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Last Journal Entry

December 10, 2025

Completing this capstone has been a meaningful milestone, and it has shaped me into a stronger designer, thinker, and communicator. When I look back at my original proposal, I am surprised by how much the project evolved. I expected a straightforward design process, but the depth of storytelling, strategic reasoning, and user research required me to think far beyond aesthetics. This intentional blend of theory and practice pushed my skills and confidence further than I anticipated.

Some of the biggest challenges came from time management, developing research questions, and reaching out to subject matter experts. At first, coordinating conversations and navigating the networking process felt overwhelming. Over time, I realized these challenges were helping me build persistence and professional communication skills that will matter long after this program. I also found that the structured process of the course helped me stay organized and focused through the fifteen weeks.

My classmates played an important role in shaping this experience. Their encouragement, honest insights, and thoughtful feedback helped me refine ideas and approach design with intention. I am grateful for the collaborative atmosphere that made even the most difficult stages feel manageable. I also want to thank Professor Lafe Smith for guiding us through each phase. His feedback motivated me to push my thinking, refine my decisions, and explore new possibilities with confidence.

My capstone project has been one of the highlights of my time at MCAD. The final outcome reflects not only what I have learned, but also the dedication and passion I brought to the work. I am proud of what I created and look forward to sharing it with my family over the holidays. This project will continue to serve me as I build my professional portfolio and consider future opportunities. It reminds me that I can blend research, theory, clarity, and empathy into strong design solutions.

Overall, this class challenged me to grow, stretched my abilities, and encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone. I am grateful for the knowledge I gained and the support I received along the way. Reaching this point feels incredibly rewarding, and I am excited to carry these lessons forward as I look ahead to the August 2026 commencement. I hope to see many familiar faces there.

Week 14

WOW, only one more week to go!

I’m feeling great (very stressed too), but the excitement is definitely outweighing the pressure. I’ve been practicing my presentation in front of my dog and my husband so much that they could probably recite my entire capstone in their sleep by now. Their patience deserves an award.

This week, I officially completed my final slide deck—and it looks amazing. I also finished building my capstone webpage, which now mirrors the structure, clarity, and visual language of my presentation. Seeing both pieces come together so cohesively has been incredibly rewarding. Everything feels aligned, intentional, and representative of the work I’ve put in over the fall semester.

Most importantly, I feel ready. Truly ready. This project has grown into something that I believe has the potential to make a meaningful impact, especially for younger generations who need accessible emotional support. I’m proud of how far this idea has come, and I’m excited to present it next week.

Here are my final PDF and webpage links—thank you for following along on this journey.

Capstone Slide Deck

Capstone WebPage

Week 12–13 — Reflection Journal Entry

These past two weeks have felt like a continuous rhythm of building, refining, and reorganizing—Week 12 and Week 13 blended into one long creative session. I made steady progress on my component developments and now feel confident that I have a strong foundational structure for my presentation deck (honestly, more than enough material at this point). It’s honestly reassuring to reach a stage where the content finally feels substantial and representative of the work I’ve put in.

During this period, I also dedicated time to photoshopping updated screens and creating several new components to strengthen the visual system of LIFE. These small additions have helped the design feel more polished and intentional. IT'S IN THE DETAILS :) By Week 13, I found myself rearranging many of my slides—reordering the narrative flow, clarifying transitions, and refining how the story opens itself (AHHH STORYTELLING *wink emoji here) . This restructuring has set me up for the final push next week as I prepare for my last full presentation draft.

As I write this as my little diary entry, I’m aware of where my mental space has landed: a mix of determination, momentum, and cautious excitement. I feel motivated to see this project through, but also inspired to think beyond it. There’s a growing curiosity about what could come next—perhaps even exploring trademarking the brand? Maybe. We’ll see where the journey leads.

Thanks for reading today’s reflection. Onward.

Week 11 Update

This week, I focused on curating revisions and refining visual assets through Photoshop to enhance the clarity and presentation quality of my capstone materials. Below is a preview of the screen mockups I am currently editing. In addition, significant progress has been made on the development of my capstone webpage, which is beginning to align more closely with the intended final design.

Current Punch List:

Reviewing and refining overall narrative and user flow

Updating and synchronizing webpage content

Identifying and correcting typographical or formatting errors

Reducing sections with overly dense copy to improve readability

Priority Items:

Ensuring the capstone webpage fully mirrors the capstone presentation

Debugging code to resolve layout and styling inconsistencies

Embedding and testing the Figma prototype link within the webpage

Capstone Webpage

Week 10 Update – Capstone Progress

We officially made it to Week 10 — double digits! Only five more weeks left of grad school, which feels both surreal and exciting. This week, I completed my first round of presentations and delivered a full end-to-end walkthrough of my project.

Key Areas for Improvement:

Reduce talking time to allow more space for audience viewing and processing

Work on clearer pronunciation for certain terms

Limit commentary during the prototype demonstration to keep the flow clean

Minimize text-heavy slides and streamline copy for easier readability

The competitor analysis slide comes across as a bit overwhelming, so simplifying it may strengthen clarity.

Using fewer personal photos will help the audience focus more on context—saving them for the end can create a powerful emotional moment.

With that feedback in mind, I will improve clarity, pacing, and overall user experience.

Capstone Slides Link

Week 9 Progress Update:

Reminder — Total deliverables & status

LIFE. App core screens — 80–90%: Community, Profile, Discover, SOS designed;

Swag package — Needs edits: Cleaning up lockups and color usage.

Ad campaign assets — Needs edits: Reworking headlines and aspect ratios.

Merch shopping experience — Not started: Planned for next sprint.

Checkout flow — Not started: Will follow merch flow; needs IA and validation states.

Capstone web (case study site) — Queued: Will assemble once screens and assets above are locked down.

Solicit feedback — for Tuesday critique

SOS flow clarity: On the current design, is the 1–3 tap path intuitive and readable under stress (copy, contrast, escalation states)?

MVP scope call: For the semester deliverable, do you think commerce (merch + checkout) is essential, or is it stronger to finalize and test the core Community/Profile/Discover/SOS flows first?

Staying strong and finishing clean—open to any quick info you spot to improve clarity or accessibility.

Week 8

Oh yeah! Got some new screens and updates going!!!!

External Feedback

Im getting unpatient at this point, and really need the other people I reached out to, to hurry and reach back to me! My internal thoughts is to be an FBI to find out where they are at and why are they ignoring me ahahaha!

Ugh. Where are you, people?? 🕵️‍♀️📞💨 Will investigate suspicious silence with extreme sarcasm and an overly dramatic fedora.

#capstone #projectupdate #impatient #sendhelp #FBIvibes #goofy

Week 6: This week, I focused on developing a sign-in page for returning users and designing the home screen. I also explored some early branding concepts by creating low-fidelity sketches of potential “swag” materials. I’d love to hear your feedback!

Week 7: This week, I drafted the initial layout for my Capstone webpage — a low-fidelity version featuring placeholder text to visualize structure and flow. I also created early-stage public marketing concepts, including guerrilla marketing graphics.

Lately, I’ve really gotten into the “crunch” mindset — dedicating focused, disciplined hours to lock in and finish strong. (Click the image to view the prototype.)

Updated Plan of Action

This semester has definitely thrown me a few curveballs, but I’m proud of how I’ve pushed through and stayed on track. Even though my timeline shifted a bit, I’ve kept moving forward and feel like I’m finally in a solid place with my project.

Work, life, and health slowed me down during Weeks 3 and 4, but the optional class in Week 6 helped me reset and see what needed improvement. After revisiting everything, I have the urge to scale back on the swag ideas and shift from ad ideas to guerrilla marketing for a more “experimental interaction” idea as well as to focus more on the app’s functionality and user experiences.

Over the past week, I expanded my Figma prototype and refined the app’s flow. My next step is to have a middle school student test it and share feedback since they’re part of my target audience.

Next, I’ll keep polishing the prototype and start laying out my Capstone page to prepare for the first round of presentations.

Target Audience/User Feedbacks Pt.01

1. Who I Connected With for Feedback

Heidi Burgess, MFT Intern (Currently enrolled in a Master’s program) Ms. Burgess qualifies as a potential user and member of my target audience for the LIFE. app, which focuses on community mental health and public wellness resources. She is both a practicing MFT intern and a regular therapy client herself, offering insight from both perspectives. In her own words, “I can only listen and help others and be good at doing what I do, but I need to also make time for myself and gather an outside source rather than my own personal ideas to help me think clearly and be the best version of myself for not only me, but for my family and clients.”

2. How We Connected

We connected face-to-face since we both work at the same company. Ms. Burgess is our office manager/receptionist full-time while completing her master’s program. I formally asked for her consent to meet for coffee to discuss her professional experience and current studies. She shared that she has been interning at a community center as an MFT intern since the beginning of this year. From there, I asked if she would be willing to meet bi-weekly to serve as my primary feedback source for my Capstone Project.

3. What I Shared and What Questions I Asked

I presented my PDF documentation from Weeks 1–5 of the project and shared my low-fidelity Figma prototypes via a link. I focused my discussion on the app’s visual design, color palette, and onboarding experience to gain her feedback from a mental health professional’s perspective. Strategic questions included:

Does the app’s tone and visual style feel approachable for clients or community users?

Are the prompts in the “intro” section effective for building engagement and trust?

What emotional triggers or experiences should be included to better serve younger audiences?

Are there any privacy or ethical considerations I should clarify for users?

4. Feedback Provided

Ms. Burgess shared that she loved the updated color palette and overall brand identity, saying the added vibrancy made the app feel more alive and engaging. Appreciated the informative background of the LIFE. app. She highlighted that the “intro” portion of the app, especially the opening question “What triggers you?”, was strong and inviting. Her key suggestions included:

Adding common triggers such as school, food, and social media to better reflect younger user experiences.

Including a clear explanation that AI is integrated into the app, along with a short note ensuring that user data will remain private and secure.

Adding a disclaimer clarifying that AI support is not a substitute for medical treatment and encouraging users to seek professional help from licensed providers listed in the app.

5. Next Steps / Planned Adjustments

Based on Ms. Burgess’s feedback, I plan to:

Expand the list of “triggers” to include the additional examples she mentioned.

Incorporate clearer privacy and security language early in the onboarding process to reassure users and parents.

Add a short AI usage disclaimer to establish transparency and trust.

Refine the app’s navigation flow and layout for smoother transitions between screens.

Her insights have been extremely valuable in aligning the LIFE. app with real-world professional expectations and user needs. This feedback will directly inform my next design iteration as I move toward higher-fidelity prototyping.