Bridging the AAPI community to mental health support through a culturally tailored platform
Jan 2022 - Jun 2023
Team Work
Client: Startup Under The Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce Young Leaders Program
Product Manager
Product Design Lead
The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has suffered from the stigma around mental health illnesses. We strive to create a user-centric platform as an information solution and suite of services that will serve as a bridge to connect people with the help that they need and to provide a supportive community that is rooted in the cultural and ethnic beliefs of various groups to accompany every user in their quest to overcome their mental health struggles.
As the Product Design Lead, I led 8 designers to conduct research, make UX and UI designs, and coordinate cross-functional teamwork. I also contributed to all stages of research and design. As the Product Manager, my role involved aligning 18 team members, including 8 product designers, 6 developers, and 4 marketers, towards our shared goals and ensuring that the projects ran smoothly.
* Due to technical difficulties, the Figma mockups are not available at this time. But feel free to watch this presentation video! :)
According to the latest studies in 2019, more than 2.9 million Asian Americans are reported to have suffered from and/or experienced mental illness in the past year (this figure is likely to be higher in 2022 given the proliferation of racial and ethnic discrimination on Asian American community due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
The most alarming statistic of downplaying the AAPI community's mental health issues is that clinical research focused on AAPIs and funded by the NIH comprised just 0.17% of its total budget, based on 529 projects between 1992 and 2018. This indicates that not enough studies have been done to help address mental health issues in the AAPI community in the US.
While there are many existing solutions, our research indicates a noticeable scarcity of user experience that these platforms curated for the needs and nuances of the AAPI community. This presents an opportunity for us to fill a potentially underserved niche within the market.
Upon evaluating the market landscape, our team found that a significant number of these products operate on a paid subscription model to unlock their full suite of features. This potentially poses an accessibility barrier for certain user segments within the AAPI community.
People won't feel comfortable sharing thoughts related to mental health illnesses unless they know they cannot be identified by others.
Protecting users' personal information is crucial to establish trust between the platform and users.
Although anonymity is important, it can also lead people to post harmful/vicious things on the platform.
Some people use forums to communicate as a habit, while others use the forum only when they need it.
How might the Asian American and Pacific Islander community (specifically those at UW) achieve the goal of safely discussing and voicing concerns related to mental health illnesses so that they can get more support and reduce the cultural stigma around mental health illnesses?
1. Anonymity
2. Effective
3. Intuitive for users to use
4. Legal and not violating HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
5. Create a safe space that accommodates specific ethnic beliefs and norms
1. Putting the interest of the community first to design a platform that will elevate the quality of mental health of our target audiences
2. Values culture/ethics, especially for AAPI communities
3. Raise mental health awareness in the AAPI communities
1. Anonymity is protected
2. Data and personal information are securely stored
3. The platform is easy to use
4. Personal privacy is not compromised
5. Avoidance of malicious usage
Here are some key insights we gained:
1. It is truly commendable that our platform is committed to creating a welcoming environment for those in need.
2. It's a good idea to allow users to choose whether to post anonymously or not.
3. The resources page can definitely be helpful.
4. Users' mental health may be impaired by exposure to negative emotions.
6. Gamification and fun interactive features could be helpful in attracting young users.
We first use sticky notes in Miro to brainstorm features of the product. After that, we categorized sticky notes into four quadrants: Greater v.s. Small impact for target audiences, Sure Thing v.s. Long Shot. Using the metric allowed us to determine which features to build quickly.
First, you might ask, why conduct 5 usability testing sessions?
Given the time constraints of this project and the inspiration from the Nielsen Norman Group's article Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users, we decided to conduct 5 virtual user testing sessions via Zoom. These sessions yielded valuable insights that shape our understanding of how well our design resonates with end users. The participants responded positively to the user interface, complimenting its pleasant and peaceful aesthetic. They found the landing page to effectively reflect the purpose of the website. Participants also liked how easy it was to move around the site because of its clear and user-friendly layout.
Despite these accolades, some feedback suggested a lack of broad representation, noting that the site seemed predominantly directed towards East Asians, while South Asians appeared to be less represented. The insights garnered from the user testing sessions are vital in validating the effectiveness of our design and guiding future iterations for improvements.
Looking back to the capstone project, I would say the experience is invaluable because it allowed me to apply the knowledge and skills I learned from classes to practice. The biggest challenge of this project stems from the fact that mental health is a very complex topic where every person will have their own unique experience and be affected by it differently. We spent a lot of time trying to understand the problem and set a clear scope for the project.
Besides, I learned to be assertive when needed. I've taken leadership roles before in student organizations and class projects, but this is the first time that I have led and managed an end-to-end product. Throughout the process, we ran into conflicts where everyone was overwhelmed with their own schedule so sometimes there were procrastinations which delayed the group's process. To mitigate the issue, I stepped up, took charge, and introduced a structured timeline with respective responsibilities, which effectively dealt with the delay. Furthermore, I encouraged open communication and fostered an understanding and supportive environment where every team member felt heard and valued. This approach not only accelerated our progress but also significantly improved team dynamics and productivity. By tactfully asserting myself and taking prompt remedial actions, I was able to successfully lead the team to achieve milestones in a timely manner, further consolidating my skills in leadership and conflict resolution.
The Young Leaders Program (YLP) is a Seattle-based not-for-profit organization that focuses on leveraging diverse, multi-disciplinary, global talents to create solutions that generate positive impacts to the local community. We currently operate under the umbrella of the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce (a 59-year-old not-for-profit organization serving the local Chinese community in the Greater Seattle Metro Area).