Thryve Academy
Bridging Academics and Wellness for High School Students
TIMELINE
Sept - Dec 2025
INDUSTRY
EdTech
TEAM
1 Designer
2 Engineers
ROLE
Product Designer
TOOLS
Figma
Procreate
Adobe Photoshop
OUTCOME
Complete brand identity (logo, color system, typography)
High-fidelity homepage & onboarding assessment
Component library for engineering handoff
OVERVIEW
Thryve Academy is an early-stage EdTech platform that connects high school students with coaches who support both academic performance and emotional well-being. The goal is to bridge the gap between tutoring and therapy, helping students build both study habits and emotional resilience.
I led end-to-end design—from brand identity to high-fidelity prototypes—under tight timelines and significant ambiguity, making strategic decisions that shaped the product direction.
PROBLEM SPACE
The Fragmented Support System
High school students face mounting pressure, but existing support is broken:
School counselors: Free but overextended (1 counselor : 400+ students nationally)
Tutoring services: Focus solely on grades
Therapy: Clinical, expensive, may appear overwhelming for young students.
Students don't lack resources—they lack integrated, approachable support that meets them where they are.
This leads to my initial design question:
How might we create a digital experience that makes students feel supported and motivated—without adding pressure or feeling clinical?
Though as I began designing and researching, I came to realize more complications.
KEY DESIGN CHALLENGE
Understanding The Users: The Dual Audience Problem
Thryve is used by students but first evaluated by schools & parents. This created a tension:
Parents & Schools need
Legitimacy
Safety
Professionalism
Credibility
Students need
Approachability
Emotional comfort
Non-clinical, non-judgmental tone
Low pressure
The product had to communicate authority and warmth at the same time.
STRATEGIC DECISION #1
Brand Identity: Credible & Comforting
Color system: Not too poppy, not too clinical
Typography: Serif adds personality and trust; Sans ensures easy readability
Logo: Growth rooted in support—the stem becomes the bloom
Illustrations: Hand-drawn characters replace stock photography
STRATEGIC DECISION #2
Homepage: Trust Before Interaction
Parents and schools encounter Thryve before students do. However…
As an early-stage product, there were no testimonials, outcomes, or usage data to establish credibility.
The homepage therefore needed to earn confidence through clarity and structure. Through continuous team feedback and discussion, I iterated my design over the span of 4 weeks.
Hero: Lowering the Commitment Threshold
Problem
The original hero pushed users directly into the assessment.
This would work for well-known products (e.g. BetterHelp). For a new platform without prior trust, this required too much commitment too early.
Hypothesis
First-time visitors are evaluating legitimacy, not ready to engage.
The homepage should move from:
action → explanation
to
explanation → voluntary engagement.
Decision
Removal of the assessment, replaced with lightweight entry points
Less CTA buttons
Removal of harsh borders.
Outcome
Assessment became a downstream action rather than the entry action.
Reduced cognitive and emotional commitment increases willingness to continue & explore.
Softer, more minimal visual → reduced cognitive load, more inviting.
Supporting Sections: Building Trust Progressively
After reducing initial commitment, the next challenge was preventing drop-off. As credibility signals were limited, users needed reassurance while evaluating the service.
I structured the homepage to answer users' questions in the order they naturally arise:
Homepage Information Flow: Removes uncertainty step by step
Each section thus exists to resolve a specific doubt before introducing the next decision.
Value Proposition: Defines core values & differentiates product
How Thryve Works: Makes experience predictable & concrete
Offering + Coaches: Justifies commitment & anchors trust
Final CTA: Enables action
STRATEGIC DECISION #3
Assessment: From Form to Conversation
The assessment is students' first direct interaction with Thryve—many are already anxious about seeking support.
The interface needed to feel safe, human, and judgment-free, not like a test or intake form.
Problem
The initial design felt evaluative rather than supportive.
→ Bordered, rectangular buttons resembled school forms.
→ Explicit Next/Previous navigation added unnecessary friction.
→ The reassurance message appeared as an instruction, disconnected from the interface.
Hypothesis
Students don't need another assessment that feels evaluative.
If we shift from "form-like" to "conversation-like" interface patterns, we can reduce anxiety and increase completion rates.
Decision
Reduced visual weight with a softer, more calming look
Auto-advance on selection
More prominent progress indicator
Embedded reassurance paired with easy-going illustration
Outcome
Interface communicates "safe conversation" from first interaction, minimizing performance anxiety.
50% reduction in required clicks (16 → 8 actions)
Tradeoff: auto-advance sacrifices review capability, but reduces overthinking.
FINAL PROTOTYPE
Homepage
*Scroll to view*
Assessment Page
*Click to enlarge*
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Designing under ambiguity requires strong POV:
I couldn't wait for perfect research—I made principled assumptions, documented them, and designed for validation.
Dual audiences need intentional hierarchy:
Serving both parents/schools and students meant designing different emotional beats within the same experience.
Design decisions influence user psychology:
Trust determines engagement; tone determines honesty; structure can create confidence. Designing for vulnerable users requires removing pressure on top of adding functionality.
Thryve challenged me to think beyond screens and into systems of trust. In early-stage environments, design is not decoration — it is direction. Every interaction, hierarchy decision, and tone choice functions as product strategy.
NEXT STEPS
Usability testing with students
Complete the system (student dashboard, wellness tools, coach & admin views)
Explore mobile-first optimization
Thanks for reading!