This is a toolkit for empathy designed to help those who want to support individuals who are anxious while in college; it is called “Happy Head Space: College Edition”. This specialized kit includes mini awareness books, stickers, calendars and an anxiety relief toy.
See the final result of this project which presents the uniquely designed “Happy Head Space: College Edition” empathy kit and offers a glimpse into the basic process on how it was made. Observe how considerate design can have a real impact and help student's for having well-being environment.
2023
HappyHeadSpace:
College Edition
1.Age:
2.Gender:
-Male Female -Non - binary -Prefer not to say -Other:
3.College/University Name:
4.Have you experienced stress or anxiety during your time in college? (Close ended Question)
5.Have you ever had a panic attack while in college? (Close ended Question)
6.Have you experienced grief or loss during your time in college? (Close ended Question)
7.Have you faced mental health issues other than those mentioned above? (Close ended question)
8.if yes, what were the issues? (Open ended Question)
9.Have you ever experienced assault or harassment during your time in college? (Close ended Question )
10.Have you ever faced peer pressure or bullying while in college? (Close ended Question)
11.Do you feel confident in recognizing signs of mental health issues in your friends or family members?
(Close ended Question)
12.Have you ever approached a friend or family member you suspected was going through a mental health issue to offer support?(Close ended Question)
13.If yes, please describe your experience briefly:
(Close ended Question)
14.Are you aware of the resources available at your college/university for students dealing with mental health issues? (Close ended Question)
15.Have you ever referred a friend or family member to mental health resources available at your college/university? (Close ended Question)
16.Please select the most common issues affecting your mental health (Close ended Question)
-Academic Pressure -Social Isolation -Financial Stress
-Sleep Deprivation -Poor Time Management
-Diet and Exercise -Homesickness -Peer Pressure
-Relationship Issues -Substance Abuse -None -Other:
17.If a close one is going through mental health issues, how would you like to be educated on helping them get through it? (Close ended Question)
-In-person workshops or seminars -Online webinars or video content -Printed brochures or pamphlets
-Mobile apps or websites -Social media platforms -Other:
18.Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences with mental health or supporting others? (Open ended Question)
Questionnaire
Questionnaire Results
- The survey received a total of 78 responses.
- The age distribution of respondents includes 17 responses from 20-year-olds and varying responses from other age groups.
- The gender distribution includes 28 male responses, 49 female responses, 1 non-binary response, and no "prefer not to say" responses.
- Respondents provided their college/university names, including AISSMS IOIT, Amity University, Anant national university, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of performing arts, and many others.
- The survey asked about experiences of stress, anxiety, panic attacks, grief, loss, and other mental health issues during college. The majority of respondents (70) reported experiencing stress or anxiety.
- Some respondents (28) reported having had panic attacks during college, while 39 reported experiencing grief or loss.
- 28 respondents also indicated facing mental health issues other than those mentioned in the survey and shared concerns related to body image, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and more.
- A small number of respondents (8) reported experiencing assault or harassment during their college years, and 22 reported facing peer pressure or bullying.
- Regarding awareness of supporting others, 54 respondents felt confident in recognizing signs of mental health issues in friends or family members, and 48 had approached someone they suspected may be going through a mental health issue to offer support.
- Only 23 respondents were aware of the mental health resources available at their college/university, and 13 had referred a friend or family member to these resources.
- The most common issues affecting mental health, as reported by respondents, include academic pressure, social isolation, financial stress, sleep deprivation, poor time management, and more.
- In terms of supporting others, the preferred methods of education for respondents were in-person workshops or seminars (36), followed by printed brochures or pamphlets (14) and online webinars or video content (8).
- The survey provided an open-ended question where respondents could share any additional experiences or thoughts on mental health or supporting others.
Questionnaire Analysis
Research
Persona and Empathy mapping
Persona and Empathy mapping
Ideation and design solution
After researching and analyzing my questionnaire, I decided on a solution: creating empathy kits for college students. These kits would be distributed through a basic workshop conducted by a mental health support brand,i specifically utilizied the resources of Headspace for this project. The kits are designed to be easily portable and contain basic information on mental health and anxiety – the latter being a prevalent issue among students. Each kit includes mini-books, a mood tracker calendar, an anxiety relief toy, and stickers.
Approach
Inspiration board
Cover and illustrations for pocket booklet
Cover and illustrations for pocket booklet
**recreated using headspace brand illustration
**recreated using headspace brand illustration
What is in the kit?
hover over the items
Anxiety relief toy
Stickers
Mini books
Mood tracking calendar
What is in the kit?
tap over the items
I placed Near Field Communication (NFC) tags at the end of books. When you tap the tag with your NFC-enabled device, you can download the Headspace app.
Nfc tags
**This project explores what a workshop by Headspace would look like with my design solution.
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Portable Peace
In the Happy Head Space project, I addressed my difficulty in supporting others with mental health issues. After researching the problem, I created a portable kit with resources to help people manage anxiety. This toolkit offers accessible support for those dealing with anxiety, providing helpful tools to use on the go.
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Student Mindscape
Collected data from 86 college students to identify the mental health issues they commonly face, such as anxiety and stress.
Conceptualizing Support
Developed a mental health support kit including mini-books, calendars, and anxiety-relief toys based on survey findings.
Mindful Design
Created portable, easy-to-use designs, ensuring the materials were student-friendly and visually engaging.
Sealed
with Care
Polished the kits and prepared them for distribution to support students dealing with mental health challenges.
Learning Curve
Conducted research to confirm anxiety was widespread among college students.
Transformed findings into a practical, portable anxiety toolkit.
Learned book and calendar printing for the kits.
Focused on creating user-friendly, supportive tools for mental health.