EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Goal

Although the WU Student Counselling offers free and professional psychological support tailored to WU students, many are unaware of the full range of its services or hesitate to use them due to stigma and unclear communication. The goal of this project was to increase the visibility, accessibility, and student engagement with these services, especially group formats. Our mission was to empathize with the target audience, analyze the current barriers and develop a student-centered visibility strategy.

Methodology

To reach our goal, we used the Design Thinking method that follows five phases: empathize with the target audience, define the main pain points, ideate possible solutions, prototype them, and test them. We empathized by undertaking primary research that included ten expert interviews with professionals, nine student interviews, and a survey. In parallel, we conducted secondary research on recurring challenges, best practices, and communication strategies. From these insights, we developed eight key findings that guided our ideation process. A variety of creative techniques helped us generate and refine over 20 concepts. These were narrowed down to two main solution areas, which we prototyped and tested with students.

Results

Our research revealed three major challenges: a lack of awareness of WU's services, stigma and fear of judgment, and poor emotional accessibility in both communication and group offerings. Students expressed a strong need for support formats that are informal, relatable, and embedded in daily university life. Based on this, we designed a two-part solution:

1. Improved Communication Strategy

   1. Simplified website structure and language

   2. Clear sign-up buttons and intuitive icons

   3. Rebranded program titles using a catchphrase + explanation format

2. Modernized Group Formats

   1. Chill & Chat: Informal picnics, talking about relatable topics

   2. Feel-good Walk & Talk: Walking conversations in nature

   3. Art & Impressions: Creative, non-verbal emotional expression

   4. Pizza & Procrastination: Sharing pizza while discussing personal challenges with peers

 

Our testing confirmed that these ideas lowered participation barriers and aligned with students’ preferences for authenticity, flexibility, and psychological safety.

Cooperation Partner

• WU Student Counselling
  Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna
  www.wu.ac.at/en/students/my-program/bachelors-student-guide/bachelors-student-guide-german-taught-programs/support-volunteering-and-honors-programs/student-counselling

Contact Person

• Maria Ebner, MA

• counselling@wu.ac.at

Student Team

• Anna Stummer
  Lina WU
  Alena Chumrayeva-Yankouskaya
  Moritz Walker

Project Manager

• Dr. Dorothee Horvath

• Andrew Isaak, Ph.D.