Role
End-to-end UX Designer
Scope
Duration
6-week concept sprint
01
Problem statement
By late 2023, student anxiety in India had surged—driven by exam stress, lingering pandemic effects, and social stigma—yet schools still relied on paper logs and end-of-day check-ins. Counselors, overloaded with far more students than recommended, had no real-time data to spot at-risk teens early.
At the same time, students lacked a private, on-demand way to track their mood or dive into quick PBCT exercises. The result? Critical warning signs stayed hidden until problems turned into full-blown crises.
02
Understanding the Problem
We found students preferred a single tap to log their mood over formal sessions, craving privacy and speed.
Counselors, buried in spreadsheets, had no way to catch warning signs early. This clear gap drove our one-tap check-in with instant alerts solution.
“I wish I could just tap once and let someone know I’m not feeling great—calling the counselor feels so formal.”
– 16-year-old student, Delhi School #1
“We barely have time to update our spreadsheets at the end of the day. By then, it’s already too late.”
– Lead counselor, Delhi School #2
03
Research
Students: Current Behaviors & Barriers
What do we already know about students' mental health behaviors?
Students are more likely to open a mood-tracking app than speak up in person.
Peer stigma around therapy still exists in most Indian high schools.
Daily school routines are too packed for long, reflective interventions.
13,000+
students died by suicide in India in 2022, per NCRB
60%
of Delhi teens showed signs of depression, Times of India
26
student suicides in Kota in 2023 alone, The Wire
Counselors: Workflows, Gaps & Overload
What do we already know about school counselors’ mental-health workflows?
Manually manage 100–300+ students with no real-time system
Rely on delayed feedback via teachers or weekly check-ins
Burnout is high; administrative overload eats into counseling time
Many use spreadsheets and paper logs for tracking mood/behavior
Often find out after a crisis has escalated
300:1
Avg. student-to-counselor ratio in India vs. ideal 250:1 — ASER/UNESCO
80%
Counselors say administrative work eats into active student time — ASER reports
End-of-day logging
Most school counselors log mental-health observations after hours, not in real time
Why These Stopgap Solutions Just Don’t Cut It
Today, schools juggle student wellbeing using a patchwork of old-school methods: counselors scribble mood check-ins on paper forms, manually enter data into sprawling Excel sheets, and rely on end-of-week meetings to flag issues, by which point warning signs have often snowballed.
Students who feel anxious must summon the courage to book formal appointments (sometimes weeks out), or risk being lost in a sea of back-to-back classes and club activities. Meanwhile, admins field frantic calls from parents and shuffle crisis referrals via email, phone trees, or last-minute meetings. It’s reactive, time-consuming, and mentally exhausting for everyone involved.
Key pain points in today’s world:
Paper check-ins: Hand-written forms get lost or filled out half-heartedly.
Spreadsheet overload: Counselors spend more time wrestling Excel than talking to students.
Delayed response: Weekly debriefs mean real issues surface far too late.
Formal booking hurdles: Students must navigate clunky appointment systems or interrupt classes.
Crisis scramble: Administrators fire-fight via emails/WhatsApp threads when a student’s in distress.
Competitor Analysis
I always begin a project by conducting competitive analysis to understand what the competitors are doing and how I can differentiate my product or service. I identify their strengths and learns from them, while also looking for areas where I can improve and fill in the gaps in their offerings.
While other wellness apps offer long-form, adult-focused sessions, none address the need for short, stigma-free emotional tools for teens—especially in a school-based context. That’s the gap MindshiftR is built to fill.
Calm
10-20 min
Headspace
10+ min
InnerHour
8-12 min
Mindshiftr
<3 min
Students
Private, On-demand check-ins via Mobile app
Counselors
Real-time alerts and dashboard on desktops
Admins
High-level reports & user management on web portal
Which platforms?
Mobile app (iOS/Android): for students’ quick mood logs and PBCT stories
Web dashboard: for counselors and admins to view alerts, trends, and export reports
Scope of this case study:
I focused on the student mobile expereince and counselors dashboard Flows
