top of page
GFDP-New-Full-Logo-2024 1

BREAKZONE

BreakZone is a comprehensive app tailored for student athletes, providing easy access to mental health resources on campus and facilitating engagement with various aspects of student life. By offering tools to track mental well-being alongside academic and athletic commitments, BreakZone empowers student athletes to prioritize their mental health while navigating the challenges of college life.

21%

of athletes believe they currently suffer from depression

PROJECT CONTEXT

BreakZone is a senior capstone project that has been in the works for two full semesters (six months). Seniors have free range to pick any topic they would like to research and develop a design solution to the problem. 

62%

of athletes have stated that their mental health has negatively impacted their performance

10-15%

having clinical needs serious enough to warrant counseling services

THE PROBLEM

With mental health becoming a more popular topic in today’s generation, we can’t forget to look at it from the perspective of a college athlete too. 
 
Unfortunately, we see there is a stigma around receiving help; people are seen as “weak” if they take the time to take care of their mental and emotional needs… but in the world of athletics, it's a completely different story. 
 
Athletes are looked at as people who are “tough” and are looked at as individuals who we just assume can take on everything and anything that gets thrown their way. We, as a community, forget that athletes are human too. With the hectic schedules and an overload of responsibilities from both their sport and their academics, more athletes are struggling than we would like to believe

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

I continued to investigate the issue with my own audience. With 136 total responses to a survey from college athletes ages 18-23, male and female, and from around the country, the information I gathered supported the statistics I discovered.  These two pie charts were my focus; how can we get everyone to have a positive experience, and not just 76.5% of college athletes?

further responses

well . . . this is how we did it

HOW MIGHT WE . . .

Create a more efficient way for student athletes to receive the help they need while they deal with juggling hectic schedules and mental health concerns, such as depression and isolation?

VIVID ORANGE

#F26322

PEACH

#FAAF7F

Aa

Proxima Nova

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

HOW MIGHT WE . . .

BreakZone is a mobile app that has mental health resources for athletes at their fingertips, making it the easiest and quickest way to receive the help and guidance they are looking for. This app includes a series of features that will bring multiple ways for college athletes to feel safe, seen, and heard, bringing them to feel mentally and emotionally healthier. This useful tool will be a safe place for athletes to build strong habits of self-awareness and will be a trustworthy foundation for athletes to receive help in numerous ways.

SO. . . WHY BREAKZONE?

  • The Events feature encourages athletes to participate in activities on campus that stray away from their sport snd grow relationships with others. With only a couple of clicks, the athlete can sign up for certain events and can see how many other athletes on campus are participating

  • The Personal Schedule feature is used for athletes to organize their daily activities and their "to-do" list. Having organization with a hectic schedule can ease daily stresses, helping them feel more confident in getting their tasks accomplished. 

  • The Appointments feature gives easy access for athletes to book appointments with mental health professionals on campus at their fingertips. It has been reported that a large percentage of students are not aware of where to seek help, and especially with the schedule of a college athlete, this makes booking easily accessible and efficient. 

  • The Extra Tools feature offers additional elements that athletes may potentially like to use to help ease their stresses, feel organized, and help them achieve their daily goals. 

  • The Self-Awareness Assessment feature is a key element that encourages athletes to reflect on how they are doing throughout the semester. The user will go through a series of seven questions that will measure their mental and emotional health, and their answers will be overseen by mental health professionals on campus. This concept will help athletes feel seen, heard, and cared for while continuing to go through the semester.

THE DESIGN SPACE

The IMac was used on display as an informational piece for students to interact with. This prototype offers information on myself as the designer, the inspiration behind the app, and the development and research of the feature. Click the link below to experience this feature from the design space.

This card was designed for students to take on the go. When the QR code is scanned, it takes the user to the mobile version of the web pages displayed on the IMac. Students can learn about BreakZone at any time and in any place!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE IMAC SLIDESHOW

bottom of page