Say Hey
Throughout college, I participated in a human-centered design club called Design for America. This project was a self-initiated mental health campaign for WashU that I worked on with a group of other members. Our team reached out to multiple students, on-campus groups, and student health services during our initial research. Through this research, we discovered a lack of awareness about how common mental health issues are on college campuses. During our conversations, we realized that one of the most underrepresented groups of affected students was the friends of people suffering from mental health illnesses. These people often act as the primary support team for those suffering and yet many do not know how to deal with those situations. As part of WashU’s Mental Health Awareness month, our campaign helped to promote the various events while engaging this new group of students through fact-driven marketing.
Our logo and campaign name was inspired by the idea that the most important thing you can do as a friend of someone suffering from mental health issues is to say “hey,” and let them know you are there for them.
After the initial implementation, I continued the project by designing an engaging interactive exhibit that could be placed on college campuses around the country. Through research and personal conversations with my peers, I determined that an exhibit where students had to actively participate would lead to better retention and more active engagement.
