A mental health app designed to support international students and newcomers through culturally sensitive resources, therapy access, and a supportive community.
nternational students and newcomers experience heightened mental health challenges, including:
1. Cultural stigma around therapy
2. Language barriers
3. Isolation and homesickness
Design a mobile-first experience that:
1. Offers culturally relevant mental health resources
2. Provides community and emotional safety
3. Makes therapy feel approachable, not clinical
4. Encourages daily mental health tracking
8 Weeks
Yuki Kabasawa, OluwaDemilade Aluko, Esteban Tirado, Aboubakar Muco
I crafted a logo by merging the letters "S" and "M" into a heart symbol, representing support and care. The color palette was intentionally diverse, with each color reflecting different aspects of mental health. Layering in playful illustrations and emoji-based interactions further humanized the brand, making SafeMind feel welcoming, approachable, and emotionally resonant.
🎓 First-year student from Nigeria in Vancouver
😔 Feels isolated, overwhelmed, and struggles to find therapy that “gets” her cultural background.
💼 Software engineer relocated from Mexico to Tokyo
😕 Struggles to adapt to the workplace and feels lonely, even though he uses apps like Headspace.
Users can connect with certified therapists through video or text, choosing from various specialties and languages.
Daily mood tracking, designed to be engaging by using familiar emojis. Making logging your moods simple and enjoyable.
SafeSpaces is a community forum where users ask questions and engage in discussions on mental health topics.
Users appreciated the simplicity of logging their mood with just a few questions and found the gamified. Emoji-based mood tracking felt intuitive and lightweight
Most users liked the "All Therapists" screen for its quick overview of therapists, prices, and specialties, making it easier to make informed decisions.
Users loved the variety of content in the form of articles, videos, and audio content. They thought that it was inclusive and made to suit any taste.
1. The SafeMind logo in tracking was replaced with checkboxes to indicate tracked and untracked days
2. Introduced a floating microphone icon for seamless speech input
System Usability Scale (SUS):
88.5 / 100 (Excellent) Impact
Highlights:
Validated need for culturally relevant mental health support. High satisfaction across feature setScalable concept for future AI + multilingual rollout
SafeMind helped me grow as a creative problem solver, blending:
1. Inclusive UX: thinking beyond generic user personas
2. Emotional Design: designing not just for function, but for feeling
3.Strategic Thinking: Balancing business feasibility with real user pain points