is the tool for managing your journey through Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
A Case Study by Elizabeth Kupchella
Roles: UX Design | Product Design | UX Research | Back-End Development
Resources: Figma | Jira | Miro | Maze | Buzzy | Glide | XCode | FaceTime Calls From My Mom
Obstacle
Opportunity
Approach
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) requires a client to manually track their emotions, the intensity of those emotions, their behaviors, and their theraputic skill use every day for a year.
Traditional paper diary cards can be easy to forget, and a digital diary card typically exists as a spreadsheet, more commonly referred to as The Last Thing You Want To See Before You Go To Bed by most pulse-having folks.
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Both subpar options make it harder for clients to reflect, notice patterns, or bring meaningful insights into therapy.
A mobile-first DBT diary card app designed to simplify and encourage daily skill tracking. It allows users to log emotions, behaviors, and DBT skills quickly and intuitively, review skill definitions, and export data for use in therapy – all in one discreet, user-friendly tool.
Optional therapist-linked features support accountability and structured reflection.
The app was designed with a trauma-informed, accessibility-focused lens and draws heavily on direct DBT materials and peer-reviewed research.
I conducted a competitive analysis of mental health tracking tools, mapped user flows for key behaviors, and am prototyping screens in Figma where I'll test user flows with heat maps and Maze. The UI emphasizes calm and clear digital minimalism for daily use.​
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) requires clients to track emotions, behaviors, and skills daily for a year, but paper diary cards are easy to forget, and digital ones (like spreadsheets) are cumbersome, hindering reflection and insight.
A mobile-first DBT diary app that simplifies and encourages daily tracking. It allows users to log emotions, behaviors, and DBT skills, review skill definitions, and export data for therapy— all in a discreet, user-friendly tool. Therapist-linked features can support accountability and reflection.
Designed with a trauma-informed, accessible focus, based on DBT materials and research. I’ve conducted a competitive analysis, mapped user flows, and am prototyping screens in Figma, using heat maps and Maze for user testing. The UI emphasizes calm, minimal design for daily use.
DBT requires daily tracking of emotions, behaviors, and skills, but paper and digital options are often forgettable or overly complex.
A mobile-first DBT diary app simplifies tracking and reflection, while supporting therapy with easy data export and optional therapist-linked features.
The app is designed with trauma-informed, accessible principles and informed by DBT research, with user testing via Figma and Maze.
Research
As I transition into UX while working full-time, I focused on practical research methods rather than a formal HIPAA-compliant study: I studied current UX research trends, explored tools like Miro and Lookback, and created proto-personas from secondary research and design assumptions. These personas guided early design decisions, and I look forward to collaborating more in-depth with UXR teams in the future.
Balancing full-time and part work, I used secondary research and proto-personas to guide early UX design, building skills to collaborate with research teams in the future.
Secondary Research
Secondary Research
Assessment of the current diary card options (a paper diary card, a google or excel spreadsheet, or one of few DBT tracking apps available on the app store) highlighted a few key findings:
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Higher adherence and engagement on mobile compared to paper-based methods – Mobile diary card apps reduce the burden of carrying paper forms and integrate naturally into daily phone use, leading to increased completion rates and more consistent tracking of emotions, behaviors, and skills.
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Real-time symptom reporting improves therapy alignment – Digital diary cards allow for immediate logging and secure sharing with therapists, enabling more accurate recall and timely intervention compared to weekly paper reviews. (Miller et al., 2023)
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Supports skill generalization beyond therapy sessions – Mobile DBT tools can deliver just-in-time skills coaching, reminders, and contextual prompts, helping users apply DBT techniques in everyday life where challenges occur.​
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Improved treatment compliance and more entries
The same study found that app users tended to stick with treatment longer, logging an average of 37 more treatment days, and recorded about 3 more skills per week than those using paper.
Assessment of current diary card options (paper, spreadsheets, and limited apps) revealed key findings:
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Higher engagement on mobile: Mobile apps increase adherence by integrating seamlessly into daily phone use, boosting tracking consistency.
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Real-time symptom reporting: Digital cards enable immediate logging and secure sharing with therapists, improving therapy alignment and timely intervention (Miller et al., 2023).
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Supports skill generalization: Mobile tools offer just-in-time coaching and prompts, helping users apply DBT in daily life.
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Improved treatment compliance: App users logged 37 more treatment days and 3 more skills per week, indicating better long-term adherence.
Current diary card options (paper, spreadsheets, and limited apps) show that:
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Mobile apps boost engagement and tracking consistency.
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Real-time logging improves therapy alignment and timely intervention.
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Just-in-time coaching helps apply DBT skills in daily life.
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App users show better treatment compliance with more logged days and skills.