Nimbus is a thoughtfully designed OCD support application, offering an intuitive and user-centered interface that helps individuals and their partners navigate symptoms, track progress, and access valuable resources for effective symptom management and mental well-being.

Nimbus

My Role

UI/UX Designer

Tools Used

Figma

Timeline

Spring 2025

Overview

Project Overview

This project aimed to develop an OCD support application designed to provide individuals with an intuitive and user-friendly platform for symptom management. The primary goal was to create a seamless experience that enables users to track symptoms, access coping strategies, and gain a deeper understanding of their condition through structured guidance and resources. The motivation stemmed from the need for a well-designed, accessible tool that fosters better communication and support, helping users navigate the challenges of OCD with greater ease and confidence.

Problem Statement

Current OCD management apps lack personalization and holistic support.

Initial Thinking

Millions of individuals struggle with OCD symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and anxiety that impact their daily lives. Many find it difficult to access effective resources, support, and therapy. Our goal was to design Nimbus, a user-centered mobile application that provides structured symptom management, community engagement, and professional support to help individuals navigate their OCD more effectively.

  • Individuals experiencing OCD symptoms seeking structured support

  • Partners and loved ones of those with OCD who want to better understand and provide support

  • Young adults and students managing OCD while balancing school, work, and relationships

Target Users

  1. How might we create an intuitive and stigma-free platform for OCD management?

  2. How might we help users track symptoms and recognize patterns in their experiences?

  3. How might we provide community-driven support while maintaining privacy and security?

  4. How might we integrate professional resources for those seeking therapy or guidance?

How Might We Questions

  • Competitive analysis of existing mental health and OCD management apps

  • Interviews with individuals diagnosed with OCD to understand their needs and pain points

  • Surveys conducted within online OCD communities to gauge user expectations

  • Online Ethnography of existing OCD communities

Research Methods

Research 1 - Existing Tools

  • NOCD

  • Clarity

  • OCD.app

Current Apps Available:

Mobile app dashboard showing Monday selected, with today's plan including check-in prompt, guided journal, crash course on CBT, and tip of the day, navigation menu at the bottom with icons for home, discover, insights, and entries.
Mobile app screen for OCD therapy, showing options to connect with therapists, learn about OCD, meet therapists, read reviews, and view clinical information.
Mobile app screen displaying mental health modules, including 'ROCD', 'Thinking loops', 'Anxiety I', and 'Anxiety II' with progress indicators.
Comparison chart of three software tools with features and compatibility. The chart includes icons, check marks, and crosses indicating feature availability across different software.

Key Insights

Many OCD-focused apps lack holistic, integrated support

Community support is rarely emphasized or well moderated

Coping tools often reinforce checking behaviors instead of reducing them

User Research

Background Research

  • Understand the most common OCD symptoms and challenges users face

  • Identify gaps in existing OCD support applications

  • Determine user preferences for tracking, community, and professional support features

Research Goals

  • Intuitive Symptom Tracking: Log intrusive thoughts and compulsions without reinforcing behaviors.

  • Personalized Coping Tools: Tailored ERP, CBT, and ACT-based strategies.

  • Private & Community Support: Choose between private journaling or anonymous discussions.

  • Minimal & Accessible UI: Customizable themes, fonts, and a distraction-free interface.

Target Needs and Goals

We conducted a qualitative analysis of over 80 community posts on Reddit and online forums. Themes emerged around stigma, symptom expression, coping methods, and emotional impact.

Online Ethnography

  • Community Support is Lacking: Many users feel isolated, misunderstood by friends/partners, or fear judgment.

  • Intrusive Thoughts Are Taboo: Users hesitate to share Harm OCD thoughts due to fear of misinterpretation.

  • Coping Methods Vary Widely: Users self-soothe with timers, photos, journaling, mental mantras, or avoidance.

  • Emotional Toll is High: Frustration, shame, and confusion were common. Many describe daily disruptions due to checking, contamination fears, and compulsive rituals.

  • Differentiating Symptoms is Difficult: Users struggle to separate compulsions from coping tools, leading to unintentional reinforcement.

Key Insights

Top Keywords & Themes:

  • Intrusive thoughts, compulsions, confusion, stigma, support, trauma, shame, checking, contamination, reassurance, neurobiology, therapy limitations, co-occurring disorders.

Mind map about intrusive thoughts, triggers, strategies, and coping mechanisms for OCD. Includes notes on OCD triggers, cognitive processes, and managing intrusive thoughts.
A digital screenshot of a note-taking or organizational app showing various categorized topics related to mental health and coping mechanisms, including acceptance, coping with OCD, mindfulness, fear of losing loved ones, coping with audio and music, compulsions, and medical OCD/triggers.

User Responses

Interviews & Surveys

We conducted 4 one-on-one interviews to identify specific user needs.

  • High Interest in Habit Tracking Tools: Lockbox/checklist feature was rated 4.8/5 in usefulness for reassurance tracking.

  • Anonymous Community Boards Are Preferred: Users want to connect, but need privacy due to stigma or shame.

  • Desire for Reframing & Grounding Tools: Users asked for ways to manage thoughts without reinforcing compulsions.

  • Educational Content Is Empowering: Many wished they had access to subtype and therapy info earlier in their diagnosis.

  • Gamification & Visual Confirmation Help: Photo-based check-ins, streaks, and calming animations are encouraging.

Key Findings

A text conversation between Kate and a participant discussing tools and strategies for managing OCD and Harm OCD.

Prototyping

  • Visual Identity:

    • Nimbus icon = friendly cloud

    • Soft, muted palette with customizable themes

    • Weather related icons for mood tracking

    Navigation:

    • Bottom nav bar for quick access

    • Interactive cloud icon on homepage

    • Personality quiz at sign-up to tailor features

Design Decisions

A color palette chart with various colors and their hex codes, the name 'Poppins 20' and font sizes 'Poppins 14' and 'Poppins 12' with a smiling cloud graphic, and multiple black and white icons including a house, checkmark, smiley face, bell, phone, paw print, person, magnifying glass, heart monitor, and others.

Wireframes

We began with wireframes to map out core features like mood tracking, the lockbox, community posts, and breathing exercises. These early layouts helped us test navigation flow, identify pain points, and iterate quickly based on user feedback. The wireframes focused on clarity to reduce cognitive overload for users managing OCD symptoms.

Screenshots of a mental health and self-improvement mobile app showing various features such as quick exercises, community feed, calendar, user profile, progress tracking, and mood trends.

User Feedback

We ran a usability test on Maze with 5 participants and measured performance across key tasks. Overall, test users found Nimbus intuitive and visually calming, with several features standing out as helpful for managing OCD-related challenges. However, we also identified some major designs that needed refinement.

Usability Testing

100%

users successfully completed all tasks

48%

misclick rate on the Mood Tracker

32%

misclick rate on reading an article

  • "The guided exercises are so convenient and easy to use"

  • "This app gives an outlet to individuals with OCD to write down their habits and feeling"

  • "I think it would help my overthinker brain using it"

  • ““The cloud button confused me at first, but once I understood it, I really liked how quick it was to track my mood”

Key Feedback

High-fidelity Design

Based on our usability testing, we refined our final prototype to better cater towards the user’s needs as well as make the overall UI more intuitive.

Design Solution

Personalization Quiz

01

Personalization Quiz during app signup to help tailor the app to each user’s specific needs and wants. Users’ answers to the questions on the quiz will allow the app to determine what goals they want to achieve and what steps they need to take to get to that point.

Smartphone screen displaying a simple cloud character with a face and text that says, 'To finish setting up your profile, please answer a few quick questions,' with a blue button labeled 'I'm ready!'

02

Helps users manage compulsions by recording proof of completed actions (e.g., photo of locked door or typing in their coping strategy), reducing their urge to re-check throughout the day.

Lockbox & Checklist

Mobile app screen showing a greeting to Rachel, quick exercises section with breathing and grounding options, daily habit checklist with door locking, hand washing, and oven turning-off, support resources with contact and crisis hotline, and navigation icons at the bottom.

03

Clickable cloud on bottom navigation bar allows users to quickly track daily mood and progress. Different designs reinforce streaks and growth, and users can see their weekly progress.

Mood Cloud

A smartphone screen showing a health and wellness app with sections for quick exercises, a daily habit checklist, and support resources.

04

Anonymous, customizable usernames make users feel safe and connected. Includes options to upvote, comment, and bookmark posts or informational articles.

Community Board

Smartphone screen displaying a community chat app with user posts about OCD and mental health, with icons for home, community, progress, and profile at the bottom.

05

Breathing exercises, grounding activities, and reframing prompts available for immediate support. These help users to reconnect to themselves when in moments of anxiety or stress.

Guided Tools

Mobile app screen showing a greeting to Rachel, quick exercises for breathing and grounding, a daily habit checklist with locked items, and support resources including contact and crisis hotline options.

Impact

Nimbus provides a nonjudgmental space for young adults with OCD to track symptoms, access evidence-based tools, and connect with a supportive community

Cutesy, smiling cartoon cloud with a glowing blue outline

Reflection

This project taught me how deeply design choices affect mental health tools. From anonymity in social features to intuitive trackers, every detail matters when building for vulnerable users.

If given more time, I’d explore integration with professional therapy platforms and expand our features for partners and loved ones.

Working on Nimbus reminded me that empathy is not just a design principle, it’s the foundation of everything we build!

Takeaways