Still Space — Mental Health Companion App

Highlights

4 days

From idea to App Store submission — vision, design, code, and content

0 → 1

Built from scratch — product strategy, UX, visual identity, and tone of voice

AI-native

Designed and developed with Claude as a creative and engineering partner

100%

Privacy-first — zero data collection, no accounts, fully offline

Why This Product Exists

Most mental health apps are built around productivity: streaks, goals, daily habits. They work well for people with moderate stress. But for someone in a depressive episode — when getting out of bed is a victory — these apps feel like another thing to fail at.

I wanted to create something different: a companion that meets you where you are, with zero pressure and zero judgment. Not a therapy replacement, but a quiet place to land when you need one.

The problem space

280M+

People globally affected by depression — yet most digital tools focus on prevention, not support during episodes

WHO, 2023

77%

Of professionals report burnout at their current job, with emotional exhaustion as the #1 symptom

Deloitte, 2024

81%

Of mental health app users worry about data sharing — most apps fail basic privacy standards

Mozilla Foundation, 2023

0

Apps designed specifically for depressive episodes — existing solutions punish "bad days" with broken streaks instead of supporting them

Market gap

Target audience

People living with depression, burnout, and emotional overload
Users experiencing apathy or severe fatigue — when even small tasks feel overwhelming
Anyone seeking mental health support without judgment, tracking, or performance pressure

Competitor Analysis

Before designing Still Space, I mapped the mental health app landscape to understand where existing products fall short — especially for users in acute emotional states.

	Still Space	Headspace	Calm	Daylio	Bearable
Core approach	Adaptive companion for crisis & low-energy states	Guided meditation & mindfulness	Sleep stories, meditation & soundscapes	Micro-journaling & mood tracking	Symptom & mood tracking for chronic illness
Designed for depressive episodes	✓ Core focus	✗	✗	✗	Partial
Adaptive to energy level	✓ 3 modes	✗	✗	✗	✗
Streak-free / no guilt mechanics	✓	✗ Streaks & badges	Minimal	✗ Streaks & badges	✓
Crisis resources built-in	✓ Hotlines in 3 languages	✗ Redirects to 911	✗	✗	✗
Actionable micro-tasks	✓ 80+ tasks by energy level	Meditation only	Meditation only	✗ Logging only	✗ Tracking only
Privacy-first (no data sharing)	✓	✗ Shares with ad networks	✗ Shares with marketers	✓ Local storage	✓
Ukrainian & Russian	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
Pricing	Free	$69.99/yr	$79.99/yr	$35.99/yr	$34.99/yr

Key insight: Most mental health apps are built for general wellness — meditation, habit tracking, journaling. None of them adapt their interface and content to the user's current emotional capacity. When someone can't get out of bed, a 20-minute guided meditation isn't the answer. Still Space fills this gap by offering micro-actions calibrated to energy level, zero-pressure interaction, and crisis support — all without a subscription paywall.

UX Tone & Voice

Every word in Still Space is a design decision. The voice is caring, calm, and accepting.

Role: not a therapist, not a coach — a person sitting beside you.

Forbidden patterns

"Start your day right"
"Pull yourself together"
"You can do it!"
"Try harder"
"Stay positive"
"Don't give up"

Permitted patterns

"If it works — great"
"If not — that's okay"
"Let's just try"
"No rush"
"Just being is already huge work"
"You have the right to feel what you feel"

Design Philosophy

Every design decision starts from one question: "Would this feel safe for someone on their worst day?"

Core principles

Warmth first: Warm palette (peach, lavender, soft grays), rounded shapes, zero visual aggression. The interface should feel like a hug — never push, never rush
Gentle clarity: One screen, one action. Minimal cognitive load. Copy is caring, not clinical — it acknowledges struggle without judgment
Quiet delight: Subtle micro-interactions — a heartbeat haptic in breathing mode, soft confetti after completing a self-care action. Celebrations feel earned and intimate
No toxic positivity: The app never says "stay positive" or "you've got this." Instead: "Just being is already huge work. You're doing it."

App Flow

The experience adapts to how you feel right now. Three energy levels, no questionnaires — the app responds with micro-activities matched to your current state.

Key Screens

Onboarding

First impression sets the emotional contract. The onboarding sequence doesn't collect data or push sign-ups — it builds trust. Each screen introduces the app's core promise through calm visuals and minimal copy, letting users self-select their entry point. The flow respects autonomy: no forced tutorials, no guilt-driven streaks. Just a gentle orientation that mirrors the product's therapeutic tone from the very first tap.

Mood Check-in & Micro-actions

The entry point: three energy levels, two quick-access modes, zero pressure. The app responds with ~150 gentle self-care tasks matched to how you feel — from "lean your back against something" to "go outside, buy coffee."

Completion & Reflection

Every completed action is a small victory. Confetti, encouragement, and a prompt to leave a supportive note for your future self — an "anchor" to hold onto during harder days.

Just Be Together

For when you can't do anything — a breathing circle with heartbeat haptics and ambient sound. No instructions, no timers. Just presence. After 5 seconds, a gentle link to crisis support appears.

Journal & Quick Record

Mood tracking with day/week/month charts and pattern insights. Record small wins anytime — opened a window, drank water.

Building with AI

Still Space was designed and developed with Claude (Anthropic) as a creative and engineering partner. This wasn't about replacing design thinking — it was about amplifying it.

What AI enabled

Rapid prototyping: From concept sketches to working SwiftUI code in hours, not weeks
Content creation at scale: ~150 localized self-care tasks across 3 energy levels and multiple languages, each carefully crafted for tone and clinical appropriateness
Design system as code: Color tokens, typography, spacing — defined once in design, immediately reflected in production code
Iteration speed: Testing ideas in real code instead of static mockups — seeing how animations feel, how copy reads in context, how flows connect

What stayed human

Product vision: The "why" — understanding what people in crisis actually need, not what apps typically offer
Emotional design: Tone of voice, visual warmth, the feeling of safety — these require empathy AI can support but not originate
Ethical decisions: Privacy-first architecture, crisis resource verification, no gamification of suffering
Curation: AI generates options; a designer decides what serves the user

Under the Hood

SwiftUI — native iOS, zero external dependencies
100% offline-first — optional iCloud sync for backup
Zero data collection — no accounts, no analytics, no ads
Multilingual — Ukrainian and English
Accessibility — WCAG AA contrast, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, minimum 44pt touch targets
Dark & light themes — warm palette in both modes

Still Space — Gentle Companion for Hard Days