The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) has introduced a groundbreaking self-care app, named **Willo**, designed to enhance student wellness. Developed over two years by a team of more than 100 students, faculty, and staff, the app aims to provide tailored mental health resources to the university’s diverse student body.
Located in the Design and Innovation Building, a world map filled with pushpins highlights the global backgrounds of the students involved in Willo. “Our upbringing and way of thinking is diverse,” noted **Manas Bedmutha**, a third-year PhD student and the app’s architect of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This diverse input ensures that the app reflects the varied needs and voices of the campus community.
Addressing Mental Health Needs
The initiative comes in response to a growing mental health crisis among students, with universities worldwide experiencing a surge in mental health-related issues. **Ed Junkins**, executive director of UC San Diego’s Student Health and Well-Being, emphasized that despite substantial resources, only **10%** of the university’s **43,000** students utilize the available counseling services. To combat this, UC San Diego received a **$5 million** budget appropriation from the state of California specifically earmarked to develop a mental health platform for students.
Through extensive research, the team discovered that students needed a more accessible and engaging way to connect with wellness resources. “We had to develop a mobile app with an AI-enabled recommendation engine that simplified access to self-care resources,” said Junkins. This approach allows students to receive personalized recommendations based on their unique needs, promoting early intervention before clinical support is necessary.
Willo organizes resources into categories that reflect the dimensions of wellness, including academic, arts and culture, basic needs, career, communities, mental health and wellness, physical health, and spirituality. **Nicole May**, co-director of the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation (JCHI), highlighted the app’s focus on connecting students with resources that can alleviate stress and anxiety.
A Human-Centered Approach
The app’s design prioritizes a human-centered approach, allowing students to guide its development. The team initially contemplated a simple aggregator of resources but realized that merely presenting options would not sufficiently meet students’ needs. “Today’s generation is very tuned into self-help resources they can drive and customize,” Junkins explained.
By focusing on student feedback, the app has evolved to function more like a digital librarian, engaging users through tailored questions that lead to personalized recommendations. “If you asked a group of staff and administrators to develop an app for students, I don’t think this is the app we would have,” May noted, underscoring the importance of student involvement in the design process.
The app also aims to create a holistic wellness ecosystem, showcasing various campus wellness resources, from counseling services to recreational activities. Bedmutha articulated that wellness encompasses not just mental health but also academic and personal growth, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of student well-being.
Willo’s AI component plays a crucial role in personalizing user experiences. By allowing users to select tags that reflect their interests, the app can generate recommendations tailored to their specific wellness needs. This feature positions the AI as a central element of the user experience, evolving as it learns from user interactions.
Willo serves as a testament to UC San Diego’s commitment to enhancing student health and well-being. **Patty Maysent**, CEO of UC San Diego Health, praised the app as an embodiment of the university’s dedication to providing holistic health care access. “I am inspired by UC San Diego’s commitment to student health and well-being,” she stated.
As Willo continues to develop, future versions will integrate more nuanced suggestions and push notifications, enhancing user engagement. The app’s design team is also conscious of the academic calendar, allowing it to offer relevant recommendations throughout the year.
In a reflection on the project, Bedmutha expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to UC San Diego’s community. “We’re trying to be a wellness ecosystem and not just another mental health app,” he said.
With its innovative approach and focus on user engagement, Willo is poised to make a significant impact on student well-being at UC San Diego and potentially set a precedent for similar initiatives at other universities. The collaborative nature of its development highlights the importance of understanding student needs in crafting effective mental health solutions.
