Anxiety Canada and FreshWorks completely redeveloped the MindShift mobile application. The bc anxiety app helps manage and decrease anxiety for people of all ages, and is used across the world. Features include sets of relaxation, visualization and mindfulness strategies, check-in tools to monitor physical and mental symptoms, and many other tools utilizing a cognitive behavioural therapy approach. Within the first couple of weeks of its release, Anxiety Canada saw over 40,000 daily users of the mobile app. MindShift was listed as one of the Healthline Media Top 10 Favourite Apps in Mental Health in 2021. 

When FreshWorks Studio first started working with Anxiety Canada, it was to simply redesign the existing MindShift bc anxiety app. Initially the app was purely informational, however, the information was not logically accessible within the application. The goal of the redesign was to improve user experience while also increasing accessibility to the information available.

Additionally, Anxiety Canada wanted to incorporate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques into the healthcare app development so that it can be used as an additional therapy tool by its users.

At first, a waterfall approach was used to implement the redesign of the MindShift mobile application. The waterfall approach in software development essentially means that each phase needs to be completed before you can move on to the next step. While this development approach is very straightforward and easy to use, it also comes with a high risk factor, as a usable product does not get delivered until all phases are complete.

Once the redesign was completed, the agile software development process was applied to the remaining project. Anxiety Canada worked closely with Dr. Kirstin Buhr, a registered psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of anxiety and mood difficulties in adolescents and adults, to accurately apply CBT techniques that are used in the real world to the mobile application.

Throughout the development process there was a lot of learning that happened on both sides. The FreshWorks team was able to teach the team at Anxiety Canada quite a bit about the technical possibilities within an app, while Anxiety Canada was able to teach FreshWorks quite a bit when it came to understanding and dealing with an anxiety disorder.

Quick Relief

When you need anxiety help fast. Convenient resources to: take a breath, shift your thinking, ground yourself, and other quick steps to help you cope in the moment.

Thought Journal

Transform your worries into balanced thoughts via thinking traps.

Belief Experiments

MindShift coaches you to test your limiting thinking. You get notifications when it’s time to challenge yourself through cognitive exercises.

Check-In

Keep track of your anxiety and physical symptoms over a period of time through quick, graphical diary journal-style entries.

How to Cope

MindShift gives you tips and motivation for making goals to help your anxiety. And, you’ll receive notification reminders keeping you on track.

Coping Cards

Ease your anxiety in the moment by re-adjusting your thinking with helpful coping cards.

CBT Based Tools & Activities

Interactive cognitive-based tools to help reorient your thinking.

Behaviourally Based Tools

Interactive games that help you stay motivated to create lasting positive change, including: Facing Fears; Comfort Zone Challenges; and Healthy Habits.

Chill Zone

Audio recordings of guided mindfulness meditations to help you get, and stay calm, in the right relaxation headspace.

The iOS Mindshift app was built using the Swift programming languages, while the Android app is built in Kotlin. The backend relies on NodeJS and MongoDB.

The feedback has been very positive, since the launch of the Android and iOS mobile applications. The app saw 40,000 active daily users within the first two weeks of launch and commonly gets referred to people who are struggling with anxiety disorders to further help with their therapy. To date, the app has seen over 550k total downloads and 50k active users per month. 

Currently, the bc anxiety app is only available in English. However, Anxiety Canada is currently working together with FreshWorks Studio to also implement a French version. In the future, they would like to make the app available in even more languages, so that it can help even more people.