Groodles - Art Therapy App

Hello, Product Hunt!

I'm excited to introduce Groodles to all of you. The first lines of code for Groodles were written almost three years ago when I realized how powerful art therapy was in helping me cope during the early stages of the pandemic. After significant pauses and non-stop efforts over the last six months with two amazing collaborators, I am thrilled for the world to try out Groodles (GRatitude + dOODLES).

While Groodles started as a casual project, I began to see the growing need for it:

- I spoke to many people who reported how creative activities like making music or art helped them improve their mental health more effectively than talk therapy. It was enjoyable for them and, of course, free from any stigma.

- While audio-led mindfulness apps are valuable, many people struggle to stick with them and find them somewhat passive. Since my days as a psychology grad student, I've been exploring ways to make taking care of your mental well-being a more playful experience.

Groodles represents our initial step toward making the concept of mental well-being fun, accessible, and playful.

The three main highlights of Groodles are:

1) A Thoughtfully Designed Canvas: Yes, people have mistaken us for coloring apps, but we are different. Coloring apps are great for the inherent calming effect of art, but they don't necessarily drive long-term change. After numerous user interviews and tests, we perfected our canvas to provide flexibility for self-expression while gently guiding users in the right direction.

2) Impactful Content: For many, a good therapy session isn't about finding an immediate solution but experiencing a safe space for introspection without judgment and feeling empowered to overcome issues. We designed our content with this philosophy, rethinking many constructs to ensure value in a self-paced digital experience. Please let us know how we can improve further.

3) Inclusive Artwork: A special shoutout to the amazing artists we collaborated with, ensuring that the artwork is inclusive, easy to follow, and accessible to all.

We tested the exercises with various individuals, questioned their value, iterated, and now bring you something we believe can make a positive impact in your life and be part of your self-care routine. Our goal is to become a must-have experience for every iPad owner and getting more people introduced to the medium through our non-clinical art therapy work.

What's next for us?

Collaborations with art therapists, bringing them onto the platform, enhancing journaling (2.0), analyzing work, and, of course, creating much more content.