Soulful
Designing a New Affirmations App
Problem
Affirmation apps offer inspiration, but no path to practice. Users scroll, bookmark, then abandon—because reading an affirmation isn't the same as practicing it.
Solution
Generate personalized practices from user-selected affirmations. When a user taps an affirmation, the app instantly presents a curated set of practices that connect to that affirmation's meaning. These range from awareness exercises to journaling prompts–all logged for completion at the user’s own pace.
Impact
Currently in development with TestFlight launch planned for Q1 2026. Early prototype testing validated the core concept and informed the final design direction.
Kickoff
The Challenge
I set out to build an affirmations app that actually drives behavior change. Having tried popular apps myself, I knew something was missing—but I needed to understand exactly what and why.
My high level goals were to:
Identify the specific feature gap through competitive analysis
Design a feedback loop that converts inspiration into action
Validate the concept with a functional iOS prototype
I tested 5 popular affirmation apps over a week.
The overall user experience was remarkably similar across all of them: select a category, swipe through affirmations, favorite them, and loop back. The experience began and ended with browsing.
This raised a question: if the broader mindfulness app space struggles with retention—research shows dropout rates between 21-54% and fewer than 4% daily engagement—could passive consumption be a contributing factor?
My hypothesis: Users abandon affirmation apps in part because reading doesn't lead to doing. Without a bridge from inspiration to action, the apps become digital quote collections, instead of tools for change.
Typical Flow
New Flow
“Without a bridge from inspiration to action, the apps become digital quote collections, instead of tools for change.”
Ideation
The Missing Link
Bridging this feature gap required extensive ideation and testing
I experimented with several different approaches, including a multi-step ‘flow’ model, taking users through a series of micro-practices in sequence, before giving them the option to select one practice to complete later.
In early prototype testing, however, users found the flow model too cumbersome. The sequential format also created a design constraint: most practices had to be completable in the moment, limiting what could be included.
Early multi-step flow model prototype
Consolidation
Introducing Practices
The breakthrough came when I simplified based on user feedback. Instead of a fixed sequence, what if users simply chose from a curated selection of practices matched to the affirmation they wanted to embody? This shifted the model from "follow this path" to "pick what resonates today."
The solution evolved into two connected pieces:
Practice Selection Screen
When users tap an affirmation, they see 4-6 relevant practices. Each is semantically matched to the affirmation's tags. "I trust my intuition" surfaces body scans, journaling prompts, and decision-making exercises.
Action Library
Selected practices save to a personal to-do list. Users check them off as they complete them, whether immediately or throughout their day. This freed practices from needing to be app-bound and created a tangible sense of progress.