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Lotus You(th) — product screens
Mental Health Nonprofit

Lotus You(th)

A psychoeducation and community-support app built with Engage You(th) to help Asian American adolescents build lasting mental wellness habits.

My Role

Product Designer

Timeline

12 weeks

Team

Jamiez Vo / Designer
Michaela Greenlee / Designer
Ali Adnan / PM
Michaela Lee / Engineer

Skills / Tools

Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Asana

Overview

Making mental wellness feel approachable, culturally relevant, and consistent for Asian American youth.

Lotus You(th) is a platform by Engage You(th), dedicated to providing mental well-being support to Asian American adolescents through psychoeducation lessons, community support, and weekly goal-setting.

I led the design and research strategy for the overall app and focused on the layout of the psychoeducation features — using strategy frameworks, defining key actions, and shipping a polished design.

Problem

Few mental health apps are built for a specific population — and even fewer keep youth engaged long enough for it to matter.

While many mental health apps exist, few focus on a specific population. Users also struggle with consistency, making it essential, especially for a nonprofit, to prioritize engagement and align with our broader mission of promoting lasting behavioral change.

"How might we design a culturally sensitive psychoeducation app that enhances learning outcomes by improving user engagement and usability for Asian American youth?"

Solution

I collaborated with a small team to streamline the navigation flow and design an engaging learning experience that promotes better learning outcomes for Asian American adolescents.

84% User interest among the 25 participants we usability tested

Research

Understanding whether — and how well — psychoeducation actually works before designing around it.

First, we researched if psychoeducation actually works and how well it works. Understanding the benefits, the goal was to strategize intervention approaches based on proven research findings and build on what's already effective.

Market research excerpt

Market Research

Benefits-eligible employees' use of therapy, coaching, and digital resources.

Secondary research excerpt

Secondary Research

Pilot study findings on online group psychoeducation and caregiver support programs.

Secondary research excerpt

Secondary Research

APA data on youth mental health treatment gaps and provider demographics.

Summary

  1. Traditional mental health care is often inaccessible, with only 7% of youth receiving appropriate treatment and many avoiding one-on-one therapy as a first step.
  2. Group psychoeducation and online resources offer a more approachable entry point, especially for those new to mental health support.
  3. Digital platforms are favored for their ease, anonymity, and lower cost, making them an effective solution for underserved populations and caregivers alike.

Interviews

Fifteen conversations that surfaced a consistent theme: comfort matters more than access.

I interviewed 15 Asian Americans from diverse backgrounds to identify mutual experiences and differences. Building on the research above, I explored effective ways to integrate psychoeducation into their mental health journey for a more comfortable experience.

01 — Would you consider mental health support?

Yes, would consider
9
No, would not consider
6

02 — Are you familiar with digital mental healthcare and counseling?

Yes, familiar
10
No, not familiar
5

03 — Are you comfortable asking for mental health support?

Yes, comfortable
5
No, not comfortable
10

04 — Do you find current online counseling services reliable?

Yes, reliable
7
No, not reliable
8

05 — Do you prefer one-on-one sessions with professionals?

Yes, prefer one-on-one
6
No, do not like one-on-one
10

06 — Which format is most effective for learning about mental health?

Lessons
4
Quizzes
3
In-person workshops
1

Competitive Analysis

Nine competitors later, the gap was clear: engaging, low-cost, youth-specific support barely exists.

To understand the competitive landscape, I analyzed 9 competitors' strengths and weaknesses to inform our business model and identify where Lotus You(th) could differentiate in the market.

Competitor Strength Weakness Notes
In-person clinical therapy 1:1 conversation, safe to share and receive ongoing support Not accessible or convenient, lack of quality staff, high cost Especially not accessible for youth due to cost and exposure
BetterHelp Convenient and quick, professional staff, 1:1 therapy sessions available High cost and long-term investment Saturated market in online mental health care causes misperception
Togetherall Credible and safe space for community sharing, builds empathy for peers Only free and accessible for partnered schools and organizations Good example of co-therapy and peer connection for community mental wellness
Heypeers Peer2peer connection for support, options for chat room and virtual meetings More friction introducing new peers to new groups and meetings Provides various options based on people's comfort level in sharing
Wisdo AI-driven, varied services: topic customization, people connect, skill building, social support Not accessible to youth due to cost for long-term use Good use of AI-driven wellness app with customized themes
TogetherAI Connects old and young generations, varied options: chat room, tips, knowledge resources Not practical for older generations to apply app resources in real-life scenarios Good example for shortening the family-children gap
Mentalhealth.net Credible discussion forums, easy to navigate, professional resources Hard to digest professional sources for youth mental health Credible source for knowledge and information about wellness
BeyondBlue Verified content and resources, varied community themes Information architecture needs improvement to organize different services Good example for large discussion forum design
Happify Verified tools for mental wellness practice, engaging resources and behavior-change practices Not accessible to youth due to price, content not customized for youth concerns Good tool design and engaging strategies

Findings

  1. High subscription fees are not accessible for adolescents.
  2. Engaging strategies are highly efficient for long-term retention.
  3. Community interaction promotes support from others who are willing to share.
  4. Free apps have too many ads, which take away from the learning experience and impact company reputation.

Brainstorm & Iteration

Mapping every page the app would need before touching a single wireframe.

I first brainstormed the necessary pages with the team and constructed the information architecture and user flow for the layout.

Goal

Create an app that provides accessible psychoeducational resources and safe community support to Asian American youth (15–24 y/o).

Main Pages

  1. Display screen (organization's motto, the app's mission)
  2. Log in / sign up
    1. Log in: username/email + password
    2. Sign up: username + email + password set-up (a policy page first, before signing up)
  3. New user
    1. Profile set-up (profile picture, goal set-up — how many psychoeducational topics, community interactions, and app visits per day/week)
    2. Overview of app features (the purpose of each feature and how to use them)
  4. Homepage
    1. Menu bar: main features, profile page, policy, exit
    2. Emotion check-in
    3. Task list
      1. Psychoeducation and community interaction tasks
      2. Behavior task
    4. Goal dashboard
      1. Show goal journey (planting journey)
      2. Goal reflection
      3. Editing goal
Information architecture diagram

Information Architecture

User flow diagram

User Flow

Wireframes

Five flows, one MVP: entrance, onboarding, learning, progress, and community.

Next, we created initial wireframes for the MVP pages — the foundation the hi-fi designs and final product would build on.

Entrance
Wireframe

Welcome Screen

Wireframe

Log In

Wireframe

Sign Up

Onboarding
Wireframe

Add Profile Picture

Wireframe

Policy & Terms

Wireframe

Why Did You Join?

Wireframe

Weekly Topic Target

Wireframe

Weekly Community Target

Wireframe

Set Up Goals

Interactive Learning
Wireframe

Lesson List

Wireframe

Video

Wireframe

Quiz

Wireframe

Results

Progress Visualization
Wireframe

My Planting Journey

Wireframe

Lotus Garden

Community Interaction
Wireframe

Spread Support

Wireframe

Send Gratitude

Wireframe

Self-Care Notes

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