A nonprofit wanted a recovery app that motivated people instead of punishing a missed day. I led UX and visual design, working with people in recovery and two licensed counselors.
What I did
- Built a dashboard that gives before it asks: a fact of the day, a poll, or a personal metric like “You’ve saved $362 since your quit date.”
- Replaced numeric scores with plain status words (“Stable,” “Cautious,” “At Risk”) after testing showed a number reads as a grade.
- Cut the daily check-in to two screens and put sponsor contact one tap away.
Results
| 35 volunteers | 46% retention | “Gentle” |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot, no incentives | Still active at day 120 | How testers described it |
The client paused development before a wide release when subsidy funding fell through.