CBT app
CBT app
CBT app
Mentally Stable
Mentally Stable
Mentally Stable
Transforming clinical CBT exercises into an accessible mobile experience that meets users where they are, emotionally and practically.
Transforming clinical CBT exercises into an accessible mobile experience that meets users where they are, emotionally and practically.
My Role
My Role
My Role
Product design and development, end to end
Product design and development, end to end
Product design and development, end to end
Category
Category
Category
Passionate Project
Passionate Project
Passionate Project
Overview & Problem
Overview & Problem
Overview & Problem
During two years of war in Israel, between the alerts, the non-stop news, and worrying about victims and their families, I struggled to focus. The emotional weight was overwhelming.
A friend told me about the book Thoughts & Feelings, offers evidence-based CBT techniques, but requires worksheets, pens, and privacy, making it unusable in everyday situations.
Problem
People need CBT tools that work in real life - quick, private, mobile, and accessible during the messy moments when emotional support is needed.
sheetworks from the book
Research
Research
Research
Competitive Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Competitive Analysis
To understand how people currently cope with emotional overwhelm, I conducted competitive analysis to identify gaps in existing solutions, and user interviews to uncover behavioral patterns and pain points.
To understand how people currently cope with emotional overwhelm, I conducted competitive analysis to identify gaps in existing solutions, and user interviews to uncover behavioral patterns and pain points.
I analyzed 5 mental health apps:
I analyzed 5 mental health apps:
CBT Companion
Strengths: Structured CBT exercises with examples
Weaknesses: Outdated, cluttered UI; no follow-up system; feels impersonal and clinical
CBT Companion
Strengths: Structured CBT exercises with examples
Weaknesses: Outdated, cluttered UI; no follow-up system; feels impersonal and clinical
MindDoc
Strengths: Modern interface, strong personalization, insightful mood tracking
Weaknesses: No immediate CBT exercises without premium subscription; focused on analysis over action
MindDoc
Strengths: Modern interface, strong personalization, insightful mood tracking
Weaknesses: No immediate CBT exercises without premium subscription; focused on analysis over action
Wysa
Strengths: Anonymous, conversational format
Weaknesses: Chatbot interaction feels unnatural; low sense of progress or structure
Wysa
Strengths: Anonymous, conversational format
Weaknesses: Chatbot interaction feels unnatural; low sense of progress or structure
MindShift
Strengths: Anxiety-focused tools with nice illustrations
Weaknesses: Cumbersome onboarding with long manual forms; unengaging experience
MindShift
Strengths: Anxiety-focused tools with nice illustrations
Weaknesses: Cumbersome onboarding with long manual forms; unengaging experience
Mood Tools
Strengths: Educational CBT content
Weaknesses: Extremely outdated interface; static information dump with no interactivity
Mood Tools
Strengths: Educational CBT content
Weaknesses: Extremely outdated interface; static information dump with no interactivity
Key takeaway
Existing apps either feel clinical and outdated (CBT Companion, MoodTools), hide core features behind paywalls (MindDoc), or rely on conversational AI that feels forced (Wysa). None offered structured, accessible CBT exercises that felt approachable for daily use.
Key takeaway
Existing apps either feel clinical and outdated, hide core features behind paywalls, or rely on conversational AI that feels forced. None offered structured, accessible CBT exercises that felt approachable for daily use.
Takeaway
Existing apps either feel clinical and outdated, hide core features behind paywalls, or rely on conversational AI that feels forced. None offered structured, accessible CBT exercises that felt approachable for daily use.
Takeaway
Existing apps either feel clinical and outdated, hide core features behind paywalls, or rely on conversational AI that feels forced. None offered structured, accessible CBT exercises that felt approachable for daily use.
User Interviews
User Interviews
User Interviews
I conducted qualitative interviews with 7 participants to understand current coping behaviors:
5 participants had experience with therapy, journaling, mindfulness, or self-help resources
2 participants experienced emotional stress but used no structured tools
I organized insights into an affinity map, which surfaced two distinct user patterns that shaped the design direction.
I conducted qualitative interviews with 7 participants to understand current coping behaviors:
5 participants had experience with therapy, journaling, mindfulness, or self-help resources
2 participants experienced emotional stress but used no structured tools
I organized insights into an affinity map, which surfaced two distinct user patterns that shaped the design direction.
Pattern 1: The Rational Skeptic
Views emotional tools as "fluffy" or irrelevant
Fears being judged or exposed through emotional work
Needs clear, efficient guidance without emotional language
Loses engagement if the tone feels vague or overly therapeutic
Pattern 1: The Rational Skeptic
Views emotional tools as "fluffy" or irrelevant
Fears being judged or exposed through emotional work
Needs clear, efficient guidance without emotional language
Loses engagement if the tone feels vague or overly therapeutic
Pattern 2: The Overthinking Analyzer
Feels too overwhelmed to start traditional journaling or writing exercises
Finds existing tools either too shallow or too generic
Gets stuck in endless self-reflection loops without resolution
Needs guidance that feels supportive and gentle
Pattern 2: The Overthinking Analyzer
Feels too overwhelmed to start traditional journaling or writing exercises
Finds existing tools either too shallow or too generic
Gets stuck in endless self-reflection loops without resolution
Needs guidance that feels supportive and gentle
Pattern 2: The Overthinking Analyzer
Feels too overwhelmed to start traditional journaling or writing exercises
Finds existing tools either too shallow or too generic
Gets stuck in endless self-reflection loops without resolution
Needs guidance that feels supportive and gentle
Solutions
Solutions
Solutions
Simplifying the structure
Simplifying the structure
Simplifying the structure
Challenge
The book's exercises build on each other over time—powerful for long-term therapy, but too complex for immediate mobile use.
My decision
I stripped away the layered structure and designed standalone exercises that work in the present moment. Questions focus on right now, not a therapeutic arc spanning weeks.
Result
Users get immediate value without committing to a long-term journey or referencing past sessions.
Challenge
The book's exercises build on each other over time—powerful for long-term therapy, but too complex for immediate mobile use.
My decision
I stripped away the layered structure and designed standalone exercises that work in the present moment. Questions focus on right now, not a therapeutic arc spanning weeks.
Result
Users get immediate value without committing to a long-term journey or referencing past sessions.
the before
the after
From colorful to invisible
From colorful to invisible
From colorful to invisible
Initial approach
I started with soft colors and calming gradients—designing what I thought a mental health app "should" look like.
What I learned through testing
Colors distracted from the emotional work
The "wellness aesthetic" felt performative rather than supportive
Users needed mental clarity, not visual comfort
Final decision
I stripped everything to black and white, removed all decorative elements, and made the interface disappear so the user's emotions could take center stage. The app looks like a book because it behaves like one—structured, neutral, familiar.
Initial approach
I started with soft colors and calming gradients—designing what I thought a mental health app "should" look like.
What I learned through testing
Colors distracted from the emotional work
The "wellness aesthetic" felt performative rather than supportive
Users needed mental clarity, not visual comfort
Final decision
I stripped everything to black and white, removed all decorative elements, and made the interface disappear so the user's emotions could take center stage. The app looks like a book because it behaves like one—structured, neutral, familiar.
the before
the after
Language that adapts
to both user types
Language that adapts
to both user types
Language that adapts
to both user types
The challenge
Based on the two personas I identified—rational users lose interest if tone feels vague or therapeutic. Emotional users need warmth but get overwhelmed by generic prompts.
My approach
Tone sits between clinical and casual – direct enough to feel efficient, warm enough to feel human
Prompts are immediate and concrete – "here and now" questions that capture the moment without asking for analysis
Observes instead of interprets – notices what's happening without demanding users explain why
Result
Both personas could engage immediately. The observational tone eliminated interpretation friction and made the interface invisible
The challenge
Based on the two personas I identified—rational users lose interest if tone feels vague or therapeutic. Emotional users need warmth but get overwhelmed by generic prompts.
My approach
Tone sits between clinical and casual – direct enough to feel efficient, warm enough to feel human
Prompts are immediate and concrete – "here and now" questions that capture the moment without asking for analysis
Observes instead of interprets – notices what's happening without demanding users explain why
Result
Both personas could engage immediately. The observational tone eliminated interpretation friction and made the interface invisible
Speed over depth
Speed over depth
Speed over depth
When someone is overwhelmed, they don't have 20 minutes to journal or mental capacity for complex exercises. But that's exactly when they need tools most.
My decision
Every interaction takes a few seconds. A complete CBT exercise finishes in minutes.
How
One question per screen
No minimum text requirements
Clear progress indicators (step 3 of 7)
Skip options where needed
Why this matters
The tool works during a commute, between meetings, or while unable to sleep—meeting users in their actual lives, not idealized conditions.
When someone is overwhelmed, they don't have 20 minutes to journal or mental capacity for complex exercises. But that's exactly when they need tools most.
My decision
Every interaction takes a few seconds. A complete CBT exercise finishes in minutes.
How
One question per screen
No minimum text requirements
Clear progress indicators (step 3 of 7)
Skip options where needed
Why this matters
The tool works during a commute, between meetings, or while unable to sleep—meeting users in their actual lives, not idealized conditions.
Key Learnings
Impact & Outcomes
Impact & Outcomes
The decision to go radically simple surprised even me
When I started, I thought the app needed calming colors and warm visuals. Testing proved otherwise. The plainness isn't a compromise—it's the point. Stripping away all visual noise created exactly what users needed.
Designing for emotional distress requires different rules.
Every extra tap, unclear label, or moment of confusion compounds when someone is already overwhelmed. This taught me to design for users' worst-case emotional state, not their best.
Clinical doesn't mean cold, and warm doesn't mean fluffy.
Good design language doesn't perform emotion or authority. It gets out of the way.
Next Steps
I'm working to expand the app for broader public use, making evidence-based CBT accessible to anyone who needs emotional support tools.