Designing for student wellbeing in the age of burnout.
Role
Lead Designer
Type
Mobile App
Year
2024
Tools
Figma · Nunito
A mobile app giving students immediate, private access to mental health support; no appointment, no waiting room, no barrier.
Campus mental health resources are overwhelmed. I designed Solara, a three-pillar system of Private Journaling, AI Chat, and Mood Insights, that creates a daily mental health practice rather than a crisis-only intervention.
Students in crisis can't wait two to three weeks for an appointment.
Campus counselling is stretched beyond capacity. Most existing mental health apps feel clinical and cold, designed for adults with disposable income, not students in a difficult moment between lectures.
The Challenge
- —73% of college students experience mental health crises
- —Average counselling wait time is 2–3 weeks
- —Stigma prevents most students from seeking help
- —Existing apps aren't designed for the student context
Five stages. One through-line: lower the barrier to help.
Discover
Audited existing mental health apps and campus counselling systems. Mapped the core insight: students face a 2–3 week wait for support at the exact moment they need it most.
Define
Three needs emerged, a low-barrier entry point, a private space to process emotions, and personalised guidance that improves over time.
Ideate
Explored 20+ directions before converging on three pillars: Private Journaling, AI Chat Companion, and Mood Insights, a complete support loop, not isolated features.
Prototype
Built high-fidelity screens in Figma covering every core flow, onboarding, dashboard, journal, AI chat, insights, and therapist resources, plus a full component library.
Validate
Stress-tested the IA through walkthroughs, refining onboarding so users understand Solara's value within three screens before committing to sign-up.
Placing the mood check-in on the dashboard, the first screen students see daily, rather than burying it in an insights tab. This turns Solara from a crisis tool into a daily habit that prevents the crisis.
Three truths shaped every decision. The AI Chat had to feel warm, conversation starters like "I am feeling stressed about..." lower the activation energy for opening up. The Journal needed AI that assists without intruding, Solara only offers reflection after you've finished writing. And Insights needed to show narrative, not just data, "You feel calmer after morning walks" is more motivating than any graph.
End-to-end design — from splash to insights.
01 — Splash & Identity
The launch screen establishes Solara's identity, calm, botanical, deeply green. The open-book logomark communicates reflection and growth before a word is read.
02 — Onboarding
Three screens, three value propositions. Students understand what Solara offers before committing to sign-up, reducing drop-off at the most critical moment.
03 — Dashboard
The mood check-in is the hero element. Personalised resource cards surface based on your recent journal entries. Everything responds to you.
04 — Journal
A private, judgement-free space to write freely. Daily prompts lower the barrier to starting. Every entry is completely private and encrypted, and when you're done, Solara offers to reflect on it with you.
05 — AI Chat
Conversation starters lower the barrier to opening up. The AI responds with empathy first, advice second. Chat history becomes a record of growth.
06 — Insights
Mood graphs sit alongside written AI observations. Data becomes narrative. Numbers become motivation.
07 — Resources
Books, articles, and videos are surfaced based on what you've been writing about. The therapist directory lets users message licensed professionals directly inside the app, removing the friction of finding help outside it.
Colour Palette
#1B4332
Deep Forest
#2D6A4F
Mid Green
#95D5B2
Solara Mint
#F8F9FA
Off White
Typography
Nunito
Nunito for display and body, clean and accessible at every size.
Key Components
Mood check-in slider
AI chat interface
Journal entry cards
Personalised resource tiles
Mood trend graph
Therapist directory cards
Onboarding progress dots
Solara demonstrates my ability to identify a genuine human problem, design a coherent system response, and deliver a product that feels considered at every layer from macro IA.
If I were to continue, the next phase would add crisis escalation pathways, routing users to human support when the AI detects language suggesting acute distress. The groundwork already exists in the Resources section. The product knows where it wants to go.