Co-creating the Stress Autism Mate (SAM): Development of an mHealth Application for Autistic Adults Using a Design Thinking Approach

Mobile health (mHealth) applications are becoming increasingly popular for delivering mental health support, yet insights on how to tailor them effectively for autistic individuals remain limited. This paper describes the co-creation process of the Stress Autism Mate (SAM), a free, evidence-based stress management application for autistic adults. Its development was guided by the five stages of the Design Thinking framework: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Various challenges encountered over seven years of development are outlined, along with the iterative refinements made to address them. Based on continuous feedback from autistic adults, development emphasised a minimalist, predictable interface, essential personalisation options, and stress-related insights readily applicable to daily life. The lessons learned may offer practical guidance for designing tailored mHealth applications for autistic adults and other populations with specific needs or preferences.