My friend (dev) and I (design) were building a series of mental health apps. We chose an affirmation app as our first project because it’s simple to build and can fund our bigger ideas later. Since the market is crowded, we need a unique design philosophy to stand out and actually be useful.
How can mindful thinking become part of design process?
How can design intentionally reduce stress, support wellbeing, and create emotionally healthier experiences? these questions start form in my mind while I was researching for a college design project called “Mental Health First-Aid Kit”.
Art can shape how something feels, logic can shape how it works, and mindfulness adds another similar layer. It asks how the experience affects a person’s mind and emotions.
Core idea: Instead of directly applying mindfulness, let people feel it through tiny actions and habits.
Research kept pointing to few things that help humans regulate stress:
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Grounding
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Breathing rhythm
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Light distraction
The game is translating each of these into a digital experience.
1. To feel grounded
Real life:
Engaging with nature, rain, touch, and the physical senses.
In digital, e.g.:
After completing an affirmation, the environment responds with a gentle rain/settle animation.​
2. Guide breathing
Real life:
Practicing a slow, steady inhale-exhale rhythm
In digital, e.g.:
After completing an affirmation, the environment responds with a gentle rain/settle animation.​
3. Distract mind with simple tasks
Real life:
Engaging in simple activities with clear, reachable goals
In digital, e.g.:
"small wins" through micro-tasks that allow users to achieve, earn, or complete something
4. Social support
Real life:
Feeling a sense of belonging within a community.
In digital, e.g.:
Building a community where users feel others are practising alongside them, fostering a "doing things together" environment.
Ideations
Final design
Read affirmation → swipe → rain falls → one moment ends.
Moments of reflection can feel lonely. we wanted users to feel accompanied, not instructed.
The blob acts as a gentle presence in the background, offering comfort without overwhelming the ritual.
Onboarding
Start fast. Let people try affirmation immediately.
Learnings
How to balance intention with feasibility.
Learned new ways of composing screens, understanding Lottie limitations, and still finding ways to execute the vision
Built and followed a consistent design philosophy, which helped create space for exploring new ideas.
Understood real-world constraints, Appstore rules, Swift limitations, and the practical things to consider while building a production-ready app.