Arena®
Arena®
Arena®
Haven Case Study.
Ai therapist app rethink.
Haven Case Study.
Ai therapist app rethink.
Haven Case Study.
Ai therapist app rethink.
Meet Echo
Putting a face behind the thought
Meet Echo
Putting a face behind the thought
Meet Echo
Putting a face behind the thought
📝 What is Haven?
Haven is your safe space in the cloud — a powerful AI therapy companion designed to help you process your thoughts, feelings, and challenges.
🎯 My Role
I built Haven from the ground up, owning every part of the process — from concept and research to design, development, and launch.
🚩 The Problem
Many people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, were turning to chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support. While these tools allowed people to talk, they often lacked the therapeutic depth, structure, and proven techniques that make real therapy effective.
💡 The Solution
Haven bridges that gap by combining AI availability with influential therapeutic practices. It gives users more than someone to listen — it offers perspective, guidance, and tailored tools to help them work through challenges.
☁️ Meet Echo
At the heart of Haven is Echo — a thoughtful, cloud-shaped character who listens as you vent, reflect, or explore what’s on your mind. Echo responds with empathy and insight, guiding you toward solutions that fit your unique circumstances.
📝 What is Haven?
Haven is your safe space in the cloud — a powerful AI therapy companion designed to help you process your thoughts, feelings, and challenges.
🎯 My Role
I built Haven from the ground up, owning every part of the process — from concept and research to design, development, and launch.
🚩 The Problem
Many people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, were turning to chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support. While these tools allowed people to talk, they often lacked the therapeutic depth, structure, and proven techniques that make real therapy effective.
💡 The Solution
Haven bridges that gap by combining AI availability with influential therapeutic practices. It gives users more than someone to listen — it offers perspective, guidance, and tailored tools to help them work through challenges.
☁️ Meet Echo
At the heart of Haven is Echo — a thoughtful, cloud-shaped character who listens as you vent, reflect, or explore what’s on your mind. Echo responds with empathy and insight, guiding you toward solutions that fit your unique circumstances.
📝 What is Haven?
Haven is your safe space in the cloud — a powerful AI therapy companion designed to help you process your thoughts, feelings, and challenges.
🎯 My Role
I built Haven from the ground up, owning every part of the process — from concept and research to design, development, and launch.
🚩 The Problem
Many people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, were turning to chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support. While these tools allowed people to talk, they often lacked the therapeutic depth, structure, and proven techniques that make real therapy effective.
💡 The Solution
Haven bridges that gap by combining AI availability with influential therapeutic practices. It gives users more than someone to listen — it offers perspective, guidance, and tailored tools to help them work through challenges.
☁️ Meet Echo
At the heart of Haven is Echo — a thoughtful, cloud-shaped character who listens as you vent, reflect, or explore what’s on your mind. Echo responds with empathy and insight, guiding you toward solutions that fit your unique circumstances.
Why build Haven?
I saw AI therapy as a validated idea. Millennials and Gen Z were already forming bonds with chatbots like ChatGPT, using them as therapeutic tools. The validation was everywhere — from friends’ anecdotes to viral social media content showing people turning to AI for comfort and guidance.
But here’s the gap I noticed: while chatbots could listen, they often lacked the knowledge and reasoning depth that effective therapy requires. That’s where Haven comes in. I trained Echo, Haven’s companion, on the most up-to-date and effective therapeutic techniques — the same ones top therapists use in practice. This includes strategies like the Bottom Technique and frameworks such as the Four Horsemen, among many others.
At the same time, I knew people don’t just want to talk to a large language model — they want to connect with something human-feeling, warm, and relatable. That’s why I created Echo, the cloud-shaped character who serves as the vessel for Haven’s AI therapy.
Haven combines the best of AI’s availability with proven therapeutic wisdom and a touch of personality to make support feel personal, safe, and accessible. For me, it wasn’t just a good idea — it was an easy decision.
Why build Haven?
I saw AI therapy as a validated idea. Millennials and Gen Z were already forming bonds with chatbots like ChatGPT, using them as therapeutic tools. The validation was everywhere — from friends’ anecdotes to viral social media content showing people turning to AI for comfort and guidance.
But here’s the gap I noticed: while chatbots could listen, they often lacked the knowledge and reasoning depth that effective therapy requires. That’s where Haven comes in. I trained Echo, Haven’s companion, on the most up-to-date and effective therapeutic techniques — the same ones top therapists use in practice. This includes strategies like the Bottom Technique and frameworks such as the Four Horsemen, among many others.
At the same time, I knew people don’t just want to talk to a large language model — they want to connect with something human-feeling, warm, and relatable. That’s why I created Echo, the cloud-shaped character who serves as the vessel for Haven’s AI therapy.
Haven combines the best of AI’s availability with proven therapeutic wisdom and a touch of personality to make support feel personal, safe, and accessible. For me, it wasn’t just a good idea — it was an easy decision.
Why build Haven?
I saw AI therapy as a validated idea. Millennials and Gen Z were already forming bonds with chatbots like ChatGPT, using them as therapeutic tools. The validation was everywhere — from friends’ anecdotes to viral social media content showing people turning to AI for comfort and guidance.
But here’s the gap I noticed: while chatbots could listen, they often lacked the knowledge and reasoning depth that effective therapy requires. That’s where Haven comes in. I trained Echo, Haven’s companion, on the most up-to-date and effective therapeutic techniques — the same ones top therapists use in practice. This includes strategies like the Bottom Technique and frameworks such as the Four Horsemen, among many others.
At the same time, I knew people don’t just want to talk to a large language model — they want to connect with something human-feeling, warm, and relatable. That’s why I created Echo, the cloud-shaped character who serves as the vessel for Haven’s AI therapy.
Haven combines the best of AI’s availability with proven therapeutic wisdom and a touch of personality to make support feel personal, safe, and accessible. For me, it wasn’t just a good idea — it was an easy decision.
Design Descions
🎨 Branding & Early Design
I began by jumping into Figma to establish the brand identity and start brainstorming user flows. Alongside this, I conducted research into user pain points to better understand what people needed from an AI therapy tool and how Haven could meaningfully address those needs.
🏷️ Naming & Character Identity
The name “Haven” was chosen because it conveys a sense of safety, security, and calm — exactly what users should feel when they open the app. The character, “Echo”, was designed as a venting companion. The name reflects its role: at first, Echo simply bounces thoughts back to the user, validating emotions, before guiding them toward tailored solutions. This combination of name and character was critical to making the app feel more like a supportive space than just another chatbot.
🧭 Navigation
Since Haven was built in Unity, I designed the navigation around a sliding flow. Sliding provided a simple, intuitive way for users to move through the app without clutter or complexity. The goal was to keep the mechanics as seamless as possible so that the focus remained on the therapeutic experience, not on figuring out how to use the product.
✨ Micro-Interactions & Animations
One of the most important design decisions was incorporating micro-interactions and character animations. These added polish and delight, but more importantly, they made Echo feel alive. Research shows that users are more likely to open up when interacting with animated or character-based interfaces, and this proved true in testing — users described the experience as more engaging and supportive because of these subtle animations.
This principle is also visible in apps like Duolingo, which uses character animations to motivate learners and keep them engaged. While animations aren’t the sole reason for Duolingo’s success, they’ve been a proven factor in transforming learning into a fun, rewarding experience. With Haven, the goal was the same: to make reflection and self-therapy feel approachable, interactive, and emotionally resonant.
Design Descions
🎨 Branding & Early Design
I began by jumping into Figma to establish the brand identity and start brainstorming user flows. Alongside this, I conducted research into user pain points to better understand what people needed from an AI therapy tool and how Haven could meaningfully address those needs.
🏷️ Naming & Character Identity
The name “Haven” was chosen because it conveys a sense of safety, security, and calm — exactly what users should feel when they open the app. The character, “Echo”, was designed as a venting companion. The name reflects its role: at first, Echo simply bounces thoughts back to the user, validating emotions, before guiding them toward tailored solutions. This combination of name and character was critical to making the app feel more like a supportive space than just another chatbot.
🧭 Navigation
Since Haven was built in Unity, I designed the navigation around a sliding flow. Sliding provided a simple, intuitive way for users to move through the app without clutter or complexity. The goal was to keep the mechanics as seamless as possible so that the focus remained on the therapeutic experience, not on figuring out how to use the product.
✨ Micro-Interactions & Animations
One of the most important design decisions was incorporating micro-interactions and character animations. These added polish and delight, but more importantly, they made Echo feel alive. Research shows that users are more likely to open up when interacting with animated or character-based interfaces, and this proved true in testing — users described the experience as more engaging and supportive because of these subtle animations.
This principle is also visible in apps like Duolingo, which uses character animations to motivate learners and keep them engaged. While animations aren’t the sole reason for Duolingo’s success, they’ve been a proven factor in transforming learning into a fun, rewarding experience. With Haven, the goal was the same: to make reflection and self-therapy feel approachable, interactive, and emotionally resonant.
Design Descions
🎨 Branding & Early Design
I began by jumping into Figma to establish the brand identity and start brainstorming user flows. Alongside this, I conducted research into user pain points to better understand what people needed from an AI therapy tool and how Haven could meaningfully address those needs.
🏷️ Naming & Character Identity
The name “Haven” was chosen because it conveys a sense of safety, security, and calm — exactly what users should feel when they open the app. The character, “Echo”, was designed as a venting companion. The name reflects its role: at first, Echo simply bounces thoughts back to the user, validating emotions, before guiding them toward tailored solutions. This combination of name and character was critical to making the app feel more like a supportive space than just another chatbot.
🧭 Navigation
Since Haven was built in Unity, I designed the navigation around a sliding flow. Sliding provided a simple, intuitive way for users to move through the app without clutter or complexity. The goal was to keep the mechanics as seamless as possible so that the focus remained on the therapeutic experience, not on figuring out how to use the product.
✨ Micro-Interactions & Animations
One of the most important design decisions was incorporating micro-interactions and character animations. These added polish and delight, but more importantly, they made Echo feel alive. Research shows that users are more likely to open up when interacting with animated or character-based interfaces, and this proved true in testing — users described the experience as more engaging and supportive because of these subtle animations.
This principle is also visible in apps like Duolingo, which uses character animations to motivate learners and keep them engaged. While animations aren’t the sole reason for Duolingo’s success, they’ve been a proven factor in transforming learning into a fun, rewarding experience. With Haven, the goal was the same: to make reflection and self-therapy feel approachable, interactive, and emotionally resonant.
