Minus- A digital wellness app to help ourselves (Gold Medal 🥇)

We wake up to our screens

Every morning begins the same way.
Not with water. Not with sunlight.
But with a phone.

In 2022, the average person checked their phone 344 times a day.
We were part of that number. Somewhere between curiosity and fatigue, we began to wonder if design could help people find balance, not by forcing disconnection, but by teaching awareness.

Percentage of people distracted by the category of apps.

Why quitting doesn’t work

Most digital wellness tools try to stop people from using their phones. They block, restrict, and count. But habits do not change when control is taken away.

From our research and 225 user responses, we realised something else was needed.
People do not want to use their devices less. They want to use them better.
They want to replace guilt with intention.
That insight shaped the foundation of our idea.

Designing balance

We decided to shift the focus from punishment to transformation.

In Minus, every minute of unproductive screen time earns “minus points.”
You can restore balance by investing those points into mindful activities like walking, reading, or meditating.
Instead of locking users out, the app motivates them to earn their way back through real-world actions.

Minus does not punish usage. It transforms it into progress.

Day 1 tracks your usage, Day 2 helps you balance it

Designing calm technology

Calmness became the design principle.
The interface was meant to rest the eyes and quiet the mind.
We used a dark, teal-based palette, minimal contrast, and clean typography to keep everything simple and light.

The design followed four key principles:

1. Simple. Fewer screens and fewer distractions.

2. Adaptive. Works at each user’s pace and motivation level.

3. Accessible. Welcomes everyone, including those with special needs.

4. Scalable. Extends beyond phones to widgets, desktops, and wearables.

   
   

User Preferences to customise the activity of their choice/ User onboarding

Minus Homescreen

Tasks/Activity Flow

What we learned while looking away

We began by designing for others, but ultimately learned about our own habits.
Minus showed us that digital wellness is not about spending less time on screens.
It is about creating more moments around them that matter.

Winning the Gold Medal 🥇 was exciting, but what stayed with us was the idea of mindful change through design.

Email me, or schedule a call for a detailed walkthrough.