In high school, Matthew Lei's favourite subjects included graphics, design, and P.E – thriving in spaces that encouraged creative expression and freedom of the mind and body. This passion ultimately led Matthew to pursue the Bachelor of Design at the University of Auckland.

Matthew channelled his interests and personal mental health journey into his capstone Design research project, creating a VR game to support international university students navigating depression. This project, gives students the chance to draw upon their learnings to-date to work through a real-world design challenge – working from the initial discovery phase right through to testing and implementation.

"Odyssey is a VR game to combat depression in international students at universities. It takes the user through a journey to first learn about core concepts of themselves, then recognise how these concepts have changed during depression, and finally apply this newfound understanding to help themselves in the real world."

"This is all presented in a world of puzzles, activities, and interactive storytelling." 

"I was inspired to take on depression because it hits close to home. Personally, I’ve experienced my fair share of poor mental health. I’ve had friends in high school and university that have also experienced it, so I understand that no one experiences depression on the same level or due to the same reasons."

"As mental health talk has become more mainstream, its complexity is very often overlooked. Depression is more than just sadness or grief, but instead there may be hundreds of factors unique to an individual, and it’s this initial ‘curiosity’ that I was keen to explore."

"My research looks at using the immersive elements of VR for a reflective and emotional tool, rather than traditional therapeutics and clinical solutions. I had hoped for Odyssey to be a form of experiential learning, and create insights and long-term tools that users can keep returning to."

"I wanted to empower international students by creating a tool that acknowledges social and cultural changes, that doesn’t try to oversimplify or be a fit-all solution."

"More importantly, I wanted to add to existing conversation on a more speculative level, push the boundaries of mental health tools and for people to look back on my project and be inspired."

“In the real world, I see the ideas of Odyssey potentially being used to develop university wellbeing programmes for students that may not resonate with traditional methods like counselling.”

“I plan to use the findings in my research to maintain a strong sense of identity, whether that be here or overseas. Especially working in the creative space, your work is often a reflection of yourself." 

"You have to understand who you are as a person, to create something that is authentic, grounded, and culturally aware.”

“One of the most valuable skills I gained was learning to be both critical and creative, to question ideas while building new ones to fit a clearer purpose."

"Tackling something as complex as depression, for example, taught me that not everything can be fully solved, therefore you need to identify what’s important and what's not."

"That process of filtering complexity into clarity has been helpful so far at how I approach problem-solving."

"I am currently interning at a start up, working in a small, multidisciplinary group for AI-integrated smart glasses focused on health and wellbeing. I’m also exploring opportunities for further study overseas."

"In the long-term, I hope to be working to create real change, and design has given me the toolkit to approach everything with a human-centred mindset and a sense of purpose."

Find out more about the programme structure, entry requirements, fees, and key dates for the Bachelor of Design.