"Settled - Settle your mind, not just your place.”

Settled is a mindful well-being app designed for immigrants and international students navigating emotional ups and downs in a new environment.

It helps users pause, identify what they feel, and find practical steps to regain balance — because being “settled” isn’t just about where you live, but how you feel inside.

It’s calm, culturally neutral, and quietly supportive — a pocket-sized companion for emotional grounding.

Case Study Overview

Settled is a mobile app designed to support the mental and emotional well-being of immigrants and international students adapting to a new environment. It helps users identify their moods, manage emotions, and build a sense of belonging while living abroad.

The goal was to create a safe, non-judgmental space where users can reflect, learn coping strategies, and feel emotionally grounded — no matter how far they are from home.

Problem

Moving abroad often triggers loneliness, anxiety, cultural stress, and identity confusion. Many international students struggle to name their feelings or find emotional support in new environments.

Existing wellness apps focus on meditation or therapy but lack cultural empathy and tools tailored for newcomers.

Research & Discovery

• Conducted 5 user interviews with international students and young professionals (ages 20–30).
• Key insights revealed:
  • Difficulty expressing emotions in a new language.
  • Lack of time or privacy to seek help.
  • A strong need for emotional check-ins and self-guided coping tools.

Defined the primary persona:

“Sarah, 24, international student who recently moved abroad for studies. She struggles with homesickness and self-doubt but wants to feel emotionally stable and confident.”

Design Process

1. Empathize & Define:
2. Identified pain points around emotional overwhelm, disconnection, and cultural transition.
3. Ideate:
4. Sketched ideas for a mobile experience focusing on mood tracking, journaling, and emotion-based guidance.
5. Wireframing & Prototyping:
   • Designed low-fidelity wireframes on UX pilot with AI prompts for quick testing.
6. Visual Design:
   • Chose a color palette for calmness and emotional safety.
   • Developed clean typography for approachability.
   • Integrated soft gradients and rounded shapes to reflect the theme of settling.

Challenges

• Translating complex emotions into simple AI prompts without losing depth.
• Couldn't make it interactive as cannot export in Figma in free version
• Less flexibility for customization as compared to Figma
• Ensuring cultural inclusivity in tone, visuals, and language.

Key Learnings

• Emotional design goes beyond aesthetics — language, color, and flow deeply affect user comfort.
• Simple daily check-ins help users build emotional awareness without feeling overwhelmed.
• Designing for mental health requires empathy, clarity, and non-judgmental tone.
• It was really quick and easy to make designs with UX pilot
• To the point AI prompts really helped to create the design as per the requirement

Outcome

The final prototype of Settled allows users to:

✅ Log their emotions through a guided mood tracker.

✅ Access short coping techniques for stress, anxiety, or homesickness.

Feedback from early testers highlighted that the app “felt comforting, easy to use, and emotionally validating.”

Next Steps

• Conduct usability testing with a broader audience.
• Integrate guided audio reflections and community sharing features.
• Explore partnerships with campus wellness centers.

💜 Final Thought

“Settled isn’t just an app — it’s a quiet companion for anyone finding their emotional home in a new world.”