this research study developed tools to help undergraduate design students at UC deal with stress through interventions focused on positive coping mechanisms. the system is a wellness tool-kit which can be adapted or tailored by students to deal with various other stresses in different situations.

to help students cope with uncertainty the ‘thrive: student wellbeing hub’ was created based on insights derived from the research data. thrive is a four-component, adaptable toolkit. though each tool can be used by itself, the tools are interconnected to provide a holistic environment for responding to stressors. the tools include – the ‘thrive kiosk,’ aimed at changing the student’s mindset through positive messaging; the ‘thrive-space,’ aimed at creating a space for separating the student from his/her stressors; the ‘thrive app’ enables community building of like-minded participants across campus; and the ‘thrive journal’ helps students set and meet goals and provide therapeutic journaling. the ‘thrive’ toolkit can be implemented with modifications in various similar educational settings to improve the student experience.

the data gathered for this research study was derived from two primary sources, undergraduate communication design (code) students and experts from wellness experts across campus. student data for identifying the source of the stress was collected from observations, surveys, focus groups, and poster studies. data for understanding stress factors came from expert interviews with undergraduate code professors, representatives from the uc student wellness center, and researchers and psychologists from the uc counseling and psychological services. tool development was rooted in understanding how stress affects the students, based on insights derived from the research data.