KJP

Pick me up

FALL 2015 - SPRING 2016

Problem statement: How can we help college students across the spectrum of social anxiety engage in meaningful social interactions?

Team: Kajal Patel, Sara Brooks, Leah Chong, Jake Peacock

Introduction

Social anxiety is rampant on college campuses; about 10% experience severe anxiety and 60% have experiences some form of it. Normal therapy to this issue is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is quite bland and not the best way to target people without severe social anxiety.

Setting goals

Our design should...

1. Challenge users to be in social situations that they would typically avoid
2. Make users feel like they are part of a community
3. Encourage self-reflection
4. Be intuitive and convenient to use
5. Make the user comfortable with opening up
6. Have a lasting impact
7. Be fun.

Creating a Problem Statement

Our project statement changed quite a bit under this fluid topic of social anxiety and community engagement. We ultimately decided on this statement: How can we help college students across the spectrum of social anxiety engage in meaningful social interactions?

Research and Design

We went through a few different tests of the book before settling on the final design. The original design called for it being passed on from person to person, in an attempt to foster social interaction amongst people who may not know one another. But our tests showed that the books ended up being lost and it proved difficult for this structure to work. The final design is a community notebook that remains in a single place; people can find it and fill in their story; it becomes an anthology of many different stories of a community over time.

Final Prototype

Original Prototype