mend.
Curious how Mend works? (And always up for sharing self-care inspo!)
overview.
Role
UX/UI Designer & UX Researcher
Timeline
3-4 months
Platforms
Mobile App
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Google Forms, Google Docs
MEND began with a simple but personal frustration. I kept seeing people I cared about, friends, students, gig workers, even gamers, trying their best to function while their emotional health quietly took a backseat. They weren’t ignoring their mental health on purpose. They just didn’t have the time, support or headspace to sort through another app that made self-care feel like a chore.
Most wellness tools assume users have the energy to build routines or reflect deeply, but I saw how often people were already stretched thin. Tired. Overstimulated. Trying to stay afloat. I wasn’t trying to replace therapy or offer big transformations. I just wanted to design something that felt approachable, even on bad days.
MEND is a mobile app that helps people check in with themselves in a way that actually feels doable. It’s private and low-pressure. It offers structure without being strict. It’s not about achieving peak performance. It’s about creating one small moment of care, the kind that helps you keep going when everything feels like too much.
The Burnt Out Professional
The Inconsistent Self-Care User
The Stressed Student
The Anonymous Seeker
target audience.
Research Insights.
To ground the design in real needs, I interviewed 5 participants with diverse schedules and professions (esports, healthcare, students, service workers).
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Competitor Analysis
Anonymity Matters
Users prefer anonymous, non-judgmental spaces to share their feelings.
Tailored Tools
Generic meditation apps weren’t resonating — users want suggestions that match their current mood and time of day.
Inconsistent Routines
Work and study stress makes it hard to stick to self-care habits. Reminders and lightweight tools are needed.
What I Did
Key Findings
competitor analysis.
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
HI-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
Ideation & Early Sketches.
What I did:
Affinity Mapping
Persona Creation
User & Task Flows
PERSONA: participant (1/4)
USER FLOW
AFFINITY MAP
KEY INSIGHTS.
One of the clearest things I learned is that people crave emotional support that feels low-pressure. Users didn’t want another app asking them to journal daily or track their habits perfectly. They wanted something that respected their energy and gave them permission to show up exactly as they were.
Many users said they felt stuck when apps stopped at mood tracking. It was helpful to name their emotions, but without a next step, it often felt empty. That feedback shaped MEND’s follow-up system, which gently offers care suggestions based on how someone is feeling in the moment.
I also noticed that people were more likely to return to the app when it felt personal. Soft visuals, friendly language, and simple flows created a space that felt inviting instead of clinical. When users felt like the app was speaking to them, they were more open to using it regularly.
Most importantly, I learned that care doesn't have to be big or complex to be meaningful. Sometimes, just being asked how you're feeling, and knowing the answer matters, is enough to help someone keep going.
meet mikaela.
Mikaela is a registered nurse and one of the real people I interviewed during my research. Her workdays are long, unpredictable, and emotionally draining. She told me she often feels scattered and disconnected, moving from one urgent task to the next without time to process how she's doing. She wasn’t looking for therapy or a full mental health plan. She just wanted something small that could help her notice her feelings and feel heard without judgment.
She became the heart of this project.
I built a persona around her to guide every part of the design. Mikaela needed something simple, something she could use during a short break or at the end of a hard day. She didn’t want a solution that felt like a lecture. She just wanted a space that felt safe, where she could be honest without having to explain everything.
Whenever a design choice felt unclear or too complicated, I came back to her. I’d ask myself, would this help Mikaela feel more in tune with herself? Would it feel comforting, or would it add pressure?
That question became my compass. It helped me design MEND not just as an app, bu
t as a kind companion, one that could gently support someone in the middle of real life, without asking for too much in return.
Lessons Learned.
Designing MEND taught me how powerful it is when digital tools show understanding instead of pressure. Emotional design isn’t about delivering answers. It’s about creating space for people to feel what they feel without needing to explain or justify it.
As the sole UX researcher, UI designer, and prototyper, I was deeply involved from start to finish. I listened to raw, vulnerable stories during user interviews and tried to carry that emotional weight into every design choice. I wasn’t just mapping user journeys. I was translating pain points into quiet moments of care.
If I had more time, I would explore features like voice journaling, motion sensitivity options, and softer visuals for neurodivergent users. I’d also like to experiment with AI-powered prompts that respond gently to recurring moods without making users feel analyzed or judged.
Throughout testing, I learned that simplicity builds trust. Clear navigation helped users feel safe. A consistent visual language made the app easier to return to. Most meaningful to me was the way users responded to the anonymous forums. One person said, “This is the first time I’ve said how I felt all week.” That reminded me why this work matters.
Results & Impact.
MEND met users where they were. It didn’t ask for long reflections or polished answers. It offered small, honest support that fit into real lives.
People said they felt less alone. They appreciated having a place to track their emotions without feeling exposed. The act of checking in each day became grounding. Some told me it helped them notice when stress was building. Others said it made them feel more seen than other wellness tools they had tried.
MEND didn’t promise transformation. It offered a pause, a breath, and a reminder that care is allowed even on the messiest days. That was the biggest impact — helping people feel human in moments when they usually felt invisible.
APPROACH.
MEND was designed to feel like a deep breath: calm, intuitive and easy to trust. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to overwhelm users with features or routines. Instead, I focused on making the experience feel small and doable. Just one check-in. Just one step.
When someone opens the app, they’re gently asked how they’re feeling in the moment. There’s no long onboarding, no pressure to journal, and no streaks to keep up. Users can tap an emoji, write a few words or skip it entirely.
Either way, they’re always met with a clear next step.
That check-in leads to something simple and grounded. Maybe it’s a short breathing tool. Maybe it’s a calming thread from someone else feeling the same way. These moments are designed to meet users in their real lives — during breaks at work, in the middle of a stressful night, or right before bed.
Every design choice came back to the same question: would this feel supportive when someone is low on time or energy? That’s why I used soft colors, clean layouts and enough space between elements so the app never feels crowded or loud. Even the interactions are gentle, with slow fades and natural movement that invite users to slow down.
PRO:
Professional therapy.
CON:
Lacks peer/community tools.
💸 $60–$90/mo.
Target:
Adults needing remote therapy.
Strength:
Trusted, flexible therapist access.
Weakness:
Expensive, no peer support.
Note:
Great for therapy, not self-help/community.
betterhelp
calm
talklife
sanvello
PRO:
Mindfulness/sleep.
CON:
Not for deep mental health.
💸 $14.99/mo.
Target:
Stress relief & sleep.
Strength:
Beautiful UI, high-quality content.
Weakness:
Light on mental health tools.
Note:
Relaxation > support.
PRO:
Peer support.
CON:
No therapy.
💸 Free w/ opt. $5–$10.
Target:
16–30 seeking peer connection.
Strength:
Engaged free peer network.
Weakness:
No pro support.
Note:
Great for community,
not therapy.
PRO:
Therapy + tools + community.
CON:
Too much going on,
💸 $8.99/mo/insurance.
Target:
Broader self-help + therapy seekers.
Strength:
Well-rounded, CBT-based.
Weakness:
onfusing UX, limited free.
Note:
Strong mix, needs refinement.
problem statement.
Self-care is everywhere now, but it often feels empty. People know they should take care of themselves, but most tools feel cold or out of touch. They expect perfect routines and daily streaks from people who are already running on empty.
I wanted to design something that recognized how hard it can be to even start. A way to support people who don't have regular schedules. People who are too exhausted to journal or meditate for twenty minutes. People who want help but feel overwhelmed by the first step. I wanted to make something that felt human. Something small and safe.
SOMETIMES THE HARDEST THING IS STARTING SMALL. I GET IT.
This is the mindset behind the product.
The goal was to validate how people feel, make it easier to begin, and gently support progress over time.
DESIGN GOALS & DECISIONS.
Make it easy to begin
A lot of people open wellness apps and immediately feel overwhelmed. I wanted MEND to feel approachable from the first screen. That’s why the first interaction is a simple check-in with no pressure to perform. There’s nothing to figure out. Just a moment to notice how you feel.
Turn emotion into care
Tracking your mood only goes so far. Users told me they wanted the app to actually do something with how they were feeling. So I added a follow-up flow that offers personalized support after every check-in. The tools are small and practical: a breathing exercise, a kind reflection or a chance to connect with others in a similar place.
Keep things clear but comforting
Users didn’t want something too clinical or too abstract. They wanted structure without coldness. So I created flows that are easy to follow, with soft visuals and flexible paths. You can pause, skip or come back whenever you want. Nothing about the experience depends on doing it perfectly.
BETTERHELP: Beautiful and calming, but expensive and too open-ended
CALM: Great tracker, but lacks emotional follow-up
TALKSPACE: Built for therapy, not daily use
Sanvello: Has strong tools, but crowded UI
Takeaway: Most apps focused too much on either therapy or tracking. MEND fills the gap by combining reflection with small, supportive actions.
Competitor analysis cont.
defining success.
Since MEND hasn’t launched publicly, I used usability testing and user feedback to guide my understanding of what success could look like.
If MEND were to launch, I would define success through three key areas:
Engagement
Users return to the app multiple times a week for check-ins or coping tools, showing it fits naturally into daily life.
Emotional Impact
Users report feeling less isolated, more understood, and more in tune with their own emotional patterns over time.
Routine Building
MEND supports users in creating gentle, sustainable emotional routines. Success means users begin to associate check-ins with moments of pause or reflection, rather than obligation. Over time, this helps people build trust in themselves without needing rigid schedules or streaks.
FINAL THOUGHTS.
Self-care is everywhere now but it often feels empty. People know they should take care of themselves yet most tools come across as cold or out of touch. They expect perfect routines and daily streaks from people who are already running on empty.
I wanted to design something that truly recognizes how hard it can be just to begin. A tool for people without regular schedules for those who are too exhausted to journal or meditate for twenty minutes. People who want support but feel overwhelmed by the very first step. My goal was to create something human, small and safe.
The solution was MEND, a gentle, flexible app that meets people exactly where they are. It invites users to check in with a single simple question, offers meaningful but manageable support, and creates an anonymous space to share without judgment.
By focusing on emotional intelligence, ease of use and kindness, MEND becomes not just a tool but a companion. It helps people build trust in themselves one small moment at a time turning self-care from a chore into something approachable and real.