We all worry. Whether we're overthinking social interactions or stressing about deadlines, the cycle of rumination can be hard to break. This anxiety can harm our mental well-being, or worsen symptoms of preexisting conditions like anxiety or OCD.
Worry Box is an anxiety management app developed using human-centred design principles and guided by empathy. It adapts the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) ‘worry box’ technique — the process of writing down our thoughts and placing them in a box, physically containing them to come back to later. Users can record, schedule, and reflect on their worries with guided prompts, track their progress, and gain insights into patterns in their thinking.
Worry Box’s creation was informed by extensive ethnographic research, such as in-person interviews and journey mapping. The visual design emulates the hand-written nature of the traditional process and avoids intrusive, gamified features often found in digital wellness apps. The final prototype underwent multiple rounds of user testing and iteration to ensure it met user needs.
