How did a personal journey transform into an AI-powered conversational agent? 

The starting point for this project was personal. Watching people close to me go through a cancer diagnosis was difficult, and it left me wondering: if I could go back, what would I change? Getting them to screen earlier so treatment could start sooner. But I quickly realised the problem wasn't a lack of awareness; it was psychological barriers like fear and anxiety. I built 'Ember', a psychological technique-informed conversational agent that helps people sit with their anxiety about screening instead of avoiding it. Developing it involved AI-assisted coding, writing and refining system prompts across twenty iterations with expert counsellor review and running a study with 24 women comparing conversations with Ember versus an information-only version. 

From quiet summer campuses to rigorous testing, what hurdles did you have to clear? 

Recruiting participants during the quiet summer months was my biggest hurdle. I had to step out of my comfort zone, make posters, and approach strangers face-to-face around campus to reach my target of 24 participants. Fortunately, the support from my supervisor helped me design a rigorous experiment and refine my data analysis, while module leaders gave me the tools to conduct a systematic literature review and identify this vital gap in digital health. 

What is the core message you want visitors to take away from your design guidelines? 

Rather than a physical product, my outcome is a set of findings and design guidelines for anyone building conversational agents in digital health. I'd love visitors to take away that psychological barriers don't look the same for everyone. Psychologically informed AI can help reduce those barriers, but it must respond to what a person is feeling such as the potential discomfort of a mammogram, rather than just stating the raw facts. 

How has this project shaped your future as a product designer in an era of rapid AI? 

I’d love to share what came out of this project and draw attention to AI in digital health, particularly for women who avoid mammography due to mental and physical discomfort. This journey has sparked my passion for the field and given me the confidence to pursue a career as a product designer who creates things people genuinely need and love. The professional skills I built here, from user research to usability testing, have solidified my approach at a time of rapid AI development. 

How has doing your project at Loughborough helped you to grow?  

I believe that studying User Experience Design at Loughborough means you get the best of both worlds: strong academic teaching and hands-on, real-world experience. Whether you want to focus on digital health, AI, or new services, the course helps you tackle work that truly matters. 

You’ll get expert guidance and work in an inspiring Design School environment to turn your personal passions into impactful research. By sharpening how you do user research, problem-solving, and professional skills, Loughborough gives you the confidence and practical tools to build a meaningful career that actually improves people's lives. That's the direction I want to keep going in, as a product designer who creates things people genuinely need and love. 

Yu-Ru’s research and visuals will be featured alongside other pioneering postgraduate work at the upcoming PGT Showcase online launching on 2 November 2026. In the meantime, for more information about the programme, visit our postgraduate study pages.