Wellky

Wellky: Mental health check-ins made fun! Rate your mood on a scale of dog (9 expressions), get personalized wellbeing insights across 5 life dimensions. Self-care, simplified.

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Inspiration

The inspiration for this app has been my own personal journey. From the outside, I seemed to have the “perfect life,” but inside, I felt burned out and lost. Therapy, even though accessible, only took me so far, and it was time-consuming and expensive.

In 2018, after quitting my job and moving to Bali, I rediscovered myself and, for the first time in my adult life, experienced deep meaning and happiness. This life-changing period led me to pursue studies in the Science of Happiness alongside Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, who later invited me to join as one of his adjunct professors in the MA in Happiness Studies.

Over the last five years, I realized the urgent need for a simple, practical, and fast way for people to assess their mental health, paired with access to professionals who can provide science-based tools to help them flourish. Wellky is not the end, it’s only the beginning of a movement to democratize mental health and happiness, helping people live their best lives and ultimately contributing to a better world.

What it does

Wellky is a science-based wellbeing check-in tool. In just 15 questions, it helps users gain clarity across five key dimensions: Mind, Body, Purpose, Relationships, and Emotions, which are based on the SPIRE and PERMA models from positive psychology. The app provides a simple snapshot, not a diagnosis, that guides reflection and offers an optional path to connect directly with a wellbeing expert for personalized guidance. Wellky bridges the knowing–doing gap, helping people not only understand their wellbeing but also move toward lasting change in everyday life.

How we built it

I partnered with an experienced programmer who shares the same passion for mental health, wellbeing, and human flourishing. Together, we combined evidence-based psychology models (PERMA, SPIRE, and Positive Psychology research) with a user-friendly mobile experience. The design was kept minimal and engaging, ensuring accessibility for anyone, regardless of background or prior knowledge.

Challenges we ran into

Balancing science with simplicity: We wanted to honor the depth of research behind wellbeing without overwhelming users. Distilling academic models into accessible language was a challenge. Technical limitations: Ensuring the app ran smoothly across devices while keeping the design engaging required trade-offs. Perfection trap: When working on a mental health app, it’s tempting to endlessly refine every word and feature. We had to learn to let go and move forward. Emotional vulnerability: Building something rooted in my personal story meant revisiting moments of struggle and burnout — but also fueled authenticity. Different perspectives: With a multidisciplinary team, we often had diverse ideas about how best to design the experience. Reaching alignment required patience, openness, and compromise — but it made the final product stronger.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Transforming years of research and personal growth into something accessible to anyone with a smartphone.
  • Creating a clean, minimal design that users describe as both serious and approachable, striking the balance we aimed for.
  • Building not just an app, but the foundations of a platform that democratizes happiness and mental health information and tools.

What we learned

Through creating this app, I learned that everything can always be improved, but there’s a moment where you must decide it’s good enough to serve others. Perfection delays impact. Progress creates an opportunity to learn, and it's the only way to foster real change.

What's next for Wellky

Personalized recommendations: Based on user results, the app will soon offer tailored wellbeing practices and tools. Deeper insights: Integrating long-term tracking and reflective prompts to help users see their growth over time. Community: A space where people can share experiences, support each other, and celebrate progress. AI-powered microlearnings: We aim to integrate artificial intelligence to deliver personalized microlearnings that adapt in real time to each user’s needs and preferences. This will make guidance more dynamic, actionable, and relevant. Expansion: Bringing Wellky to more languages and regions, making wellbeing accessible globally. Wellky’s mission is clear: to give people the clarity, insights, and support they need to flourish, one simple check-in at a time.

Built With

  • cursor
  • expo.io
  • reactnative
  • revenuecat
  • supabase
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