Laurier International Hawks
Mobile Application
February - April 2022The Prompt
in partnership with
It’s evident that mental health and wellbeing of students at Wilfrid Laurier University matters, Unless Design Partners gathered information from students already on how they deal with their own mental health. It is important for Wilfrid Laurier University to prioritize mental health and well-being, and take proactive steps to create a campus environment that fosters positive mental health outcomes for all student. The goal is to be encouraged to use the information provided to inform policy, programs, and resources that address the unique mental health needs of students at Laurier to work towards building a more compassionate and supportive community at the university.
Mental health is a huge topic. Being that the topic was related to students, we took off our designer hats and put ourselves back in the perspective of students again. We all come from different educational backgrounds, from different countries, previous studies, age, etc. We went back to square one and truly asked ourselves:
“How do we personally deal with mental wellness as a university student”
Coming from different backgrounds, we all had our unique perspectives, but the one area that resonated with all of us was the feeling of being an international student in a new country. With Unless Design Partner’s research and our own experience and findings, this propelled the next phase of our own research to see if other international students at Wilfrid Laurier University felt the same way.
Mental health is especially important for university students, as they face numerous challenges such as academic pressure, social adjustment, financial stress, and uncertain future prospects. It is essential for students to prioritize their mental wellness by seeking help when needed, practicing self-care, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and building strong support networks. However, for international students, these challenges may be magnified by cultural differences, language barriers, homesickness, and feelings of isolation. Therefore, universities should provide tailored mental health support services and resources for international students, such as counseling, peer support groups, cultural events, and language assistance. By addressing the unique mental health needs of international students, universities can help them thrive and succeed in their academic and personal lives.
From the student’s perspective, we conducted 8 interviews with international students from the Middle East, China, India, and parts of Africa to gain an understanding of their cultures and how they address their mental wellness. The key thing we were looking at going into these interviews were their pain points, needs and whether they were familiar with WLU’s current resources.
By understanding the cultural nuances surrounding mental wellness, we can better support these students and create a more inclusive campus community. We hope to use the insights gathered from these interviews to improve and tailor our resources to meet the unique needs of our international students.
We found that a common theme in our research was that many international students faced a language barrier, were unaware of WLU resources, or simply did not use them.
Ideation
We noticed that International students are neglected within the wellness support and services area. The way we looked at approaching this prompt still focuses on wellness but we wanted to narrow our scope to focusing on improving the wellness of international students.
Interact with the prototype!
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Status: CompletedProblem
We took their design and slowly turned it into this…
Welcome to Laurier international Hawk
Key Screens
Food For Thought
1504
6.9%
1377
127
18%
International Students at WLU
of Total Student Population
Undergraduate Students from 93 Different Countries
Graduate Students from 30 Different Countries
Increase of International Students between 2016/2017 and 2020/2021
Statistics were collected from the Laurier International 2020/21 Status Report.Deep Dive
Students P.o.v.
We wanted to dig even deeper and get the perspective of both from the university and international studentsFrom the university perspective, we reached out to Peter Donahue, Associate director for International Student Support, our biggest takeaway from our conversation was that there was
Unclear messaging
no TRUE form of communication
Lack of awareness
Culture Shock!
Causing all the events and announcements that the international office put out not living up to its full potential for the students. Peter further explained how one of the most common issues international students go through is a culture shock. He and his team are very passionate and just want to find ways to get a clear message across and find ways to make the resources available to students.
University P.O.V.
How might we create an atmosphere for international students to express themselves in a safe community?
Problems directed towards the international student community stemmed from language barriers and the lack of resources to build relationships with other international or domestic students.
Much like most Universities in Canada, Laurier provides access to a number of wellness supports and services. This isn’t made accessible to international students as they are the ones who have to adapt to the current system. International students have their own unique challenges and stressors that need to be addressed.
With the help from Unless Design Partner’s findings as well as our own interviews and research we were able to identify that developing relationships with domestic and other international students from similar or different backgrounds was an essential need for international students.
With the unexpected upbringing of COVID-19, international students were faced with an even bigger barrier. They felt neglected and lonely during this time as they lost that face-to-face interaction and found it difficult to travel due to various travel restrictions, this ultimately affected their mental wellness.
Existing Barriers
Kickstarting the Solution
In order to address these needs, we propose the design of content to raise awareness and connect international students to mental wellness supports that are specific to their needs. To achieve our goal of improving the wellness of international students, we first conducted research to identify the specific challenges and barriers that they face in accessing and utilizing wellness services. We found that language and cultural differences, financial constraints, and lack of awareness about available resources were among the most significant obstacles.
The peer to peer program would be designed to provide international students with opportunities to connect with domestic and other international students from similar or different backgrounds. The program would be facilitated by trained student ambassadors who can offer support and advice on navigating life at Laurier, including academic, social, and cultural aspects.
The program would also incorporate online resources and tools, such as virtual events and webinars, to support international students who are unable to physically connect with others due to travel restrictions or other barriers. Additionally, the program would provide information and resources specifically tailored to the unique challenges and stressors faced by international students, such as language barriers, cultural differences, and homesickness.
Through this peer to peer program, international students at Laurier would be able to build meaningful relationships and support networks, which can enhance their overall experience and contribute to their mental wellness. By prioritizing the needs of international students, Laurier can create a more inclusive and welcoming community for all students, regardless of their background or nationality.
Our ultimate goal is to 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.
WireFraming
Dashboard/homepage
· Log-In Page/ Sign up page
· Mentorship page - Has an anonymous mode!
· Profile section - People can describe if they need any accommodations for appointments
· Notification dashboard (important events, upcoming appointments, booking appointments)
TRANSLATION FEATURE
Provides the ability for users to translate any languages in the chat.
Breaks the language barrier and develops relationships
PEER-2-PEER
Matching students with other students based on keywords, or “topics”
Chat with other international students to boost mental well-being
Mentorship page - Has an anonymous mode!
Before we get into the nitty gritty of the app itself, let’s quickly run through the styling guide provided by the university
TL:DR
Mental health and well-being of students is a relevant area that needed to be further addressed of students at Wilfrid Laurier University. More specifically the needs of international students. Existing mental wellness resources we found were a “one size fits all” more tailored towards domestic students. Existing barriers for international students include language barriers and lack of resources to build relationships with other students. To improve the wellness of international students, the design of content to raise awareness and connect international students to mental wellness supports specific to their needs is proposed, along with a peer-to-peer program to connect international students with domestic and other international students.
We wanted to base our dashboard design on creating clear and concise messaging of events and resources from the Laurier International office. There is a calendar section giving the user a weekly overview of the events happening at Laurier and an updated banner sharing new information with what’s new at the international office, followed by more helpful resources.
In essence, we wanted to implement a peer to peer section matching students with other students based on keywords, or "topics", to have a sense of relatability with other students or alumni.
Behind our peer-to-peer feature there is a quick process that can link the user up to an individual with shared experiences or interests. This process starts with a keyword section where the user can enter anything that is meaningful to them. Whether you are homesick, overwhelmed with graduation, stressed with midterms, or even happy that the Toronto Maple Leafs (crossing our fingers) make it out of the first round of the playoffs, we don't want you to experience it alone. These keywords will be colour coded based on the topic and peers will be matched based on similarity through the various topics. These keywords will be attached to the chats in case you forget the topics you were talking about. Users will be notified of their matches in the notification section on the dashboard.
The safety and privacy of Laurier students are our top priority. We want to keep our users' identities anonymous in the case they do not want to reveal who they are when talking about a potentially sensitive topic. Anonymity isn’t new at Laurier, especially when airing out your thoughts.
A common occurrence for International students was that they were unsure how to talk about or describe the issues they were facing and felt that if they shared something with someone outside of their culture, it would be misinterpreted. A unique feature this app provides is adding the ability for users to translate languages in the chat. Users can select their default language and translate it into another language. This is our solution to the language barrier which will help students develop relationships.
Dashboard
Peer -2- peer
Chat & Translation
Further App Explanation
Who OWns this?
Where Does this app live?
The Laurier international office would be responsible for continuously updating and running the application. In the Future, we plan on creating an admin application where the team at the Laurier International office would be able to login and add various upcoming events to the application.
One effective way of spreading the word would be At the Laurier international orientation week, the international office would recommend international students to download the application and explain its features either in person or online through Lauriers website.
Looking ahead, beyond the interface
There is definitely room for expansion within the application. As you know for right now, we wanted to keep things within International students. We truly envision that the peer to peer program could reach its full potential by being opened to domestic students as well. We look to incorporate not only international students to international students, but we’re looking forward to international to domestic students or even domestic to domestic connections. Before we wrap this up, I would just like to say, sure we have a nicely designed app but I really want to stress we aren’t selling the app. Our main focus is implementing an experience for new international students trying to broaden their network, find other students they can relate to and share experiences with one another, as a reminder that you are not in your journey at Laurier alone. It is the experience we are designing, from start to finish we want students to feel a sense of belonging. We are hoping to create a community that lives on past the interface.