Wellnest

Myself and three friends started Wellnest during our senior year at the University of Michigan. We were frustrated by the outdated, clinical mental health resources offered by universities, and we saw an opportunity to make mindfulness more engaging for the younger generation.

We tested our concept with a web app and private beta, then released Wellnest on the app store at the height of the Covid pandemic. Wellnest received a great response from students all over the country, and from a surprising number of adults. We rounded up our most devout users (4-7 entries a week) to ask about their experience, what they found useful, and what they struggled with. Here is what was important to them:

1. Ease of Use. Users valued the ability to quickly create a healthy routine. Wellnest's guided journaling prompts were very helpful; without prompts, many users would struggle to start writing.
2. Customization. Users loved the ability to customize the look of their journal, but they also wanted to customize the journal prompts to create the perfect routine for themselves.
3. Variety. Unexpected, thought provoking prompts kept the experience fresh. Wellnest's most popular feature was Daily Conversation, which delivered three random prompts each day.
4. Productivity. Users enjoyed setting their intentions for the day in the morning, tracking long term goals, and reflecting on their days in the evening.
5. Evidence of Progress. A pain point we quickly noticed was that users had difficulty knowing if they were making progress. To help, Wellnest delivered weekly and monthly reports that displayed changes in mood over time and resurfaced old entries to reflect on.
6. Sense of Community. While most people prefer a private journaling experience, it is motivating to know that others are journaling too. So Wellnest began displaying the number of people currently using the app, which was received very well. We also partnered with therapists and certain influencers so they could create journaling "courses", which contributed to the sense of community around Wellnest.