Inspiration
Mental health is important but often overlooked, especially for busy students and professionals who might not have time or resources for formal support. I wanted to create a simple tool that encourages daily self-reflection and helps people notice patterns in their moods over time. Inspired by behavioral science concepts like “nudging,” the goal was to gently motivate positive habits through personalized suggestions.
What it does
WellNudge lets users type in how they’re feeling each day. It analyzes their text for mood-related keywords and assigns a mood score. Then, it shows these scores on a chart so users can track how their feelings change over time. Based on their mood, WellNudge provides personalized suggestions—small, manageable actions like taking a walk or trying meditation—to help improve emotional well-being.
How we built it
The app is built with a minimal backend using Node.js and Express to serve static files. The frontend is pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, with Chart.js used to display mood trends visually. The mood scoring system is a simple keyword matcher that looks for positive or negative words in the user's input and assigns a score accordingly. This approach keeps the app lightweight and easy to run anywhere, like GitHub Codespaces, without complex setup.
Challenges we ran into
I initially planned to use React to build the frontend, but setting up the environment in GitHub Codespaces was complicated and time-consuming. Switching to plain JavaScript and Node.js made the app easier to develop and deploy quickly. Another challenge was designing a user interface that felt welcoming and simple without relying on CSS frameworks like Tailwind. Lastly, building a meaningful but straightforward mood analysis system that worked in real-time took some experimentation.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I created a fully functional mental wellness tool that runs with minimal dependencies and can be deployed quickly. The app combines data visualization and personalized suggestions in an accessible way. It’s a project that balances simplicity with real impact, encouraging daily mental health check-ins without overwhelming users.
What we learned
This project reinforced the importance of simplicity in both design and implementation. I gained experience building a complete web app using just core web technologies and a minimal backend. It also highlighted how even basic natural language processing techniques can add real value to an app. Most importantly, we learned that thoughtful user experience is key when working with sensitive topics like mental health.
What's next for WellNudge
Future improvements include integrating AI-powered mood analysis with APIs like Google Gemini for more accurate sentiment detection. Adding user authentication and persistent data storage would allow users to keep their mood history across sessions. We’d also like to expand the suggestion system to include more personalized and varied nudges. Finally, refining the UI with animations and accessibility improvements will help make WellNudge even more engaging and inclusive.
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