MentalSpark
Creators: Marisa, Neelam, Sarika, Sharena, and William
School: High School Students from Thomas A. Edison CTE High School
Location: Queens, NY
Project Themes: Health & Wellness
Project Type: App Design
About this Project
Our project focuses on providing Mental health resources and bringing back spark and providing a safe space to channel. inner growth. We chose to focus on the social issue of mental health. Mental health can have the most impact on our overall health–it sets our mood and is a driving factor of all the decisions we make in life, whether positive or negative.We decided to address mental health to reduce the stigma around it and encourage people to seek help. During our design process we were trying to be creative and also designing our slides so it will be easy for the judge to be able to keep track. If we could build this app, we would add more features and more advanced ways to seek help. Some of the features we would add is lighting either dark mode or white mode. We would also add a review section on where users will give their feedback and rate our app and say how the app benefits them.
Project Links
Take a Closer Look
What the Judges are Saying
This team had a fantastic presentation. The goal of the project was very meaningful and the market research done helped emphasize why this app is needed and who the target audience is.
Within the presentation, I particularly liked going through the journey map and flow charts because it really showed how you want the app to work and what it should do.
The UX developed with Figma displayed was very interactive and displayed all the points mentioned in the presentation between app goals and user needs.
Two recommendations I suggest are:
1. Making the organizing calendar easier to read and navigate. If users are on their phones, it may be challenging to navigate on a small screen for their monthly schedule.
2. Potentially add another calendar resource that may be more simple for folks who are stressed by too much details. As the more detailed a calendar is, sometimes it can be more overwhelming for users who are already stressed or have too much to do and updating a detailed calendar can be a large additional day-to-day task.
Overall, the app was developed very well! Great job to the team and keep up the good work. I hope your idea can come to life one day and help as many people and more as you envisioned.
Within the presentation, I particularly liked going through the journey map and flow charts because it really showed how you want the app to work and what it should do.
The UX developed with Figma displayed was very interactive and displayed all the points mentioned in the presentation between app goals and user needs.
Two recommendations I suggest are:
1. Making the organizing calendar easier to read and navigate. If users are on their phones, it may be challenging to navigate on a small screen for their monthly schedule.
2. Potentially add another calendar resource that may be more simple for folks who are stressed by too much details. As the more detailed a calendar is, sometimes it can be more overwhelming for users who are already stressed or have too much to do and updating a detailed calendar can be a large additional day-to-day task.
Overall, the app was developed very well! Great job to the team and keep up the good work. I hope your idea can come to life one day and help as many people and more as you envisioned.
What a great presentation! The research you did was pretty thorough and I'm glad you were able to showcase it in the presaentation. I especially enjoyed viewing the Figjam board which showed your complete process ("how the sausage is made").
The different languages available really makes this app available to more communities, which is so positive. There so many other great features like the micro-animations that will keep users engaged. Goal setting is also wonderful idea and can be easily done with the tracking you designed.
I would ask that you check the color contrast on the goals progress bars against the white background, and the calendar with the big numbers down the left side. The pink and light yellow might not be visible against the light blue for users with vision impairments.
One serious recommendaion would be to provide a way to find immediate emergency help, in case the user is experiencing a mental health crisis. This seems like a safe way to handle a situation like that and can be incorporated directly into the phone.
All in all, I can see you worked really hard and I love the project management shown on the Figjam board. Learning to collaborate is a key skill. Good luck and keep deisgning!
The different languages available really makes this app available to more communities, which is so positive. There so many other great features like the micro-animations that will keep users engaged. Goal setting is also wonderful idea and can be easily done with the tracking you designed.
I would ask that you check the color contrast on the goals progress bars against the white background, and the calendar with the big numbers down the left side. The pink and light yellow might not be visible against the light blue for users with vision impairments.
One serious recommendaion would be to provide a way to find immediate emergency help, in case the user is experiencing a mental health crisis. This seems like a safe way to handle a situation like that and can be incorporated directly into the phone.
All in all, I can see you worked really hard and I love the project management shown on the Figjam board. Learning to collaborate is a key skill. Good luck and keep deisgning!
I really love the heart behind this project—it’s clear you’re not just building an app, but trying to build a lifeline. The way you tied everything back to helping people *rekindle their spark* felt really genuine and gave the whole experience a strong emotional thread.
I also thought your focus on accessibility and offline features was spot on. A lot of mental health apps overlook that not everyone has stable internet or the ability to pay for subscriptions, and you clearly designed with that in mind. That’s a big deal, especially when you’re targeting teens and marginalized communities.
One thing I’d be curious to see in a future version is how the app might gently guide users based on their current mental state. For example, if someone logs in feeling overwhelmed, could the app simplify the interface that day or offer calming content first? That kind of adaptive experience could really deepen the sense of safety and care.
This is such a thoughtful, purpose-driven project. Keep leaning into that mix of empathy, creativity, and user-first thinking—you’re building something that matters.
I also thought your focus on accessibility and offline features was spot on. A lot of mental health apps overlook that not everyone has stable internet or the ability to pay for subscriptions, and you clearly designed with that in mind. That’s a big deal, especially when you’re targeting teens and marginalized communities.
One thing I’d be curious to see in a future version is how the app might gently guide users based on their current mental state. For example, if someone logs in feeling overwhelmed, could the app simplify the interface that day or offer calming content first? That kind of adaptive experience could really deepen the sense of safety and care.
This is such a thoughtful, purpose-driven project. Keep leaning into that mix of empathy, creativity, and user-first thinking—you’re building something that matters.
