</ Archives: D-side >
< UX/UI Case Study: Be Mindful >
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Even under normal circumstances, college can be a stressful experience for students due to high costs of education, food insecurity, time management, and individual health conditions. Add to the mix a global pandemic, cries for social justice and the fallout of a heated election? It’s no surprise that students feel overwhelmed, finding it difficult to practice self-care.
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"75% of lifetime mental illnesses develop before the age of 24."
— Center for College Mental Health Penn State, 2015
"41% of students suffer from a mental health issue."
— National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2016
"2/3 students struggling do not seek help."
— Center for College Mental Health Penn State, 2015
< There Must Be Something Out There >
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I scoured the Internet and App Store thinking there must be something that can help students practice self-care, promoting mental hygiene by making aspects of it a daily routine. However, most of the options I came across had low retention rates and were prescriptive rather than proactive solutions.
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< Taking the Dive >
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To solve this myself, I performed 50 interviews with Lane Community College and University of Oregon students. What makes a self-care plan successful? What activities are students interested in? What are some other needs, interests and issues that can arise when practicing self-care?
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// Data was sampled from 50 students
"I have a hard time balancing academics, friends, and self-care with the added stress of college life."
— Quote from an Anonymous Student (UO)
< The Making of Be Mindful >
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From the data I collected, I defined mental hygiene as any behavior that helps one maintain good emotional and mental wellbeing. With this definition in mind, I wanted to create a seamless experience for my target users by managing support networks and encouraging self-care practices. So I thought it was important to enable users to make time for what matters to them based on personal interests and hobbies.
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"It’s hard to stay motivated when I feel like I’m too busy to make time for friends."
— Quote from an Anonymous Student (LCC)
< Establishing the Brand Identity >
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My overall goal was to create an app that would help promote mental hygiene by making aspects of it a daily routine. So it was important to create a platform that the user can trust, especially when dealing with such a sensitive issue.
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void viewStyleGuide( ) {...}
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// A brand identity style guide
< How it works >
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I designed mockups of a mobile and web app in order to minimize risk and prove the concept quickly.
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void viewMockupDesign( ) {...}
1. Students go through an initial onboarding
// The app walks the user through the basics and explains the process of onboarding
2. Students list their interests and hobbies
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// The app uses machine learning to suggest self-care activities for the student to do
3. The app schedules self-care activities based on the students' interests
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// The app also automatically schedules friends with overlapping free time to do the same activities together
4. Based on feedback, the app offers insights into the person's mental hygiene.
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// The app uses machine learning to understand the student, offering key insights into how they function and behave