HealthU - An Initiative for Mental Health

HealthU is a service that aims to raise the priority of students' mental health and wellbeing in higher education.

UX Designer and Research; Duration - 4 Months.

Mental health and anxiety are issues I value very highly in my life. As my journey in education has gone on, I had felt that there was not enough attention or emphasis brought to the struggles that students endure during their education. I, and along with several students, have experienced setbacks in education due to the difficulties that come with stress and anxiety. The stress and anxiety that students endure throughout their schooling years is very different than what we experience in our daily lives away from school.

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the impact mental health and wellbeing has on students and individuals' success in school. It is no secret that mental health conversations were considered hush and were not given the appropriate amount of attention in the past.

21% of U.S adults experienced mental illness in 2020. This represents 1 in 5 adults. 16.5% of U.S youth ages 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder. These are just a few statistics that illustrate the how common mental health issues are among our population.

There are plenty of mental health resources available for University students to take advantage of. The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities does a great job in advertising and making sure that students are aware of these resources at any time they see fit, but there are some flaws. The main problem being that students find taking advantage of these resources difficult. In this study, I set out to develop a solution that bridges the gap between the resources available and the students in need. Positive mental health and wellbeing is critical to a student's success in higher education. Developing a solution that aids individuals that are struggling would improve the student experience.

I developed a survey for students at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in an effort to gain a more accurate understanding of how students feel about the resources available to them. Of the 50 respondents, 75% of students stated that they experienced an increased level of stress and anxiety when their course load was increased. Only 20% of students stated they sought the resources available to them from the University. 65% of students stated that they have stayed up all night at least twice a week in order to complete assignments. 25% of students stated that they felt embarrassed seeking out these resources. These metrics were the most important to keep in mind when developing a solution for students struggling with mental health

Taking into consideration the results of the survey, I set a few goals for myself that I wanted to include in a solution to the problem. I wanted to put an emphasis on how important maintaining mental health was by implementing a daily check up and incentivizing daily activities that have proven to improve the mental wellbeing of individuals. Creating a direct and instant point of contact for students to get in touch with their professors, instructors, and mental health professionals in case of an emergency was a feature that would decrease the feeling of embarrassment in students seeking extensions or help due to mental health complications. I also wanted to have a means of tracking a user's goals and progression throughout the month.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to work on a project that covers a topic that holds a high place in my heart. I truly believe that there is not enough attention brought to the struggles and anxiety that the average student endures. This service is something I hope my University as well as other institutions around the country would consider implementing.