Could a mobile Makeover Reduce Dropouts in Mental Health Tools?
Design of the LifeCraft App
October 16th, 2025
Tina Coenen
Let’s kick off the new academic year with findings from a student project I supervised last year. The project was about LifeCraft, an online program designed to strengthen mental health and resilience, and grounded in self-determination theory.
If that theory doesn’t immediately ring a bell, here’s a quick overview: it suggests that people thrive when three basic psychological needs are met:
Autonomy: feeling that you are in charge of your life;
Competence: feeling skilled and capable of achieving goals;
Connectedness: feeling a sense of belonging with others.
LifeCraft helps people practice what’s called need crafting. This means becoming aware of what these three needs mean to you and actively finding ways to meet them. For example, someone might fulfil their need for connectedness by going for a run with a friend and having a meaningful social interaction.
Research by Dr. van den Bogaard and colleagues has shown that LifeCraft can boost students’ well-being and resilience, even during stressful periods.
However, two main challenges remain:
High dropout rates, especially among participants with poorer mental health.
Limited accessibility, since LifeCraft was originally available only on desktop (LifeCraft | MoodSpace).
To tackle these issues, the student project focused on designing mock-ups for a mobile version of LifeCraft. The goal was to create an engaging, user-friendly design that supports long-term use.
The student came up with a mobile design that is not only creative and visually appealing (and yes, also quite cute), but it also aligns with the three psychological needs:
Autonomy: Users can choose their avatar, colour theme, and the order of modules.
Connectedness: The avatar acts as a digital guide, helping users feel supported.
Competence: A clear onboarding tutorial helps users feel confident from the start.
The big question - whether a mobile LifeCraft app can reduce dropout rates - will be answered in future research. For now, Dr. van den Bogaard’s team is preparing a pilot study to test the usability and user experience of the student-designed mock-ups.
It’s exciting to see a student project move beyond the classroom and spark real-world impact. And with further testing on the horizon, this is only the beginning. Stay tuned!
For those who want to try need crafting themselves (I highly recommend it!): LifeCraft | MoodSpace.
