Bounce back from burnout
Bonsai uses evidence-based, empirical methods to evaluate your burnout risk, explain how burnout works, and provide customized recommendations to speed your own recovery.
Designing for burnout resilience
How we designed the first burnout app.
What we did
We joined the Bonsai team in June 2024 with the mission to design the first dedicated burnout app from the ground up.
This wasn't going to be yet another wellness product. It was our response to an epidemic devastating creative professionals everywhere. We combined the founder's expertise in burnout prevention and healing with our passion for human-centred design and personal experience battling burnout.
Research
We designed and executed a long-term research strategy: from in-depth interviews to beta testing.
Design
We crafted bold early concepts and refined user experience architecture, delightful visual design and micro-interactions.
Delivery
We created a robust system of atomic components that ensure smooth and sustainable growth for the product.
Growth
We continued delivering improvements through deep research, innovative design, and rigorous testing.
Key questions
What should the first burnout app look, feel, and function like? How do we create something that truly serves people in the most vulnerable moment?
We embarked on a journey of discovery, looking for the right way to deliver experience that eases burnout, not promises quick fixes or productivity hacks.
User Research
We worked closely with our users and burnout specialists to find the answer.
Our research centered on young creative professionals from developed countries—people caught between ambition and exhaustion, passion and depletion. We watched them interact with our early prototypes, noting not just what they clicked, but what excited them, where they hesitated, and what made them exhale with relief.
Concept
Visual design
Crafting a delightful healing space.
Bonsai's distinct visual identity is what sets the app apart and creates a calm, soothing experience with pastel colours, gentle type faces, and watercolour illustrations.
Reflection
What is one small thing that went well for you today?
Reflection
What small step can you take to improve your sleep or relaxation today?
Reflection
What was one moment of lightness fun you noticed today?
Reflection
What's one thing that can help your recovery this week?
Reflection
How could you create tiny moments of rest during busy periods?
Reflection
What would it feel like to approach care with both compassion and boundaries?
Experience design
Designing for recovery, not engagement.
We cannot deny that we do design with healthy engagement in mind, and envisioning what that looks like - recovery-first, through engagement. In a world of infinite feeds and endless push notifications, we strived to create a calming space for mindfulness, reflection, and growth. Each prompt was designed with intention, whether through tools that brought us to self-regulation, or to self-discovery.
