Basing the user flows on that fact, it was crucial for people to answer a few questions about their experience with addiction during the onboarding process. Those questions helped us tailor the experience that works for each individual.

Keeping that in mind, the experience and the whole design direction had to be calming, trustworthy, and evoke a sense of safety. Subtle encouraging messages between the questions during the onboarding were there to help break the ice and help people to open up.

After the onboarding, Arli instantly pairs people with a village that is specific to their needs and addiction. The village is a small community of 10-25 peers who have had similar challenges with addiction and are actively working on their recovery.

Each village is a safe and private space where people can chat and support others without fear of judgment. They can choose to remain anonymous or be as open and transparent as they feel comfortable with. For people that are not ready to share their photo as their profile, there is a set of pre-defined avatars they can choose from, which still allows a certain level of personalization.

If someone needs help in defining their goals or figuring out their next step, there is an on-demand Wellbeing Coach designed to be just a tap away.

They have lived experience and can offer detailed advice, as well as practical steps to help and we wanted to make sure that people have easy access to these sessions and encourage them to make that first step.