Unhookd | Devpost

Unhookd

Inspiration

[addiction isn't bound by borders—it's a universal issue]

Addiction is a global public health crisis. Over 1.25 billion people use tobacco worldwide. Youth electronic cigarette use is skyrocketing, tripling in the UK and doubling in Canada in recent years. The World Health Organization warns that aggressive marketing is hooking children early.

Alcohol use is equally concerning. Nearly 50% of young adults (18–25) globally report drinking in the past month, and 29% binge drink, increasing risks of dependence, depression, and memory loss. 2.6 million alcohol-related deaths per year, stressing that no level of alcohol is "safe."

The takeaway? Traditional interventions aren't enough.

Unhookd is our mobile-first solution. It’s designed to meet people where they are—on their phones—with tools for self-tracking, daily check-ins, journaling, and progress reports. It’s discreet, easy to use, and backed by data.

We’re not here to replace therapy, we’re here to make recovery more accessible, especially for young people navigating addiction in silence. With Unhookd, they can take the first step anytime, anywhere.

How we built it

We began by designing the user interface in Figma, focusing on a clean, intuitive experience for users managing their recovery journey. The front end of the app is developed in Swift for iOS, while the back end uses Python to analyze data from user reflections and daily check-ins. This combination allows us to track progress over time and generate personalized insights that support habit change.

Challenges we ran into

We faced several challenges throughout development. Initially, designing a cohesive prototype that truly addressed user needs was difficult. Our early design pages felt clustered and required several iterations to streamline. Translating the prototype into working core functionality also proved complex, especially when ensuring the experience remained intuitive. Additionally, setting up the database to store user check-ins and reflection data securely and efficiently was a technical hurdle we had to overcome.

What we learned

We learned how to transform an abstract idea into a tangible solution through design, collaboration, and technical development. We also gained insight into user-centered design and how challenging—but rewarding—it is to build something that addresses a real human need.

What's next for Unhookd

Our vision for Unhookd goes beyond just tracking habits — we aim to build a secure, intelligent recovery companion. Future plans include encrypted data protection to safeguard user privacy, smart insights powered by machine learning to personalize the recovery journey, and integration with health apps and wearables for a holistic view of progress. We want Unhookd to feel empowering, motivational, and trustworthy — a tool that meets users where they are and grows with them.