# Designing For Distressed Users: Why Mental Health Apps Shouldn't Follow Every UI Fashion

DevFeed: [Designing For Distressed Users: Why Mental Health Apps Shouldn't Follow Every UI Fashion](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/designing-for-distressed-users-why-mental-health-apps-shouldn-t-follow-every-ui-fashion-4298.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://smashingmagazine.com/2026/07/designing-distressed-users-mental-health-apps-ui/>)

Author: hello@smashingmagazine.com (Kat Homan)

Published: 2026-07-09T15:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Articles on Smashing Magazine -- For Web Designers And Developers](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/articles-on-smashing-magazine-for-web-designers-and-developers.md>)

Topics: [App](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/app.md>), [User interface design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui-design.md>), [Accessibility](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/accessibility.md>)

Tags: [cognitive-load](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cognitive-load.md>), [design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/design.md>), [evaluation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/evaluation.md>), [experimentation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/experimentation.md>), [health](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/health.md>), [innovation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/innovation.md>), [mental-health](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mental-health.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>), [retention](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/retention.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>), [ux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ux.md>)

## AI overview

This article argues that mental health apps should prioritize simplicity, reduced cognitive strain, accessibility, trust, and retention over fashionable interface trends. It presents trend-driven design as a potential source of friction for distressed or overwhelmed users and introduces an evaluation framework grounded in research, product audits, and app-store evidence.

## Source excerpt

Many UI trends are designed to capture attention and signal innovation, but those goals often conflict with the needs of mental health apps: reducing cognitive strain, fostering trust, and providing a sense of refuge. Kat Homan introduces an evaluation framework that helps designers assess whether trendy visual and interaction patterns support or undermine the unique goals of mental health experiences.