Decoding How We Feel: The $0 Revenue App Mastering Emotional Wellbeing (and Why It Matters)

Onboarding: Setting the Stage for Trust

The first interaction isn't a sales pitch; it's a gentle introduction. The app immediately clarifies its mission: offering "strategies to help you in the moment" and transparently states its business model – "It's free—Made possible by donations." This builds trust upfront. 🙏

Before diving in, a crucial step asks, "Why you're here?" Users select goals like "improve how I handle stress and anxiety" or "understand how emotions work." This isn't just personalization; it frames the app's value around user needs from the get-go. With 14 distinct steps, the onboarding is thorough but never overwhelming, guiding users purposefully towards their first core action: the emotional check-in.

The Check-in: More Than Just a Mood Log

The core loop revolves around logging feelings. Instead of basic smileys, "How We Feel" uses a vibrant, interactive cloud of emotions, categorized implicitly by color (e.g., yellow for energetic/positive, green for calm/content, blue for low-energy negative, red for high-energy negative). Users tap words like "Determined," "Curious," "Compassionate," or "Chill." ✨

Selecting an emotion leads to a deeper log: adding a journal entry (text), tagging activities ("Fitness," "Hobbies," "Eating"), companions ("By Myself," "Friends," "Pets"), and location context ("Home," "Outside"). This multi-dimensional logging is key to the app's promise: helping users spot patterns over time.

Beyond Logging: Tools for Emotional Regulation

"How We Feel" isn't just a passive tracker; it actively provides tools to manage emotions. The app offers a suite of resources:

• Breathing Exercises: Guided practices like "Box Breathing" and "Physiological Sigh" with calming visualizers. 🧘‍♀️
• Reframing Techniques: Interactive exercises like "Burn the Negative" (where users type out negative self-talk and watch it 'burn') and "Bright Spots" (focusing on positive experiences). 🔥
• Movement & Mindfulness: Short video guides for "Self Massage" or "Shake It Off," plus mindfulness practices like "Loving Kindness Meditation."
• Quotes & Affirmations: Swipable cards with inspirational quotes and the ability to create custom affirmations.

These tools are well-integrated, offering actionable support directly within the app environment.

Seamless UX & Thoughtful Design

The app nails the user experience. A dark mode interface, combined with soft, colourful emotion shapes and fluid animations, creates a calming, non-clinical atmosphere. The visual language is consistent, using unique shapes for different emotion families (shields, clouds, geometric forms). Small details, like haptic feedback during breathing exercises, enhance the sensory experience. It feels polished, intuitive, and supportive. 👌

The Anti-Monetization Model: Free Forever?

Here's the head-turner: $0 revenue. No paywall, no ads. The app is explicitly funded by donations. This is a bold strategy. While it removes conversion friction entirely, it relies heavily on user goodwill and external funding for sustainability. The ~55k monthly downloads suggest the value proposition resonates, but the lack of direct revenue is a significant departure from typical app models.

Growth seems focused on user value and potential organic sharing. The "Share your emotions with friends" feature (requiring Sign in with Apple for privacy) hints at a social connection element, fostering community support – a smart move for a wellbeing app.

Connecting the Dots: Data for Self-Discovery

Where "How We Feel" truly shines is its ability to connect logged data points. It integrates seamlessly with Apple Health, pulling in data like sleep duration, exercise minutes, mindful minutes, and even cycle tracking. 📊

The "Patterns" section visualizes this data over time (daily, weekly, monthly, all time), allowing users to see correlations: How does sleep impact mood? Does exercise correlate with feeling energized? How does weather potentially influence feelings? This focus on pattern recognition elevates the app from a simple journal to a powerful tool for self-understanding.

Why "How We Feel" Works (Even Without Revenue)

"How We Feel" demonstrates that a focus on genuine user wellbeing, combined with a slick UX and powerful features, can attract a significant user base even without traditional monetization.

Key Strengths:

• Trust & Transparency: Clear communication about the free model.
• Deep Emotional Vocabulary: Goes beyond basic moods.
• Actionable Tools: Provides concrete regulation strategies.
• Data Integration: Leverages health data for deeper insights.
• Exceptional UX/UI: Calming, intuitive, and visually appealing.

While the $0 revenue model is unconventional, the app excels at delivering its core promise: helping users understand and navigate their emotional landscape. It’s a compelling case study in prioritizing user value and building a dedicated audience through thoughtful design and genuine utility. Understanding these nuanced user journeys and feature interactions is critical for anyone building apps today.