Helfy
Gamified Health Web App
A gamified web app that helps individuals improve their health by completing daily actions and habits, and acquiring small amounts of essential knowledge, while growing a personalised visual companion that reflects their progress.
I have released first public version (MVP) of Helfy, my goal now is to collect as much feedback as possible to understand:
Will people actually use it? Do users like the approach, idea, features?
What can be/should be improved
Which features should be added in the next release
It is my first public web application, so I would really appreciate any feedback.
Overview
Currently, in MVP, there are 4 main features:
Tasks: almost every day users receive different tasks - various amount of Action XP and difficulties. User can 1) complete (gain XP) 2) not complete (lose XP) 3) mark as habit.
Habits: they are made from the Tasks, either automatically or manually by the user. Users should complete them every day; they receive twice the XP they would for a regular Task. Users can unmark them (remove a habit), but this will only be possible 7 days after habit creation.
Learns (learning blocks): contain essential information about some topic within the health area. For example, on day 1 user can read Learn with "What is healthy eating?" title, for reading it user receives 10 Learn XP.
Companion: in current version it refers to the plant that grows automatically as the user gains Learn XP. For every 10 Learn XP that a user earns, their companion grows by one stage. User can change his Companion type, currently there are two options available: Plant (default) and Cactus. Users can purchase accessories, e.g. different pots and pot stickers, using Action XP.
⭐ Feedback / Questions to You
What is your biggest struggle when it comes to lifestyle/health improvement?
What things /strategies would keep you engaged in improving lifestyle?
What is the hardest thing in lifestyle improvement for you?
Do you think that current features mentioned above can be useful and helpful already?
For those who have tried Helfy:
What things you really did not like?
What things did you like?
Are there any bugs or unexpected behaviour, that I perhaps haven't noticed while testing it myself?
Try Helfy (it is completely free): helfy.space
Link to the GitHub: https://github.com/orngsoftware/helfy
Thanks!
12 Comments
This is such a cool idea! I love how you’re mixing learning, habits, and a cute companion—makes improving your health actually fun instead of feeling like homework. My biggest issue with health apps is I just forget to open them after a while. Life gets busy, and motivation comes and goes. But having a little plant that grows with me? That kinda makes me wanna keep going just to see it thrive. And the whole "turn tasks into habits" thing is smart, that’s exactly what most people struggle with. Knowing what to do is one thing, actually doing it regularly is the real challenge.
Haven’t tried it yet but already like the vibe. The fact that you can earn accessories with XP instead of real money is a nice touch too. Makes it feel like a game, not another chore.
Hey, thanks for the feedback, hope you will actually like it.
It would be nice if you leave a review after trying it out!
Congrats on the MVP, Marat! My biggest struggle is staying consistent when routines break, and the hardest part is restarting after a missed day. The features look useful. Consider softening penalties for misses, offering two skip tokens a week, ramping habits, and turning Learns into one minute cards with a quick check that resurface for review. Happy to try it and share notes :)
Thanks for the feedback! I definitely will need to do some work on the Learns)
No worries, happy to help!
btw we could partner up. Me and my team are building HustleAdvisor, a social network where entrepreneurs share practical step by step lessons. If you join the waitlist and later post a short write up about building Helfy, we will boost it in the main feed so more people see it :)
You get: more users
We get: an experienced entrepreneur on board
Good luck with the launch!
Well, I am not an experienced entrepreneur, but why not
Hey Marat, just wanted to let you know that we launched!
hustle-advisor.com
You surely will be one soon though, and thanks for signing up!
i think this space is too crowded. Clearly u are trying to do something different. For first app this is good . Maybe u should add workout tasks too .
I was planning to add different health 'areas' in the future, as separate plans or app pages -- different Tasks, different Learns and Companions.
Thanks!
Congrats on shipping your first public app the companion mechanic is a nice touch since it gives a visual sense of progress which a lot of people need to stay motivated I could see streaks or small social features helping with retention since lifestyle changes are hard to stick with for feedback I’d say the tasks and habits system already gives enough structure to be useful but the learning blocks might need to feel more interactive over time to avoid reading fatigue do you have plans to expand companions beyond plants into something more customizable as users level up
Thank you for the feedback. Streaks are there already; I was thinking about adding streaks for every habit as well. In the future, when I add more health areas like fitness/training or sleep, I'm going to add different companions for each of them; speaking of expanding existing companion logic, I will be adding more accessories (e.g. stickers for the pots, hats) and plant types.