Inspiration Most mental health apps feel a little too clinical or overly serious. Gratitude journals are great in theory, but they’re easy to ignore unless something nudges you. I wanted to build something lighter — something that feels like a breath of air, not a task.
HappyHops takes the idea of a 5-minute daily check-in and wraps it in a cozy, calming game loop. You write a quick reflection, get a gentle nudge from AI if something seems off, and then — only then — you get to hop around as a little bunny.
What it does HappyHops is a mobile app that pairs short, daily journaling with a simple jump game. You reflect for a few minutes, and behind the scenes, an AI quietly analyzes what you wrote — flagging emotional red flags or patterns you might want to notice. It’s subtle, not preachy.
Once you journal, the game unlocks. No reflection? No hops. It’s a gentle form of accountability that rewards consistency. You also earn points for keeping a streak, which will eventually let you unlock customizations in the shop.
It’s cozy self-care disguised as something you actually want to come back to.
How I built it – React Native (Expo) with TypeScript for the mobile frontend – OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo API to analyze user reflections – Firebase Firestore to store journal entries and track user points/streaks – Firebase Auth (prepped for future login) – .env and GitHub Push Protection to keep secrets secure – State management via React hooks (useState) – Modular screen architecture: journaling, chat, game, explore – A simple bunny jump game with custom sprites and soft visuals
Challenges I ran into – Keeping the user experience cohesive between journaling, AI chat, and gameplay – Learning Firebase’s data structure and write/read flows from scratch – Accidentally pushing an API key to GitHub and learning to clean commit history properly – Balancing scope vs polish — I built this entire app solo, in under 24 hours
Accomplishments I'm proud of – Fully functional mobile app with journaling, AI analysis, game logic, and backend – Learned and implemented Firebase + OpenAI API + mobile dev workflow on my own – Created a calming color scheme and aesthetic that stays consistent across the app – Designed a feedback loop that rewards reflection instead of pressuring it
What I learned – How to structure and deploy a full-stack mobile app solo – Firebase Firestore read/write logic and setup – Prompt design for GPT in a mental health setting – The importance of small UX details when working with emotional content
What’s next – Add daily reminder notifications for journaling – Polish the “journal to unlock game” flow – Launch a shop system to spend points on skins and accessories – Track mood/emotional patterns using GPT output over time – Implement full user auth with Firebase – Refine game mechanics and feedback for more polish
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