BrightPath
Digital Support Platform for the Foster Care System
Bright Path is a digital support platform designed to assist children in the foster care system. It provides personalized resources to help foster youth navigate education, mental health, financial literacy, and overall well-being.
TIMELINE
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
IMPACT
The platform aims to equip foster youth with tools and resources to create brighter futures, reducing risks of homelessness, abuse, and crime.
MY ROLE
As a Product Designer, I conducted user research, developed wireframes, and designed core interactions. I was responsible for the homepage, the mental health section, and the design system within the platform.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
My team and I designed and co-created a digital platform designed to support foster youth, focusing on teenagers and aged out foster kids navigating the challenges of adolescence and the foster care system. It provides personalized resources to help foster youth navigate education, mental health, financial literacy, and overall well-being.
From: Infographic: Aging Out of Foster Care
Project context
Who is it for?
U.S. foster children aged 13-18 and those aging out of the foster system.
Why was it made?
Foster children face significant challenges, including:
· High dropout rates
· Mental health struggles
· Financial insecurity
· Limited access to mentorship and resources
· Control future homeless population and crime rates
“Every child, regardless of their background, deserves the same fundamental care and support. “
Our solution
Bright Path empowers foster youth by providing personalized support, education, mental health resources, and financial guidance to help them build a brighter future
Resources
Study
Financial
Wellness
Key Motivation
Empowering Foster Youth Through Gamification & Token Rewards
Main features
Onboarding
The Bright Path onboarding process guides foster youth through introduction screens, account registration, age verification, foster status confirmation, and interest selection to ensure personalized support and resource access.
Homepage
Top News and Updates: Provides foster children with timely resources and information to help them stay informed.
Task Rewards: Earn rewards by completing tasks—learn more to earn more, motivating continuous growth.
Recommended Courses: Curated courses based on user needs, building skills in finance, wellness, and career development for independent living.
Study
Course Search Bar: Easily search for courses to support learning and skill development.
Personal Study Plan: Set up a customized study plan with color-coded labels, personal goals, and a to-do list, making it easier to track progress and stay organized.
Wellness
Mood Tracker: Log daily moods, view recent mood trends, and share them with a psychologist for better support.
Appointment Booking: Schedule appointments with available specialists who volunteer their time.
Upcoming & Recent Appointments: Easily access details for upcoming and recent appointments, keeping track of your sessions.
Meditation
Information Section: Provides emotional guidance for foster children, explaining topics like anxiety that may be unfamiliar or misunderstood within this community.
Meditation Practices: Offers guided meditation exercises and simple, interactive activities to promote relaxation and mental well-being.
Finance
QR Code for Shopping: Allows foster children to shop at certified stores like Walmart using tokens linked to their account.
Smart Money: Connects with a bank account, where tokens can be converted to cash at a set rate. Saved money can be accessed when they age out of the system, providing financial support for independent living.
Set Financial Goals: Enables users to set savings goals, such as saving up to buy a laptop, fostering good financial habits and planning.
Profile
Digital Medical Passport: Stores medical records that foster children can access and share with new foster families, ensuring continuity in their healthcare.
Skills Selection: Allows users to choose skills they want to learn when first entering the app. Courses are recommended based on these choices, and users can update their skill preferences anytime.
Branding
Color Palette
Typography
Aa
Poppins
Aa
Poppins
Aa
Poppins
Poster
Design Process
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Iterate
Primary research - validate conclusion and area of research - Conversational interviews
secondary research in the form of literature revies
Mapping out challenges
Mapping out challenges
feature brainstorm
As-is journey map
Define Personas
Define How Might We Statement
Card sorting
Co-Design workshop with aged-out foster kids
competitor analysis
Wireframing
Low-fidelity prototype
Mid-fidelity prototype
Usability Testing
Co-design
Post-survey
01
Empathize
Secondary Research
Early Childhood Foster Care
0
Children
Adolescent Foster Care
13
Teenagers
Problems
More than 40% of school-aged children have educational difficulties.
A vast majority (up to 80%) have serious mental health issues.
Only 24% will graduate high school.
Dropout rates are nearly 3 times higher than low-income children
Aging Out of Foster Care
18
Young adults
Problems
Within two to four years of leaving foster care, 60% of young men will be convicted of a crime.
50% will develop a substance dependence.
The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is 21.5% among foster care alumni.
70% girls will become pregnant before the age of 21.
20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.
Post-Aging Out Stage
21
Adults
Problems
Only 50% will be employed at age 24
less than 3% of children earn a college degree
71% will be pregnant by age 21
25% will become homeless after age 18
Conclusion
Foster children face heightened challenges as young adults, including unemployment, homelessness, and substance dependence. Targeted interventions during adolescence are essential to improving long-term outcomes and breaking the cycle of these issues. Focusing on teenagers in the foster care system is critical for mitigating future impacts
Storyboard
Emily, 13, arrives at a new foster home, feeling anxious.
The foster parent gives Emily money or a digital allowance.
Emily spends impulsively on random items.
At 20, Emily struggles to save for a car.
Meghan, 17, graduates as valedictorian, cheered by her foster family.
Meghan worries about affording college.
She searches for minimum-wage jobs to cover expenses.
Meghan remains stuck in a low-wage job.
Stakeholder Interviews
“Mentorship Programs are Valuable but Limited in Capacity”
“Often face disruptions in their education due to frequent moves, impacting their academic progress.”
“Educational Barriers are Significant and Harder to Overcome for Foster Children”
Study
“Funding Availability is Dependent on State and Community Support”
“Foster children need more support to learn responsibility and understand the consequences of their actions”
Financial
“There’s also a lack of trauma-informed care for parents”
“Mental Health Support is Critical but Not Centrally Managed”
Wellness
“Sometimes with new case managers or people moving around, not everyone gets the information right away”
“Rural areas face additional challenges due to fewer resources.”
Resources
02
Define
As-is User Journey and Feature Brainstorm
Through discussions with case workers and a careful evaluation of feasibility, we refined and prioritized the final set of opportunities. These opportunities focus on providing targeted support, enhancing access to critical resources, and improving the overall experience for foster youth as they transition through different care stages.
03
Ideate & Prototyping
Information architecture & Low-Fi
- Prototype
By establishing this structured approach, we ensure that users can easily access essential features, such as setting goals, tracking financial status, accessing mental health support, and engaging with educational content.
04
Usability Testing & Iteration
Usability Testing (Target User)
Survey-Based Prototype Testing
Reduction
The app has unnecessary steps to use certain functions
The app has difficult steps to use certain functions
The app has functions I don’t want
Prioritizing
The app provides important information on the home
screen
The app displays important functions on the home screen
Commonly used functions are easy to get to
Organization
The app shows menu categories systematically
The app provides content systematically
Information on the app is well-structured and organized
Integration
The app groups similar menu items in the same category
The app allows access to certain menus in one step
Menus and functions are grouped in logical order
Satisfaction
Using the app is a satisfactory experience
I am satisfied with the functions of this app
I am satisfied with the information this app displays
Usability
The app provides an easy-to-use interface
The app provides an attractive user interface
The app easily performs the functions I want it to
A/B Testing - Verify the revision
By
A
B
A
B
Survey Results
On a scale of 1-5, how satisfied are you with the top bar's usability?
3.7/5
I feel like the top bar is too crowded, elements are too close together. Also, I found the Search Bar and the Resources under the hamburger menu confusing.
A/B Testing Results
Task:
Find and Access the Search Resources Page
A
9.7s
Avg. duration
18%
Misclick rate
B
4.6s
Avg. duration
13%
Misclick rate
Task:
Start text a New Message
A
6.8s
Success rate
14%
Misclick rate
B
7.2s
Success rate
11%
Misclick rate
A
B
Survey Results
Do you think the content is placed in a systematic and intuitive way?
3.2/5
I found myself confused between the Homepage and the Study page. I thought all courses would be in the Study at first, But then I realized they are in homepage
A/B Testing Results
Task:
Find a course that you have already completed and view its details.
A
9.3s
Avg. duration
29%
Misclick rate
B
4.3s
Avg. duration
6%
Misclick rate
Feedback from post foster children
05
Validation
Feedback from post foster children
need quick access to safety features for the frequent special situations I encounter.
Don't do it just as like a researcher grad project like actually implement it. It's so valuable… I think it’s pretty deeply.
like the medication, you could try also providing information like… I have anxiety, but they might not understand that it's normal.
What if I could choose to share personal information?
I really like the saving money function
Need to add specific guidance on features
What if children could search for skills and courses based on the person they aspire to become?
