Designing for mental health in higher education: a collaborative approach to digital interventions

Mental health concerns significantly impact one-third of university students, with digital tools increasingly recognised as potential support for prevention and treatment. However, few studies adequately address the transition from research to practical application in mental health-related interventions, integrating multidisciplinary design methodologies and understanding students' sociocultural contexts within real-world healthcare environments. Here we present the outcomes of a process of co-design and validation of a digital mental health intervention in a university setting. We draw on findings from (1) design cycles and (2) validation workshops of a digital intervention to identify preferences of engagement and ethical responsibility for real-world applicability. Our findings emphasise the importance of involving end-users and clinicians throughout the process to improve existing support systems for students' well-being, challenge stigma, and promote context-sensitive mental health care in academia. This approach highlights the importance of designing digital mental health interventions that are both ethical and inclusive, thereby enhancing individual, community, and institutional resilience. We build on prior research by proposing design opportunities to enhance receptivity to digital interventions in university settings, contributing to responsible innovation in this field.