ZenZone

Introduction

Teen stress is a prevalent issue. Many high school and college students face stress from competition, pressure to succeed, and their own expectations. Mental health resources can be difficult to access, impersonal, or intimidating, especially for people who fear being judged for using them. ZenZone addresses this need as an accessible, personalized, and low-friction stress-relief platform made by teenagers who understand these challenges. The app combines journaling, meditation, exercise, music, and AI-powered recommendations.

Design

Stress affects teens differently, so one-size-fits-all solutions often fall short. Teens may not know which coping strategies work best for them, and their emotional states can change over time. This led us to create a personalized recommendation system. After creating an account, each user completes a 20-question questionnaire that helps the app estimate their stress level and build a personalized plan. Core features include journaling, a meditation timer, an exercise journal, mood-based music playlists, AI recommendations, and gamified badges. Journaling supports emotional reflection and long-term tracking, while music and exercise can help regulate emotions. Meditation encourages mindfulness, and badges provide motivation. The interface uses a simple, teen-friendly design. We used GPT-4 to assist in evaluating and implementing a decision tree model because it offered the best flexibility and validation support for our needs.

Limitations/Future

Our model has several limitations. The small participant group may not represent all teenagers, and the simplicity of the decision tree may oversimplify their emotional complexity. ZenZone supports stress management but does not provide clinical advice or professional mental health diagnoses. In the future, we could incorporate more advanced machine learning models, improved personalization, and real-time adaptation to enhance the user experience.

Slideshow

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