Problem
Mindstars CIC is a children's mental health charity delivering in-person workshops and activities designed to support young people’s wellbeing. While their face-to-face programmes were impactful, their reach was limited by staff capacity and geography. They came to us with a clear goal: to develop an iOS app prototype that could help them scale their offering nationally — starting by gathering feedback from children they already worked with, and ultimately using the prototype to secure investment and funding.
Solution
We began by collaborating closely with Mindstars and their design partner, Digital Catapult, to understand the organisation’s goals, content, and audiences. While Digital Catapult led on UX and UI design, we were responsible for all technical implementation.
We built a fully functioning iOS app that included:
- A structured programme of video and text-based content
- A simple mood diary for children to track their emotions
- A visual "worry tree" to help users process thoughts step by step
On the backend, we developed a secure content management system that allowed the Mindstars team to update and manage their programme content. We also placed strong emphasis on backend security and safeguarding, ensuring the system was built with children’s data and usage in mind.
Results
The process gave Mindstars a scalable digital foundation to build upon. They began using it with children in their existing networks to gather qualitative feedback and test the viability of a wider rollout. The app has become a key asset in their mission to attract future funding — enabling them to demonstrate the potential of a digital extension to their in-person work.
