Lepal.ai
An AI-powered mental health companion that nurtures wellness through journaling, therapy, and personalized insights.
Internship
AI chatbot
Shipped 🚀
At lepal.ai, I joined as a UX Design Researcher intern during a pivotal phase in developing an AI-powered mental health chatbot. My role focused on bridging user needs with technical possibilities, ensuring our solution was not only innovative but deeply empathetic and human-centered.
By conducting extensive user research and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, I helped refine key features, enhanced user engagement, and upheld AI ethics in mental health support. These efforts contributed to a successful launch, empowering 1,000+ users with an intuitive and trustworthy digital mental health companion.
Overview
Position
UX Design Researcher
Duration
3 months
Tool
Figma, Miro, After effect
Skills
Ethical AI Research, Literature Review, User Journey Mapping, Stakeholder Management, Qualitative Interviews
Contribution
Concept Development
Complete UX/UI Design
High Fidelity Prototyping
Problem Statement
Bridging Emotional Gaps and Simplifying the Experience
LePal's mission to create a meaningful mental health support tool faced challenges:
Challenge #1
Disconnected Spirit Character
The spirit character lacked integration into key features, limiting its ability to build emotional connections with users.
Challenge #2
Feature Confusion
Overlapping functionalities and an unintuitive homepage design made it difficult for users to navigate and fully engage with the app.
Challenge #3
Payment Page Misalignment
The payment page failed to meet user expectations for flexibility and incentives, creating barriers to conversion.
Objective #1
Increase user retention by fostering stronger emotional connections with the spirit character.
Objective #2
Simplify and enhance navigation on the homepage.
Objective #3
Redefine overlapping features for better clarity and interaction.
Objective #4
Design a payment page that encourages user subscriptions through insights-driven layouts.
Deliverables
From Vision to Reality
Launching the app was a critical milestone, transitioning LePal from beta testing to reaching a broader audience. I collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure the app met high-quality standards and was ready for deployment.
Successful Launch
Launched the LePal app from beta to the Apple Store and Google Play Store, reaching 1,000+ users with a seamless cross-platform experience.
Core Feature Designs
Designed high-fidelity prototypes for the homepage, Spirit Chat, AI Therapy, and payment page, boosting engagement and clarity.
User Research and Iteration
Conducted user research to address pain points, refining designs to enhance usability and uphold ethical AI principles.
Results
Designing for Connection, Clarity, and Care
My contributions helped LePal achieve measurable success:
%
increase in user retention
driven by empathetic design and better integration of the spirit character.
A more intuitive and visually cohesive user experience, reducing friction and increasing feature adoption.
Improved payment page performance, encouraging a wider demographic to subscribe and support their mental health journeys.
Reflections and Learnings
Designing for Meaningful Change
My internship was a journey of bold creativity, constant learning, and meaningful collaboration. Over the course of 12 weeks, I had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented and compassionate individuals, whose support and expertise inspired my growth as a designer.
Through research, collaboration, and a commitment to ethical design, I contributed to a product that not only achieved its technical goals but also resonated with users on a deeply human level.