Arbutus

Organization app for ADHD

In progress

A personal organization app built for people with ADHD — not as a generic productivity clone, but as a system that accepts variable energy, resists shame spirals, and makes the next small step obvious.

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Context

Mainstream task tools assume steady attention, guilt-driven consistency, and a single "right" hierarchy. That mismatch burns people out. The goal here was an app that meets the user where they are: some days are high-capacity, some are not — the system should flex without collapsing into chaos.

Design principles

  • Low friction capture — getting an idea or obligation in should take seconds, not a multi-field ritual
  • Gentle structure — enough scaffolding to reduce decision fatigue, not so much that maintaining the tool becomes its own job
  • Visibility without judgment — surfacing what matters now without a wall of overdue red badges

Privacy and sensitivity

This category of software touches daily life and mental health. The implementation prioritizes user-owned dataand clear boundaries: no dark patterns, no engagement tricks, and no sharing personal content with third parties for "analytics" unless explicitly chosen.

What this demonstrates for clients

The same skills apply to operations tools: understanding real user behavior, designing for edge cases and bad days, and shipping software that people will actually keep using after week one.

Building tools for a demanding user base?

Whether the audience is field crews or app users, the work starts with listening. Tell me who has to live with the system day to day.

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