August - December 2025
August - December 2025
Role: Project Manager & UI/UX Designer
Role: Project Manager & UI/UX Designer
Team: Steven Exil, Nicholas Fabrizio, Mose Kim
Team: Steven Exil, Nicholas Fabrizio, Mose Kim
Transitioning into Georgia Tech can be overwhelming. First-year and transfer students face intense academic pressure while simultaneously trying to form new social connections and maintain their mental wellbeing in an unfamiliar environment.
Transitioning into Georgia Tech can be overwhelming. First-year and transfer students face intense academic pressure while simultaneously trying to form new social connections and maintain their mental wellbeing in an unfamiliar environment.
Our Problem
Our Problem
Our Problem
Our Problem
Our research revealed three core challenges affecting student wellbeing:
Our research revealed three core challenges affecting student wellbeing:
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Unawareness of Available Resources
Unawareness of Available Resources
Many Georgia Tech students are unaware of the mental health services and peer support options available, preventing them from seeking help when they need it most.
Many Georgia Tech students are unaware of the mental health services and peer support options available, preventing them from seeking help when they need it most.
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Struggle to Maintain Meaningful Friendships
Struggle to Maintain Meaningful Friendships
Students often struggle to build and maintain friendships in a new environment, leading to isolation and disconnection.
Students often struggle to build and maintain friendships in a new environment, leading to isolation and disconnection.
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Difficult to Balance Academics and Personal Wellbeing
Difficult to Balance Academics and Personal Wellbeing
Academic pressure often causes student to not prioritize mental health practices, increasing burnout and long term stress.
Academic pressure often causes student to not prioritize mental health practices, increasing burnout and long term stress.
Our Solution: ThriveHive
Our Solution: ThriveHive
Our Solution: ThriveHive
Our Solution: ThriveHive
ThriveHive addresses these challenges by offering a centralized, personalized mental wellbeing hub that supports students holistically.
ThriveHive addresses these challenges by offering a centralized, personalized mental wellbeing hub that supports students holistically.
When users first download the application, they are guided through a short onboarding questionnaire that initiates the personalization process. This step helps the system understand the user’s current mental state, habits, and preferences - allowing the experience to adapt to their individual needs from the start.
When users first download the application, they are guided through a short onboarding questionnaire that initiates the personalization process. This step helps the system understand the user’s current mental state, habits, and preferences - allowing the experience to adapt to their individual needs from the start.
From there, ThriveHive centers around three core features:
From there, ThriveHive centers around three core features:
Personalized Resource Hub
Personalized Resource Hub
The first feature is an AI-powered resource hub that recommends mental health resources available to the student, ranging from peer support to professional services. Resources are prioritized based on relevance and comfort level, helping students feel more confident accessing support.
The first feature is an AI-powered resource hub that recommends mental health resources available to the student, ranging from peer support to professional services. Resources are prioritized based on relevance and comfort level, helping students feel more confident accessing support.
By increasing visibility and accessibility, this feature ensures that when students need help, they can easily find and utilize the resources most meaningful to them.
By increasing visibility and accessibility, this feature ensures that when students need help, they can easily find and utilize the resources most meaningful to them.
Social Connection Tracker
Social Connection Tracker
The second feature is a social connection tracker, designed as a dynamic friends list that makes it easier for students to maintain relationships and engage in candid conversations around mental health.
The second feature is a social connection tracker, designed as a dynamic friends list that makes it easier for students to maintain relationships and engage in candid conversations around mental health.
This feature supports students in building and sustaining social support networks, helping reduce isolation and fostering a sense of belonging.
This feature supports students in building and sustaining social support networks, helping reduce isolation and fostering a sense of belonging.
Smart Scheduling Assistant
Smart Scheduling Assistant
The final feature is a smart scheduling assistant that uses an AI-powered assistant to suggest ways students can optimize their schedules.
The final feature is a smart scheduling assistant that uses an AI-powered assistant to suggest ways students can optimize their schedules.
Rather than focusing solely on productivity, this tool helps users intentionally balance academics, personal commitments, and mental wellbeing supporting sustainable routines instead of burnout.
Rather than focusing solely on productivity, this tool helps users intentionally balance academics, personal commitments, and mental wellbeing supporting sustainable routines instead of burnout.
Together, these features create a cohesive support system that adapts to each student’s mental health journey.
Together, these features create a cohesive support system that adapts to each student’s mental health journey.
Deep Dive: Design Process
Deep Dive: Design Process
Deep Dive: Design Process
Deep Dive: Design Process
Empathize
Empathize
Empathize
Empathize
We began by understanding students’ lived experiences and emotional challenges.
We began by understanding students’ lived experiences and emotional challenges.
User interviews and surveys with first-year and transfer students
Secondary research on student mental health tools and campus resources
User interviews and surveys with first-year and transfer students
Secondary research on student mental health tools and campus resources
This phase helped uncover emotional pain points around isolation, burnout, and resource awareness.
This phase helped uncover emotional pain points around isolation, burnout, and resource awareness.
Define
Define
Define
Define
Insights from research were synthesized into clear problem statements and design goals.
Insights from research were synthesized into clear problem statements and design goals.
Problem statements grounded in emotional and behavioral needs
User personas representing diverse student experiences
Design goals focused on accessibility, connection, and balance
Ideate
Ideate
Ideate
Ideate
We explored a wide range of ideas before narrowing down to the most impactful solutions.
We explored a wide range of ideas before narrowing down to the most impactful solutions.
“How Might We” questions
Crazy 8s ideation sessions
Scenarios and user flows
Hierarchical Task Analysis
“How Might We” questions
Crazy 8s ideation sessions
Scenarios and user flows
Hierarchical Task Analysis
This allowed us to think broadly before committing to a solution direction.
This allowed us to think broadly before committing to a solution direction.
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype
Prototype
Concepts were translated into tangible, testable designs.
Concepts were translated into tangible, testable designs.
Wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes
High-fidelity interactive prototypes
Storyboards to visualize real-world use cases
Wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes
High-fidelity interactive prototypes
Storyboards to visualize real-world use cases
Test & Evaluate
Test & Evaluate
Test & Evaluate
Test & Evaluate
We evaluated both usability and usefulness to refine the experience.
We evaluated both usability and usefulness to refine the experience.
Heuristic (usability) evaluation
Utility evaluation
Iterative design refinements based on findings
Heuristic (usability) evaluation
Utility evaluation
Iterative design refinements based on findings
Testing ensured the product remained intuitive, supportive, and aligned with student needs.
Testing ensured the product remained intuitive, supportive, and aligned with student needs.
Reflection
Reflection
Reflection
Reflection
Designing ThriveHive reshaped how I approach problem-solving in sensitive domains. I learned that strong ideas are not enough on their own - especially in mental health contexts where assumptions can easily misrepresent user needs. This project reinforced the importance of letting research guide the design process and using data to validate decisions before moving forward. It strengthened my understanding that responsible design begins with listening, not building.
Designing ThriveHive reshaped how I approach problem-solving in sensitive domains. I learned that strong ideas are not enough on their own - especially in mental health contexts where assumptions can easily misrepresent user needs. This project reinforced the importance of letting research guide the design process and using data to validate decisions before moving forward. It strengthened my understanding that responsible design begins with listening, not building.