While going through any life transition, thoughts and worries of the future, or rumination and comfortability with the past, cloud the ability to see what the present moment holds. These thoughts also prevent one from putting valuable attention, time, and consideration into preparing for an abundant future. While it is unrealistic to promise a quick or total fix, there are tools, such as mental health apps, that can ease the individual by alleviating the pressure of these events.

Mental health apps prove useful for a variety of audiences. They assist those with a lack of access to therapy or affordable resources, provide a log in-between sessions for those who see a professional, or aid individuals who would rather not see a therapist.

There are countless apps available, but few that provide truly helpful resources for each person. These apps are robotic, bland, and have few options available without diverting to more promising paid plans. They require commitment by the user to learn the ins and outs of a forgettable interface and continued use to see minor results. With a focus on negative aspects of the user's mindset, app exercises seem daunting and isolated from what happens in daily life, doing more harm than good. It is unrealistic for working individuals and those with busy lives to sign away time and resources towards an app producing negative feelings and connotations, which will likely be deleted in a week, if not upon download.

The solution is to create an app that is customizable, integrative, easy, and free.

 Loosely dubbed, "How to UnStuck," this app has a personal tone and focuses on the positive; embodying friend-like qualities to the user. From the initial download, a beginning survey will ask the user to choose the features most useful to them, which can be altered at any time. The app will serve partially as a "digital diary" with the option to input locations, photos, and small blurbs regarding their day. The user can create goals, to-do lists, track their mood with prompting questions and activities to improve it, various exercises and resources for mental health, and a simple gratitude journal. The mission of this app is to revolutionize mental health apps by simplifying and personalizing them in an enjoyable fashion.

I conducted in depth industry research into high-standing mental health apps and therapy resources to understand why they are so popular. I also conducted surveys to analyze why users choose mental health apps, and what instead turns them away. Using the tool Figma, I prototyped by app and created a realistic simulation of its features and interface. This allowed me to assess the proficiency of my app and alter any necessary features in the future.

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