Sunrise: Building a mobile app for people with TBI

We were hired by Kristin Abello, who wrote a book called Sunrise about her journey with TBI. Years later, she wanted to create an app based on the journal from her book, and we took that vision and ran with it. We used a screen recording of a previous version that had never launched, reproduced and updated the UX, and built the first version in 5 days.

What The App Includes

• Games designed specifically for people with TBI to reduce anxiety while still working cognitive muscles
• A resource database with more than 360 online and offline resources
• Journal-based progress tracking
• An AI assistant that can answer questions and discover patterns in journal history

Design Approach

We purposely created a darker UI to reduce light sensitivity, which can be an important consideration for people living with TBI.

We also simplified the journal entry flow so it would be easier to make quick inputs without adding unnecessary friction.

Watch Companion

Sunrise also includes a watch companion. Users can set daily reminders in the app, then receive a notification on their watch with a quick journal entry experience. They can also dictate notes to go along with each entry.

Moving From Web To Mobile

Although Sunrise started as a personal web app, adoption proved to be too challenging, so we moved the app to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android users.

Making the Resource Library Public

We also put the resource library on the website at sunrisetbi.com so anyone can access it.

For products built around a lived experience, the format matters as much as the features. If you are shaping something for a specific audience, where would that audience actually be willing to use it? A good next step is to look at the original idea, test how people interact with it, and choose the platform that removes the most friction.