better.21

Inspiration

A year ago, I lost my job. I was overwhelmed by anxiety and felt powerless, with so many things weighing on me that I could barely breathe. Instead of facing my problems, I avoided them. Eventually, I stopped doing anything at all. But the emptiness made me realize I couldn’t keep living like this. I came across a few videos about starting with one small, easy habit—something simple enough to remind yourself, I can do this. So I started with 21 days. One small habit, one small step at a time. Little by little, I began to pull myself out of the mud.

What it does

Help people get a little better every day—starting with building good habits or breaking bad ones, and creating a better life.

How we built it

Used Figma for prototyping, UI, and product design, and built the app natively in SwiftUI with Codex.

Challenges we ran into

Codex didn’t always produce the results I expected, so I had to constantly refine the interactions based on what was actually implemented—keeping the core experience simple and intuitive while making the interactions feel fresh and engaging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

This is the first product I’ve ever built. It started as a small, actionable step that helped me climb out of one of the lowest points in my life. I hope it can help others who may feel just as stuck—to change their lives one step at a time, find the light again, and embrace life. It also reflects a lot of what I’ve learned as a designer about products and interaction. In a world where products keep becoming more complex, making something truly simple, focused, and consistent is surprisingly difficult. Building this product taught me that good design is often about balance—knowing what to keep, what to simplify, and, most importantly, what to leave out.

What we learned

In the age of AI, new products are everywhere. But building something people truly want to use, love to use, and find easy to use takes more than technology. It takes warmth, attention to detail, empathy, and genuine care.

What's next for better.21

We plan to introduce community features that help people find others on the same wavelength. Facing emptiness alone can feel overwhelming, so we want to create a space where people can support one another, start with small steps, and gradually build better lives together.