LAURIER INTERNATIONAL HAWKS
Overview
Mental health and well-being are crucial for Wilfrid Laurier University students, particularly international students. Existing resources are often "one size fits all," mainly catering to domestic students, and international students face barriers like language issues and limited opportunities to build relationships.
To improve wellness, the design goal is to raise awareness and connect international students to tailored mental wellness supports. Additionally, a peer-to-peer program is proposed to connect international students with both domestic and other international students.
Role
Product Designer
User Research, Interaction, Visual design, Prototyping & Testing
February - April 2022
Background
Unless Designs is a design consulting partner committed to sustainable development projects, improving life for people and the planet. Focusing on challenging problems, long-term solutions, early interventions, and root cause analysis to create lasting impacts. Learn more about what Unless Designs does.
Our design won 2nd place Scotiabank UX Design Competition.
Our diverse team of designers, with more than half being international students, brought unique perspectives to the project. Despite our varied backgrounds, we all experienced the challenges of being international students in a new country. This shared insight, combined with Design Partner’s research and our own findings, guided our exploration to understand if other international students shared these experiences.
Being part of this journey with Unless Design Partners has been incredibly rewarding, leading to significant personal and professional growth. Some key achievements during this project include:
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User-Centered Research: Conducted comprehensive research to understand the unique challenges faced by international students, informing the design process.
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Prototype Development: Created high-fidelity prototypes that addressed identified pain points, enhancing usability and user experience.
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User Testing: Organized and conducted multiple user testing sessions, gathering valuable feedback to iterate and improve designs.
Understanding the problem
We noticed that international students are neglected in wellness support services. Focusing on improving their wellness, we aimed to create a safe community for them to express themselves. The main issues stem from language barriers and a lack of resources for building relationships with other students. Although Laurier provides several wellness supports, these are not easily accessible to international students who must adapt to the current system. Their unique challenges and stressors require targeted solutions.
It was revealed that:
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International students face language barriers and lack resources to build relationships.
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Laurier’s wellness supports are not easily accessible to international students
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International students have unique challenges and stressors.
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Research shows the need for relationships with domestic and other international students.
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COVID-19 worsened these issues, leaving international students feeling neglected and lonely due to lost face-to-face interaction and travel restrictions.
Gathering Insights
After gathering insights and statistics from the surveys, our team's goal was to understand the extent of the impact on students, their thoughts and feelings, and the university's current actions to address this issue.
International Students at Laurier
1504
International Students at WLU
6.9%
of Total Student Population
1377
Undergraduate Students from 93 Different Countries
127
Graduate Students from 30 Different Countries
18%
Increase of International Students between 2016/2017 and 2020/2021
Statistics were collected from the Laurier International 2020/21 Status Report.
Students Perspective
From the students perspective, we interviewed eight international students from the Middle East, China, India, and Africa to understand their mental wellness needs and familiarity with WLU’s resources. We found common issues: language barriers, unawareness of resources, and limited usage. These insights will help us tailor support and create a more inclusive campus community.
University Perspective
From the university perspective, Peter Donahue, Associate Director for International Student Support, highlighted key issues:
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Unclear messaging
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no TRUE form of communication
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Lack of awareness
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Culture Shock!
These problems hinder the effectiveness of the international office's events and announcements. Peter and his team are passionate about improving communication and making resources more accessible to students.
Product vision and solution
From these findings, we decided as a product to identify key design goals:
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We want international students to be aware of mental wellness supports.
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We want them to overcome language and cultural barriers.
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We want them to connect with domestic and other international students.
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We want them to access virtual events and online resources.
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We want them to receive tailored information and support.
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We want them to build meaningful relationships and support networks.
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We want them to feel included and supported in the Laurier community.
Ultimate Goal
Create a more inclusive and accessible wellness support system that addresses the unique needs of international students, promotes mental health and well-being, and helps them thrive academically and personally during their time at Laurier.
As a starting point, we conducted further tests to determine the optimal platform for our app. Our results revealed that international students preferred not to download a separate dedicated app. Consequently, we decided to integrate our app into Laurier's already established SafeHawk application.
I then conducted a 15 minute sketching session to encourage each member of the team to draw out their vision of the solution.
Understanding the problem
Based on the sketches and research, we identified the following key user stories for improving international student wellness at Laurier:
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Find Mental Wellness Supports: Easily access tailored resources within the SafeHawk app.
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Overcome Barriers: Get help with language and cultural challenges.
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Connect with Peers: Join programs to connect with domestic and international students.
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Join Virtual Events: Participate in online events and webinars.
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Receive Tailored Info: Access information specific to international student needs.
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Build Networks: Form meaningful relationships and support networks.
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Feel Included: Ensure international students feel supported and included at Laurier.
Based on the criteria, I mocked up the main screens based on the sketches created by the team and came up with the following:
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Login Screen: Allows international students to sign in to the SafeHawk app.
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Register Profile: Enables students to create and personalize their profiles.
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Access Wellness Resources: Directs students to tailored mental wellness supports.
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Peer Connection Program: Facilitates joining peer-to-peer support programs.
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Virtual Events Hub: Lists upcoming campus events and webinars.
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Tailored Information: Provides resources specific to the unique challenges of international students.
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Support Networks Dashboard: Displays options to build and manage support networks.
A unique feature of this app is the ability to translate languages in chat, allowing international students to communicate their issues accurately and develop relationships despite language barriers.
Designs
User testing was an iterative process conducted at every milestone of the project to identify the biggest pain points for international students. Once feedback was gathered, I would revisit the prototypes and test again.
For the app, I aimed to create a refreshing, minimalist, and clean UI that conveyed trustworthiness and support for international students.
Dashboard Page
The dashboard/home screen provides daily reminders, news, support, and acts as a central hub for international students.
Peer-2-Peer Page
We implemented a peer-to-peer section that matches students based on keywords or "topics" to help them connect with others who share similar experiences or interests, fostering a sense of community and support.
Chat & Translation Page
Development
This walkthrough showcases our complete application designed for international students, addressing all potential barriers and challenges they face to enhance their university experience.
Results and takeaways
The team created high-fidelity mockups in Figma to present our final project to a panel of judges, ultimately earning a second-place award for our work.
Some key takeaways from this project are that:
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Understanding user needs is essential: Conducting interviews and research helped us identify the specific challenges international students face, ensuring our solutions were relevant and impactful.
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User testing doesn't end after development: Design is an ongoing process. Always collect and listen to user feedback to improve the experience.
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Simplicity enhances user experience: Focusing on a user-friendly design made our app accessible and easy to navigate, helping to differentiate our solution and ensure it met students' needs effectively.
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