What’s Good?
Service Design Project
How might we empower Chinese Americans to express their emotions while honoring and preserving their collectivist cultural values?
Context
Master's Thesis Project in Design for Social Innovation thesis project, where students are required to lead the entire project lifecycle, independently establishing partnerships with organizations, and evaluating interventions through testingRole
- User Experience Researcher
- Design Strategist
- Design Storyteller
- Communicator
- PrototyperTeam
- Mari Nakano (Thesis Advisor)
- Lona Vincent (Thesis Advisor)
- Aijia Yao (Clinical Psychology PhD)
- Henry Street Settlement (Partner)
- Nany Chen (Thesis Partner)Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, Keynote, Qualtrics, Google workspace, R-studio, Notion, Pinterest
Introduction
A Master’s Thesis for the MFA in Design for Social Innovation is a year-long design project where students identify a social problem, conduct qualitative and quantitative research, define the problem scope, prototype and co-create solutions with the community, and then develop and test a final intervention. Focusing on the mental wellness of Chinese Americans in New York City, my partner Nany and I embarked on creating an emotional tool designed to equip them with self-care coping strategies, which could be utilized in the cultural activity we developed.Background
In an era of rapid technological growth, the widespread use of surveillance and predictive technologies disproportionately impacts communities of color, raising serious concerns about civil liberties, privacy, and racial justice. Chinese Americans face significant challenges in addressing their mental health needs. Studies indicate that 16% of Chinese Americans experience symptoms of depression, and only 45% of Chinese American women rate their mental health as “excellent or very good” (Kim et al., 2015). Despite these concerns, Asian Americans, including Chinese Americans, are three times less likely to seek mental health services compared to White Americans (Alvarez & Shin, 2012). Cultural norms, such as emotional suppression and collectivist values prioritizing social harmony, often discourage open emotional expression. Language barriers and lack of educational resources further hinder access to support, leaving many without adequate mental health care.
Together, these factors create a significant gap in mental health care, leaving many Chinese Americans without adequate support and perpetuating cycles of unmet needs and emotional isolation. Recognizing this, we embarked on our journey to bridge these gaps with culturally sensitive approaches that address both systemic and cultural barriers.
Research
How do Chinese-Americans perceive and understand mental wellness?What specific barriers prevent Chinese-Americans from seeking support?How does their cultural background hinder their willingness or ability to seek help?What are their experiences with the existing mental health resources?What types of support would they prefer that align best with their cultural background?
Research Questions
Led 2 workshops with 20 participants to explore the nature of existing stigmas and stereotypes and identify potential approaches for de-stigmatization.Conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders to uncover insights into systemic challenges and opportunities for improvement.Designed and conducted a survey with over 200 Chinese participants, investigating emotional challenges, barriers to accessing support, and preferences for potential activities.Facilitated 10 workshops to co-create with the target group, utilizing cultural probes to encourage storytelling and foster collaboration, resulting in user-centered and innovative solutions.
Methodologies
First-generation Chinese Americans, both male and female, aged 21 to 50, with mid to low socioeconomic status, residing in New York CityParticipants Demographic
Workshop
Survey Design
“For me, being mentally well isn’t just about feeling good on my own. It’s about knowing my whole family is happy and getting along. When everyone is doing well together, that’s when I feel at peace. I guess it’s just how I grew up, putting the family first over myself.”
- Miss. Qin
“I wish I could openly say how I feel without worrying about being judged. Sometimes, I want to cry or talk about my frustrations, but I feel like I should just smile and say everything’s fine because that’s what’s expected.”
- Mrs. Zheng
"When I feel stressed, I like to sit quietly and make tea the traditional way. The process of brewing it, the aroma, and the warmth all help me slow down and reflect. It’s a simple ritual, but it brings me peace and reminds me of home."
- Mr. Liu
Insights
• Cultural Barriers: Cultural norms discourage emotional expression and view it as weakness.• Accessibility Challenges: Limited access to culturally and linguistically relevant mental health services.• Somatization: Emotional stress often manifests as physical symptoms (somatization), complicating recognition.• Feelings of Insecurity: Lack of safe spaces for East Asian Americans to practice emotional expression.User Needs
• Culturally-Relevant Resources: Culturally tailored tools and resources that align with collectivist values.• Safe Space: Safe, judgment-free spaces to develop and practice emotional expression.• Intergenerational Understanding: Resources or programs to bridge generational gaps in emotional expression and communication styles within families.• Low-Barrier Services: Accessible, affordable, and discreet mental health servicesPain Points
Co-creation is the KEY!!!
Walked into the community not as an external expert, but as a part of the community, designing solutions for "All of Us" rather than "them."
Improved interview design and facilitation skills in leading workshops
Advanced data analysis using R Studio to evaluate survey insights from 200 participants.
Enhanced design strategies by adopting a system-thinking approach to address complex challenges holistically.
Developed a culturally relevant intervention framework grounded through co-creation.
