Mental Health Redefined For Students
ROLES
Product Design Lead
UX Researcher
SKILLS
Product Design
Product Strategy
Prototyping
DATE
Oct 2024 - Present
TOOLS
Figma
A Critical Gap in Student Mental Healthcare
The HBCU Business Pitch Competition, hosted during the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, is an annual event that challenges student entrepreneurs from HBCUs to create innovative solutions addressing real-world problems. Partners included Microsoft, Innovate Alabama, Fearless, RCX Sports Foundation and many more. In Fall 2024, I competed as the lead designer on a team of four. We pitched an app that bridges the gap in accessible, empathetic mental health support through AI-powered companions, and a community-driven approach.
Minority college students encounter counselors and systems that don’t understand their culture, don’t speak their language, and often dismiss the realities of their lived experiences. The result? A growing gap between those who need care and those who actually receive it, leaving thousands of students to struggle in silence.
In creating Thrive, I led the end-to-end design journey, from shaping the brand identity to crafting the mobile experience. I designed the platform’s core flows, visual language, and interface, ensuring that every element reflected empathy, clarity, and cultural relevance.
Ehi (Design Lead)
Seun (PM)
Timi (Engineer #1)
Yori (Engineer #2)
How Might We Support Minority College Students Facing Cultural Barriers in Accessing Mental Health Care?
The high-level goals that defined my design:
1. Bridge the gap between students and care by creating culturally aware, empathetic support
2. Make mental health resources accessible, relatable, and stigma-free
Understanding the Problem
I conducted sent out a survey, sampling the viewpoints college students had towards healthy eating, how they made decisions about their food, and what goals they had for their eating and spending habits.
Organizing the notes, quotes, and data from my research through affinity mapping
Desk Research
Before diving into designs, I first reviewed articles, reports, and statistics to better understand the state of mental health amongst youth, highlighting its gaps and opportunity for innovation.
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis to understand the pros and cons of current mental healthcare platforms, focusing on how they facilitate access to support, personalization of care, and their incorporation of emerging technologies.
Headspace
Pros
•
Library of mindfulness exercises
•
Built with mental health experts and clinical research
Cons
•
The AI companion is not personalized
•
Lack of community-based interaction
Tbh
Peer-to-peer mental health app focused on Gen Z, offering emotional support through community-driven interaction.
Pros
•
Gamified, social-first design language
•
Anonymous peer support
Cons
•
Lacks AI-powered features
•
Lacks professional oversight
Based on this analysis, Thrive was designed to stand out by combining the best of both worlds, the credibility and structured guidance of platforms like Headspace with the social connection of apps like Tbh while adding a unique layer of culturally relevant, AI-powered coaches. This approach ensures students not only access professional-level support but also feel seen, understood, and connected.
User Surveys
Although our app is something that hasn’t been done before, we wanted to take a closer look at how students and young professionals currently engage with mental health apps and what gaps still exist.
Mental health struggles among minority students are not just about awareness, they are about access and usability.
This begged the questions of:
•
How might we reduce the friction and complexity of finding culturally competent mental health support?
•
How might we make mental health care feel approachable, personalized, and sustainable for students?
…leading me to the high-level objectives that guided my design of Thrive.
Low-Fidelity
Here are some of my early thought processes around our research and the vision for our app. The low-fidelity designs offered an initial look at how the core-features our app might come together, and function in practice.
Mapping the Initial User Journey and Core Feature Flow
Mid-Fidelity
These wireframes served as a blueprint, allowing us to focus fully on the user flow, information architecture, and core functionality, mapping out key journeys for finding resources and connecting with coaches.
adding content to help shape the app experience
Designing a supportive and accessible experience
I designed Thrive’s core flow with students and first-time users in mind, introducing them to key features in a way that feels approachable and culturally relevant. The goal was to create a space that supports mental well-being without overwhelming users. By adhering to intentional design constraints, I was able to set a clear and focused direction:
Thrive Is
•
A space for exploring mental health resources that reflect diverse student experiences
•
A guide for taking small, meaningful steps toward better mental well-being
Thrive Is Not
•
A replacement for professional therapy or crisis-level care
•
A burdensome tool that adds more stress to students’ daily lives
The user journey map illustrates the first-time experience, guiding students through a personalized onboarding, and introducing them to their personalized coach
Inspired by Duolingo’s playful approach, I designed a set of AI coaches in Figma. Each coach has a unique name, avatar, and trait, guiding users with empathy and encouragement as they build healthier habits over time.
User Personas
I developed four distinct user personas to represent the diverse ways minority college students might engage with culturally tailored mental health support. These personas helped me map design decisions to the AI coaches: Empathy, Kindness, Compassion, and Sympathy, illustrating how each coach could uniquely address the challenges students face as they navigate the cultural shift of higher education and the lack of accessible, identity-centered wellness resources.
Isabel Johnson
she/her
18
Freshman
Biology
Atlanta, GA
Goals
•
Adjust smoothly to college life and build genuine friendships
•
Balance academics with self-care while being away from family for the first time
Needs
•
Emotional validation when feeling homesick
•
A safe space to share vulnerabilities without judgment
Pain Points
•
Struggles with self-doubt when comparing herself to peers
•
Feels misunderstood when support systems don’t reflect her background
Coach Match: Emily [Empathy]
How can I create clarity and delight in the coach selection screen?
The coach selection screen is a key moment where users form their first bond with Thrive. My first iteration (left) introduced the core idea but felt static and less engaging. In the second iteration (right), I refined the layout and added playful visual elements to make choosing a coach feel more intuitive and inviting.
Before
DIFFERENTIATION
Low
ADHERENCE
High
This first version introduced the idea of coach selection but felt flat. The layout lacked hierarchy, and the design didn’t create a strong sense of personality or engagement.
After
DIFFERENTIATION
Medium High
ADHERENCE
High
This iteration created a stronger sense of personality and focus. The coach is centered, supported by playful elements, and the layout feels more dynamic.
Designing a supportive and accessible experience
Inspired by Duolingo’s playful approach, I designed a set of AI coaches in Figma. Each coach has a unique name, avatar, and trait, guiding users with empathy and encouragement as they build healthier habits over time.
The design system I created in Figma
With the creation, iteration, and completion of more than 70 wireframes, I successfully finalized the UI Designs for our Pilot phase. To achieve this, I utilized Apple's IOS 26 UI Components to create the final wireframes. I also created a detailed Design System/Style Guide page, which significantly improved consistency in terms of white space, balance, and unity within my designs.
1.0
ONBOARDING
Seamless Sign-In
We designed Thrive’s onboarding to be fast, intuitive, and welcoming, reducing forms to simple steps and using clear, supportive interactions. The flow balances efficiency with empathy, making sign-in feel less like like an invitation into a safe space.
2.0
COMPREHENSIVE
Mental Health Assessment
With the creation, iteration, and completion of more than 70 wireframes, I successfully finalized the UI Designs for our Pilot phase. To achieve this, I utilized Apple's IOS 26 UI Components to create the final wireframes.
3.0
personalization
AI-Powered Coach
With the creation, iteration, and completion of more than 70 wireframes, I successfully finalized the UI Designs for our Pilot phase. To achieve this, I utilized Apple's IOS 26 UI Components to create the final wireframes.
Final UI Screens Designs
Reflection
Building Thrive showed me that great design is about more empathy, structure, and accessibility, not just aesthetics. Also, collaborating with such a thoughtful team reinforced that the best products are built together. Thrive represents the next frontier in culturally responsive mental health care, blending technological innovation with a community-centered approach.
By integrating advanced AI with licensed support and peer-driven spaces, Thrive enhances access, personalizes care, and empowers individuals on their mental wellness journey. It exemplifies how technology, when rooted in cultural understanding, can redefine the future of mental health support.
We were interviewed and featured in our school, Alabama A&M University's Newspaper, where we shared how we pitched Thrive at the Alabama Collective × Innovate Alabama HBCU Pitch Competition, and our mission to make mental health care more accessible through technology.
Four Alabama A&M students clinched first place and a $10,000 prize in the Alabama Collective x Innovate Alabama HBCU Business Pitch Competition...
Thank you for reading this case study! If you'd like to learn more about this project, please reach out at ehigoko1@gmail.com!
TO MY FUTURE EMPLOYER
constantly creating and innovating through “words”, <code>, and delightful interactions =)
© Ehi Oko. 2025
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