX Expert Design Review)
Based on Nielsen Heuristic Evaluation
1
Lacked of Visibility of System Status
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UX Issue: Continuous progress bar did not provide a clear information for users and let them know where they are
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Recommendation: Change the continuous progress bar into step by step one, and provide question number
2
The design did not follow User Control and Freedom Rule
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UX Issue: Current design did not provide opportunity for user to go back and re-enter their needs if they want to change their therapist preference
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Recommendation: Add “change needs” and “rematch” function for users to leave the unwanted action
3
The design did not follow Recognition rather than Recall Rule
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UX Issue: Current design did not consider that user might forget what special needs they have selected
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Recommendation: Add a summary page to remind users their special needs and minimize their memory loads
03 Color Psychology
In designing the user interface for this mental health app, I intentionally chose a color scheme predominantly centered around blue and green, leveraging color psychology theory to create a calming and reassuring experience for users
Blue, associated with serenity and trust, provides a sense of stability and reliability, fostering a safe environment for users to engage with the app
Green, representing growth and harmony, complements this by instilling hope and balance, aligning with the app's core purpose of promoting mental well-being
04 Design System
05 Hifi Design
User Needs Recap
Flow 1 Onboarding
04 Better navigate system
05 Seek for help without stigma
Flow 2 Customized Therapist Finding Experience
01 Adapt to a new culture
03 Be better informed about insurance
04 Better navigate system
05 Seek for help without stigma
Flow 3 Make Social Connection through Activities
01 Adapt to a new culture
02 Overcome Social Isolation
Flow 4 Keep in Touch with You
04 Better navigate system
05 Seek for help without stigma
What I Have Learned
01 What I Have Learned
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Do not assume users’ needs until you really do the user research: let the findings speak for themselves
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Design should be intuitive for users
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Think about color psychology when using color in design
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Help me develop my empathy and get to know some important underlying issues
02 What's Next
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Plan to connect with school mental health resource office and student organizations to share my research insights, project idea and talk about further implementation
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This app could be applied to international students from other campuses and communities
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Plan to incorporate AI-related feature