Quick read
- Pace University students completed a human-factors and usability collaboration with Mentage.
- The collaboration produced task analyses, interface recommendations, and a client-facing report for the MEVA team.
- The work informs ongoing product design. It did not test health outcomes or establish effectiveness.
A digital wellness experience earns confidence one ordinary interaction at a time. Clear instructions, an understandable next step, and enough room to recover from a mistake all matter, especially when a person is deciding whether to return tomorrow.
That is why Mentage invited outside evaluators to look closely at MEVA. A 15-week collaboration with Pace University’s Human Factors and Usability Metrics course brought students into a structured usability-research process focused on the experience of using a product in development.
What the collaboration was
According to Pace University’s account of the project, students completed two phases of work: expert evaluation and live usability sessions with adults aged 40 and older. Their work included:
- cognitive walkthroughs and heuristic review;
- interviews, observation, and synthesis;
- task analyses; and
- recommendations for the Mentage team.
Pace reports that the project was reviewed through the university’s Institutional Review Board process. That review relates to the conduct of the research. It does not establish the effectiveness of MEVA or represent a Pace University endorsement of Mentage.
What the evaluators contributed
The value of usability work is not a flattering verdict. It is a better view of the moments when a product asks too much of a person.
“The Mentage project made me realize the power of design to influence a user’s feelings of comfort and confidence.”
Yash Prajapathi, Pace University student evaluator
Pace reports that students delivered comprehensive usability reports, task analyses, interface recommendations, and client-facing presentations. For Mentage, that feedback is a practical input to ongoing product work: make the purpose of each step clearer, reduce avoidable friction, and preserve a calm, self-directed experience.
How this informs our work
Usability findings do not turn a product into a finished answer. They help a team see where its assumptions meet the real world. The Mentage team is using the collaboration’s themes to guide ongoing iteration and to keep accessibility, plain language, and recovery from small mistakes visible in the work.
That is a continuing responsibility, not a completed checklist. A general-wellness product should be understandable and respectful before it asks for a person’s time, attention, or return visit.
What this collaboration did not establish
This was a usability-research collaboration, not an effectiveness study. It did not:
- measure health outcomes;
- establish that MEVA changes cognitive function; or
- show that the platform is suitable for every person.
Sources and disclosures
Pace University: Pace University Students Complete Industry UX Research Collaboration with Mentage.
Disclosure: This article was prepared by the Mentage team about a collaboration involving Mentage. Pace University’s reporting is the external source for the collaboration details described above.
Intended use: MEVA is designed to support general wellness. It does not provide medical advice or replace conversations with a qualified health professional.
Author: Aimee Pathyil PA-C, Chief Health Education Officer