Overview
HereNow is an adaptive mental health app built for The Jewish Board — one of New York City’s largest social services organisations with 150 years of care behind it. The app adjusts its content and features to each individual user, surfacing the most relevant mental health tools from a full suite including meditations, journals, self-assessments, community boards, fitness, telehealth, and rewards. Awsm designed and developed the React Native app for iOS and Android, building an accessible, clinically-informed digital product that meets vulnerable users where they are.
Client
The Jewish Board, New York
Industry
Healthcare • Mental Health
Geography
United States
Our Role
Tech
The Client
The Jewish Board is one of New York City’s largest and most established social services organisations — providing mental health, developmental disabilities, and social services to tens of thousands of New Yorkers each year. With a 150-year history of care, The Jewish Board needed a digital mental health tool that reflected their clinical expertise and served a diverse, vulnerable user population.
The Challenge
Mental health apps face a unique design challenge: they serve users who are often in moments of genuine vulnerability. The app needed to be calming, intuitive, non-stigmatising, and adaptive — adjusting to the individual user’s needs rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all experience. Features needed to be carefully designed not to overwhelm, and the experience needed to feel supportive rather than clinical.
What We Built
Adaptive Content System
The core innovation of HereNow: the app adapts its content and features to best support each individual user. Based on user behaviour, self-assessment responses, and preferences, the app surfaces the most relevant tools and content — making the experience feel personalised rather than generic.
Feature Suite
- Meditations — guided meditation sessions for stress, anxiety, sleep, and focus
- Journals — private journaling with prompts designed by mental health professionals
- Self-assessments — evidence-informed check-ins that help users understand their mental state and track changes over time
- Community message boards — peer support spaces where users can connect, share, and find community
- Fitness — physical wellness activities integrated into the mental health experience, reflecting the mind-body connection
- Telehealth — direct connection to The Jewish Board’s clinical services from within the app
- Rewards — positive reinforcement system encouraging consistent engagement with mental health practices
Accessibility
Built with accessibility as a core requirement — a mental health app serving a diverse population must be usable by people with visual, motor, and cognitive differences. WCAG-aligned implementation throughout
Technology
Results
- A clinically-informed digital mental health tool serving The Jewish Board’s New York user base
- Adaptive content system delivering personalised experiences at scale
- Telehealth integration removing friction between digital support and clinical care
