Case Study: UBSpeak - A Mental Health Community Platform for University Students

Overview

As the Product Manager for UBSpeak, I developed a community-driven platform aimed at addressing the mental health struggles of university students. Designed to offer a safe space for anonymous sharing, UBSpeak connects students based on courses, majors, and faculties to openly discuss academic pressures and career concerns.

The Problem

University life can be overwhelming, especially for students adjusting to new environments and academic pressures. Many students experience feelings of loneliness and anxiety as they navigate these challenges, which can impact their well-being and academic success. Despite this, students often hesitate to share their struggles, unsure of where to turn or who to talk to for support. This creates a need for a safe and inclusive space where students can openly discuss their experiences and find a sense of community.

Persona Development

I created user personas to better understand the diverse needs of students experiencing mental health challenges. One such persona is Valentina, a second-year university student who feels pressure to succeed and often compares herself to her peers. Despite her achievements, she struggles with feelings of uncertainty and isolation, frequently wondering if she’s doing enough to reach her goals. Valentina’s main objectives are to feel more connected, gain confidence in her achievements, and find trusted peers to talk to about her academic and career journey. By developing personas like Valentina, I was able to shape UBSpeak around the real concerns and desires of students seeking both community and reassurance.

MVP

UBSpeak provides a transparent, inclusive platform for students to share their academic and career-related concerns anonymously. Key features include:

• Anonymous Login: Students can log in using their university email and LinkedIn to ensure authenticity while maintaining anonymity within the platform.

• Community Matching: Students are connected based on their major, faculty, or career interests to foster relevant discussions.

• Safe Sharing: The app provides a space for students to freely express concerns about academics, extracurricular activities, and career paths without judgment.

Feature Prioritization

After researching mental health trends and online community resources, I prioritized the following features for the MVP:

• Anonymous login and community matching based on user interests.

• User verification through university credentials to ensure user authenticity

Results

UBSpeak successfully creates a supportive online environment where students could share their mental health struggles and gain valuable advice from their peers. Key metrics we proposed to track included:

• Adoption Rate: The number of students signing up using their university email (e.g., 300 signups in the first three months).

• Engagement: Metrics like time to post after signup, daily active users, and interactions per post (e.g., 400 posts per week with 80% of users posting once a day) helped us assess user activity and platform impact​.