Gently

For people building self-initiated paths, such as freelancing, creative work, solo projects, uncertainty is constant. When progress feels unclear or external validation is missing, many people experience one or more of the following emotions: self-doubt or negative self-talk, emotional and physical tension, over-planning, avoidance, burnout, a sense of being 'behind' or 'not good enough'.

In order to understand why people on self-directed paths struggle to stay emotionally steady when progress feels slow, I conducted a combination of online mental health community analysis, personal reflective mapping, and competitive analysis of mindfulness apps. This allowed me to identify recurring emotional patterns behind stalled progress.

The research surfaced the following emotional patterns experienced by people on self-directed paths:

• - When results aren’t visible, users default to self-criticism and question their decisions.
• - A self-initiated path lacks structure and external validation, creating ongoing background anxiety.
• - Users compare their timeline to others and feel “behind,” reinforcing negative self-talk.
• - Many juggle multiple responsibilities, leading to exhaustion rather than clarity.
• - Over-analysing and over-preparing often mask fear of failure, delaying meaningful action.

Users need structured support that interrupts negative loops, reduces anxiety, and creates small, embodied shifts forward.

The core flow of Gently is intentionally simple and repeatable. It guides users from negative self-talk toward self-awareness, groundedness, and renewed perspective. This experience loop creates space to pause and reflect, allowing users to regain clarity and take a manageable step forward.

Early wireframes focused on: minimal navigation, reducing cognitive load & clear emotional labeling. The first ronud of user testing were conducted with two uers.

During testing, I learned:

• - Users preferred visual emotion selection over text lists
• - Too many options caused hesitation
• - Progress indicators increased sense of completion

Iterations included:

• - Simplifying content and reducing redundant screens to lower cognitive load.
• - Adding affirmation screens
• - Incorporating visuals to maintain user engagement.

Body-First Check-In

Users begin with a simple body-based check-in. Rather than asking “What’s wrong?”, the experience invites them to notice:

• - Where they feel tension
• - Their current energy level
• - Subtle emotional signals

This lowers cognitive load and reduces overthinking.

Gentle Awareness Survey

After the body check-in, users complete a short, intuitive awareness survey designed to clarify:

• - What they are experiencing
• - What they might need
• - What feels most supportive right now

The tone avoids clinical language and instead feels conversational and validating. From their responses, users are guided to choose one of three pathways.

1. Assurance

This flow is for users who experience moments of self-doubt or emotional overwhelm. This journey focuses on reassurance, grounding & stabilising.

2. Perspective

This flow is for users who experience confusion, looping thoughts, or emotional intensity. This journey focuses on reframing, clarity & broader view.

3. Permission to Slow Down

This flow is for users who experience burnout, pressure, or internal urgency. This journey focuses on slowing, softening & self-allowance.

Insight Summary

After completing a flow, users receive a short summary of their emotional state with key insights & a reflection snapshot they can revisit. These summaries are saved, allowing users to notice patterns over time.

Explore

Beyond guided flows, users can access Explore anytime. Explore includes:

• - Grounding practices including breathing exercise, sensory pause & gentle stretch
• - Journaling prompts
• - Daily affirmation

Unlike the structured pathways, Explore is open and self-directed, offering ongoing support outside of emotional urgency.

The visual language of Gently is designed to feel: warm, calm, human & unhurried.

A soft, muted color palette invites a sense of calm. Lora and Lato are used as the primary typefaces for their warmth, approachability, and high readability. Gentle, hand-drawn illustrations add personality and a human touch.

Gently is designed to help users interrupt negative self-talk and return to a place of grounded awareness. Instead of spiraling into self-criticism or comparison, users are guided to pause, reflect, and reconnect with here & now. Over time, this repeatable loop supports emotional steadiness, self-trust, and the ability to take one manageable step forward rather than staying stuck in overwhelm.

Through this project, I better understood:

• - The process of designing for vulnerable emotional states through multiple design elements
• - How thoughtful subtle interactions build emotional safety
• - The importance of tone in User Experience Design
• - That less is more...

For the next phase of Gently, I would conduct broader quantitative validation to test core assumptions at scale, explore habit-forming behavioral patterns, and evaluate opportunities to integrate community support features. This would allow Gently to better support long-term emotional tracking while fostering a sense of shared growth and accountability.