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Calm Harm

Rebrand & App to help young adults manage the urge to self harm

Client stem4 / NHS

Year 2021

Services UX, UI, Branding

Role Lead Designer

Platform iOS & Android

App design

Focus groups and user research

4M+ Downloads worldwide

171 Countries reached

93% of users report reduced urge after one exercise

476K+ People supported to resist self-harm

84% Reduction in self-harm between appointments

99% Safety and acceptability rating

Before and after

Lo and hi fidelity designs

Crazy 8's

Branding

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Calm Harm is a free, evidence-based app developed with stem4 — the UK's leading digital teenage mental health charity — to help young people manage and resist the urge to self-harm. Built on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) principles and developed in partnership with the NHS Digital Development Lab, the app has become one of the most widely adopted mental health tools for young people globally.

Impact

4M+ Downloads worldwide

171 Countries reached

93% of users report reduced urge after one exercise

476K+ People supported to resist self-harm

84% Reduction in self-harm between appointments

99% Safety and acceptability rating

The Approach

The core design challenge was balancing clinical rigour with complete user anonymity — a non-negotiable for a teenage audience hesitant to seek traditional help. The app had to feel discreet, non-clinical, and calming while simultaneously collecting anonymised aggregate data to evidence effectiveness for NHS stakeholders.

Five activity categories — Comfort, Distract, Express Yourself, Release, and Random — were developed with clinical input to guide users through "riding the wave" of an urge. A built-in breathing exercise provides immediate mindfulness support. Every visual and interaction decision was tested against the primary question: would a teenager feel safe using this?

Design Process

The redesign was commissioned as part of NHS England's Digital Development Lab programme. A rigorous co-creation process brought together stem4, young people, parents, teachers, clinicians, and clinical safety officers to carry out a strategic review and co-produce the product roadmap.

A series of user engagement sessions with teenagers examined desired outcomes, user journeys, visual concepts, and security considerations. The project then underwent a clinical safety review with mHabitat before approval by ORCHA — the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps.

Recognition

The app has received widespread critical acclaim, winning multiple major design and charity sector awards. It is one of only 18 mental health apps included in the NHS Apps Library, and its founder Dr. Nihara Krause was awarded an MBE for services to the mental health of young people.

2021 Health Tech Awards — Best Healthcare App of the Year
2019 DBA Design Effectiveness Awards — Gold Award
2019 Third Sector Awards — Digital Innovation of the Year
2019 UXUK Awards — Not-for-Profit / Charity
2018 UK Digital Experience Awards — Best Not-For-Profit
2018 UXUK Awards — Double win