MindClinic: An Assistive Mental Health Mobile Application for Students
Description
University students frequently experience mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, and depression, while access to adequate support services remains limited. This study presents the design and development of MindClinic, an assistive mobile mental health application developed to support students and enhance therapist preparedness. The system was built using a user-centered design approach to ensure suitability and effectiveness. The development process included requirement gathering, interface prototyping using Adobe XD and Figma, and implementation using Flutter with Dart and Firebase for database management. Students complete structured assessments that generate personalized recommendations and provide therapists with preliminary client insights before sessions. Key features include daily affirmations, activity tracking, appointment booking, therapist-led anonymous communities, a thought journal, and mood-based recommendations. Usability testing using the System Usability Scale (SUS) yielded a score of 89.5, indicating excellent usability. Although the application currently lacks integrated therapy sessions, advanced moderation tools, and AI capabilities, user feedback suggests that the system is intuitive and visually appealing. The findings demonstrate the potential of MindClinic to improve student mental health support and therapist readiness within university settings.