End-to-End Redesign of a Mental Health App for Veterans

Virtual Hope Box is one of the most downloaded apps offered by the Defense Health Agency. A mental health toolkit designed to help active duty service members, veterans, and the general public manage stress, anxiety, and emotional wellbeing. The app was nearly a decade old and in significant need of modernization across both its visual design and user experience.

I led the redesign across six two-week design sprints, working through a wide range of interfaces, from media players and coping card builders to guided breathing exercises and a secure storage plan for firearms and medication. Designing for a mental health audience required particular care around language, tone, and the emotional weight of certain features, especially those touching on crisis resources and self-harm prevention.

Midway through the project I was joined by my colleague Cruz Rico, and together we completed the remaining design work a full sprint ahead of schedule. The redesign fed directly into a structured usability study on the Guide Me section, findings from which shaped the next iteration of the app.

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