Startups don’t die from bad ideas—they die from untested ones.
The graveyard of failed apps is full of beautiful interfaces no one understood, features no one needed, and onboarding flows so confusing they made users close the app in under 60 seconds.

The truth? If you don’t validate your UX early, if you don’t build with emotion, clarity, and flexibility from day one—your MVP isn’t a launch. It’s a countdown.Case Study: Designing the Mental Health App Samto From MVP to Scalable Product

Samto is a mental wellness app that helps users improve their emotional state through interactive tools, mood tracking, and daily support from an AI-powered assistant. The vision was clear: empower users to take care of their mental well-being through smart, intuitive design.

But to get from idea to impact, they needed more than just UI—they needed a full-stack approach: UX strategy, visual identity, and iterative product thinking.

The Challenge: Building an MVP That’s Truly User-Ready

When the Samto team came to us, they were developing their MVP and needed help turning early product hypotheses into a coherent experience. They wanted to:

• Understand what features matter most to users

• Build an intuitive structure for onboarding and retention

• Create a brand that emotionally resonates, especially in the mental health space

Our job was to transform their early vision into a clear, testable product with long-term flexibility.

Step 1: Market Research and UX Hypotheses

Before we designed anything, we conducted deep competitive and user research:

• Analyzed UX patterns in leading mental wellness and self-help apps

• Identified key triggers and pain points users experience in onboarding and mood-tracking tools

• Proposed feature prioritization for the MVP based on user needs and feasibility

• Designed a flexible app structure that would allow new features to be integrated later

Takeaway: Even the best UX ideas fail if they’re not tied to real-world behavior and usage patterns.

Step 2: Branding That Feels Like Emotional Support

In wellness tech, trust and tone matter as much as functionality. We crafted a visual identity that:

• Communicates calm, safety, and intelligent guidance

• Uses gradients, light effects, and soft energy visuals to evoke a “mental recharge” effect

• Centers around the idea of a “glowing energy core” as the visual metaphor for the AI assistant

The result? A brand that feels human, even when powered by AI.

Step 3: UX Design Rooted in Real User Flows

We mapped the entire user journey from download to daily habit:

• Developed a full Customer Journey Map from first app open to regular mood tracking

• Identified friction points and designed around them

• Built an optimized User Flow to ensure clarity and engagement across the entire app experience

We benchmarked top competitors and found emotional tone and onboarding clarity to be the biggest differentiators.

Step 4: UI Design With Motion and Emotion

We translated our UX flows into a fully interactive interface:

• Light-filled gradients, smooth animations, and soft edge interactions

• AI assistant visualized as an energy orb that “responds” to user needs

• Thoughtful typography and layout for accessibility and calmness

This is not just interface—it’s immersive visual care.

Step 5: Website for Market Education and Conversion

To support growth and acquisition, we designed the marketing site with:

• Clear brand-aligned messaging about the app’s benefits

• Trust-building design based on user psychology

• Flexible landing structure that can support future A/B testing and content campaigns

Your product’s first point of contact is your website—so it has to work just as hard.

Step 6: V2 Optimization Based on Real User Feedback

One year after launch, the Samto team returned for help improving the app. We:

• Analyzed behavioral data from early users

• Improved navigation and added new user-requested features

• Conducted iterative user testing to optimize UX updates

Lesson: MVPs don’t just get launched. They evolve. And your design system needs to support that evolution.

Results

• A unique visual identity that sets Samto apart in a crowded wellness market

• A user-centered app flow tested through real usage patterns

• A marketing website that effectively communicates benefits and drives downloads

• An optimized second version based on direct user feedback

• A scalable design system that allows future features to integrate easily

Key Takeaways for Founders and Product Teams

1. Design isn’t decoration. It’s how users navigate emotion, value, and decision-making.

2. MVP ≠ Minimum design. It means maximum learning with minimum waste.

3. Visual identity is UX. The way something feels visually is core to how it performs functionally—especially in mental health.

4. Test before you scale. Building without feedback is not product design. It’s hope.

5. Brand, product, and marketing must align. Users don’t separate them—neither should you.

Ready to design a product that people actually want to use?

We work with mental health startups, AI founders, and wellness platforms to turn early-stage ideas into scalable, beautifully functional products. Whether you’re building your first MVP or optimizing your second version—we bring structure, clarity, and momentum.

Let’s talk about your mission and how we can support it https://tally.so/r/3jElgx

FAQ

1. Can you help us design just the UX without branding?
Yes. While we often work on full-scope projects, we’re happy to collaborate on just the UX if that’s where your current focus is.

2. What if we already have a developer team?
Perfect. We can hand off fully annotated design files and support your developers through implementation.

3. How long does a project like this usually take?
Initial MVP design and brand work typically take 4–6 weeks. V2 updates and additional features can be handled in agile sprints.

4. Do you only work with wellness or mental health apps?
Not at all. We’ve designed productivity apps, community platforms, and education products—but we love working with products that have real human impact.

5. How do you handle UX research?
We combine competitor analysis, market research, behavioral data, and direct user interviews whenever possible. Every design decision is backed by intent.