the [re]voiced collective
Destigmatizing Mental Health within the South Asian community
the [re]voiced collective is a digital archival education site focused on addressing mental health stigma within the South Asian second-generation community.
Through oral history interviews, it amplifies the voices of individuals as they share their personal experiences, navigating cultural challenges, identity, and mental health struggles.
Tools
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
HTML + CSS
My Role
User research and competitive analysis
Creating User personas
Audience journey map
Wireframes and prototypes
Mock-up and visual designs
Participant Interviews
Web Developer
Timeline
Overall: 2 years
Discovery & Research: 1 year
Interviewing: 4 months
Design and Testing: 1 year
the [re]voiced collective exhibition at the William Benton Museum of Art
Background
Mental health stigma remains a significant barrier to seeking help and support for many individuals, particularly in culturally diverse communities. Stigma often leads to feelings of shame, isolation, and misunderstanding, preventing individuals from discussing their struggles or accessing necessary resources. Addressing this stigma is crucial as it allows individuals to feel safe in sharing their experiences, encourages open dialogues, and promotes a better understanding of mental health issues.
As a child of immigrants who came to the US from Bangladesh in the late 1900s, this project holds immense significance not only for me, but for other people in the demographic who didn’t grow up acknowledging or talking about certain topics such as mental health.
Being a second-generation immigrant comes with its unique set of challenges, including navigating dual cultural identities. This project provides a platform for exploring and reconciling the complexities of cultural heritage, mental health identity, and experiences of a specific demographic.
Call for participants flyers hung around campus
User Personas
Understanding the demographic profile and characteristics of the target market for my project was crucial for effectively addressing their specific needs and preferences. Here are the following user personas for the [re]voiced collective:
The final design of the website came through after a long process of multiple versions of layouts and trial (about 11!). The website is now live and accessible to the public - serving as both a tool for care, storytelling, cultural healing, and social power, as well as holding a space for vulnerability while navigating deeply personal narratives.
Define
Define the problem statement clearly - the ideal problem statement captures the perspective of human-centered needs rather than focused on business goals
Problem Statement
The second-generation South Asian American community faces unique mental health challenges, where cultural values often clash with contemporary societal norms. Mental health stigma is prevalent, deeply rooted in cultural beliefs that prioritize family honor and success over individual well-being. Many individuals feel pressured to conform to their families' expectations, which discourages open discussions about mental health.
As a result, they may experience anxiety and depression but are reluctant to seek help, fearing judgment or disappointment from their loved ones. This creates a significant barrier to accessing support, perpetuating a cycle of silence around mental health issues.
The Process
Because I was building this project from the ground up, there were many elements to the process. For the past 2 years, the [re]voiced collective has been coming into fruition through many phases of trial and failure.
Initial steps involved recruiting participants from the community to get involved in the project and meeting with and discussing the topic with experts in the field of social work and mental health. That eventually transitioned to filming the interviews in-person at a film studio as well as ideating the branding and identity for the project.
Later stages involved the long process of doing user research and developing the content and design for the website; the most important part of the project.
Step 1: Recruiting participants
The first step of this project was recruiting participants from the community to tell their story. This involved designing a poster and a survey for people to initially fill out. the intent of the survey was to weed out potential participants and recruit people who showed strong interest in being a part of the project.
Over the course of 4 months after that survey went out, I went through the process of meeting with potential participants over zoom and explaining my intention behind this project. The zoom call allowed people to get a clearer idea of the mission for my project and peak interest in telling their stories. The interviews were then filmed at a film studio at the University of Connecticut.
Questionnaire filled out from the flyer and recorded responses in the excel sheet
Step 2: Creating the Visual Identity
I knew from the start that the branding for this project would take heavy influence from South Asian culture and art. The typography took a lot of thought and research and at the end, I decided to combine a modern sans serif (Roboto) with a hand-drawn, script-inspired South Asian display type (Neug Asia Demo). The colors were chosen from the combination of colors of the country flags that make up South Asia and South Asian artwork styles.
I wanted the combination of these typefaces to also preface the challenges individuals in the community face about balancing two cultures and struggling with mental health stigma. The interchangeability of the typefaces within the title suggests the differences of everyone in the community while coming together as a collective.
Illustrations created to contribute to the visual design of the website
The filming set up at the Jorgenson theater at UConn for interviews
Step 3: Website Content and User Flow
Based on the research I did and the the content from the interviews, I started planning out the design, content, and user flow of the website. From the start, I knew I wanted the website to serve as both an educational tool and a community platform for a wide range of audiences; whether it be South Asian Americans within the community seeking support or help, therapists in Western culture trying to understand a specific client group, or people in general just interested in learning about this topic.
User flow planning of the website based on my research - dividing it into 5 main parts (Learn, Watch, Resources, Forum, and About)
Based on the user flow map, I started developing and writing content for each of the pages and sub-categories. During this process, I tried my best to write in a short-form digestible format that could effectively communicate to all audiences and not overwhelm them with too much information.
Step 3: Website Content and User Flow
Content planning doc in Figma for each webpage
Step 4: Designing the website
Initially, the website started out as Figma wireframes and makeshift designs before I started developing it further. The following images show me planning and playing with designs in Figma before figuring out which parts are and aren’t working to move onto the final design.
Final Designs
Social Media
I decided to expand the reach of the project beyond the web platform and its academic space, as well as making it more accessible. The posts were designed to be digestible, shareable, and emotional resonant with a wide audience. I see this as a growing base for future resources and platforms.
Poster Design
In addition to displaying the website and the teaser trailer for the project, I designed posters made from the pieces of advice that each of my participants gave at the end of their interviews. Each poster is 18” x 24”
Takeaways
Working on this project has shifted how I understand the role of design; not just to make things look aesthetically pleasing and pretty, but how it serves as a tool for care, storytelling, cultural healing, and social power. One of the most impactful takeaways was learning how to hold space for vulnerability while navigating deeply personal narratives. Most importantly, this work reaffirmed my belief that design can serve as a powerful tool to amplify voices and foster connection.
