Tether
An app to bring you back to your emotional baseline.
MY ROLE:
Founder, Designer, UX Researcher
TIMELINE:
March - July 2026
Available in the App Store
My Challenge
How might we interrupt overwhelm and return users to baseline using methods tailored to them, without requiring thought?
My Research
Weeks of expert articles, survey responses, detailed and scored competitive analyses of 4 of the most popular mental health mobile apps, I found these key insights:
- Overwhelmed people cannot identify what they need.
- Speed matters in crisis.
- Regulation is not one-size-fits-all.
- Current apps fail in at least one of those core tensions.
- Speed matters in crisis.
- Regulation is not one-size-fits-all.
- Current apps fail in at least one of those core tensions.
My Decisions
Overwhelmed people cannot identify what they need.
I used Claude Code to create an engine that learns what works for them, and surfaces it front and center.
Why I designed it this way.
A menu of options could create an environment forcing them to self-diagnose, decision fatigue, and further overwhelm; exactly what my research said not to do.
I used Claude Code to create an engine that learns what works for them, and surfaces it front and center.
Why I designed it this way.
A menu of options could create an environment forcing them to self-diagnose, decision fatigue, and further overwhelm; exactly what my research said not to do.
Speed matters in crisis.
I made the research-backed grounding sequence available in one tap, the moment the app opens.
Why I designed it this way.
To avoid any setup with even a single question, decision point, or opportunity for navigation failure in their worst moment.
I made the research-backed grounding sequence available in one tap, the moment the app opens.
Why I designed it this way.
To avoid any setup with even a single question, decision point, or opportunity for navigation failure in their worst moment.
Regulation is not one-size-fits-all.
I included various stimuli, from breathing to learning, to accommodate a range of needs.
Why I designed it this way.
A single default method, even a well-tested one, could work for one person and dysregulate another.
I included various stimuli, from breathing to learning, to accommodate a range of needs.
Why I designed it this way.
A single default method, even a well-tested one, could work for one person and dysregulate another.
Where it Works
1. Different people reached for different tools.
- A yoga practitioner went straight to the breathing.
- A Type-A person used the psychoeducation and liked finally knowing what her body was doing.
- A busy homemaker calmed down with the soundscapes.
- One kept returning to the heartbeat.
- A young teen listened to river running to fall asleep.
- A veteran with PTSD uses the vent messaging to get his emotions out safely.
- Several stayed with the coloring.
2. The pull held across the full age range and genders I designed for
- Young teens to seasoned adults.
- Men and women alike are finding a feature that works for them.
- A yoga practitioner went straight to the breathing.
- A Type-A person used the psychoeducation and liked finally knowing what her body was doing.
- A busy homemaker calmed down with the soundscapes.
- One kept returning to the heartbeat.
- A young teen listened to river running to fall asleep.
- A veteran with PTSD uses the vent messaging to get his emotions out safely.
- Several stayed with the coloring.
2. The pull held across the full age range and genders I designed for
- Young teens to seasoned adults.
- Men and women alike are finding a feature that works for them.
Where it Broke & What I'm Doing About It
1. Three people deleted their own coloring with no way back.
- One gap, three different people. Not an edge case.
- Build a confirmation modal before any destructive actions
- Explore blocking back gestures on coloring pages.
2. They wanted more control over the tool.
- More brush sizes, undo, and zoom.
- Researching popular coloring mobile apps with customizable features
- Customizable backgrounds.
- Exploring the possibility of a library of safe, neutral background options.
- One gap, three different people. Not an edge case.
- Build a confirmation modal before any destructive actions
- Explore blocking back gestures on coloring pages.
2. They wanted more control over the tool.
- More brush sizes, undo, and zoom.
- Researching popular coloring mobile apps with customizable features
- Customizable backgrounds.
- Exploring the possibility of a library of safe, neutral background options.
Researched. Built. Tested. Shipped. Iterating.