Okaya, an early-stage AI mental wellbeing startup, needed to turn a promising AI assistant into a tangible, testable product.
Their challenge: adoption lagged, and without a clear, trustworthy product experience, they couldn’t validate with users, pitch at conferences, or secure enterprise pilots.
I led the 0 → MVP journey, taking the concept from raw AI capability to a polished prototype that founders could demo, pitch, and test in the real world.
Okaya, an early-stage AI mental wellbeing startup, needed to turn a promising AI assistant into a tangible, testable product.
Their challenge: adoption lagged, and without a clear, trustworthy product experience, they couldn’t validate with users, pitch at conferences, or secure enterprise pilots.
I led the 0 → MVP journey, taking the concept from raw AI capability to a polished prototype that founders could demo, pitch, and test in the real world.
The Results
The MVP gave Okaya the traction and validation they needed to move forward fast:
Secured buy-in from Space Force during a pitch competition that landed a pilot initiative.
Demoed at major conferences (MassChallenge, Esri) to boost credibility.
Enabled a pilot initiative with the Air Force that led toward future contracts.
Scored 85 (excellent) on usability; real users said “I felt immediately at ease… I even got emotional.”
"Josh has been awesome at helping us at Okaya and putting the focus on making our AI an intricate part of the UX.
If you are looking at taking your startup to the next level, definitely get in touch with him"
Gregory Menvielle
Founder & CEO, Okaya
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The Process
I used a design thinking approach with rapid prototyping, iterative feedback, and constant user validation to ensure we were building the right MVP for real-world traction.
Step 1: Define MVP scope
Interviewed end users to understand adoption barriers.
Locked in core MVP-defining flows: onboarding, AI wellbeing check-in, and dashboards (including enterprise analytics).
Step 2: Establish design foundations
Defined guiding UX principles, such as trust, explainability, emotional safety.
Built a scalable design system for rapid iteration.
Step 3: Build the MVP prototype
Designed and prototyped end-user app + enterprise dashboard.
Collaborated with engineering and leadership to make flows clickable and demo-ready.
Step 4: Validate with users
Usability tests confirmed clarity and trustworthiness.
Iterated copy, visual cues, and AI feedback loops to maximize user confidence.
Before & After
Each core flow went through a transformation, turning confusing, hard-to-demo experiences into clear, trustworthy, and investor-ready features.
Onboarding
From cluttered + unclear → to guided, calming flow with “Start check-in” clarity.
AI Check-In
From vague, unclear actions → to transparent, supportive dialogue with trust indicators
AI Check-In
From vague, unclear actions → to transparent, supportive dialogue with trust indicators
Session Results
From raw, context-free scores that felt intimidating → to clear, human-friendly results with plain-language explanations and actionable next steps.
Session Results
From raw, context-free scores that felt intimidating → to clear, human-friendly results with plain-language explanations and actionable next steps.
Dashboard
From buried insights → to clear, pitch-ready reporting for end user & enterprise stakeholders.
Dashboard
From buried insights → to clear, pitch-ready reporting for end user & enterprise stakeholders.
Validation and feedback
To validate the MVP, I ran targeted sessions with both Okaya users and new participants under high-stress, privacy-conscious conditions. Feedback confirmed that the redesign not only worked, but built the trust and clarity needed for adoption.
“I felt immediately at ease to be open. [Even though] it’s AI, I felt zero judgment... I even got emotional.”
“I did my first check-in and I love the dialog progress. It was really natural.”
“The UI was satisfying and there’s an inherent wanting to know more about yourself and seeing that data.”
“I think it’s laid out very well—I can get help if I need help.”
“If I did this more often, it would really get a feel for what would be helpful for me.”
"I really love the new UI. What a transformation - wow!"
These findings directly shaped final improvements like simplifying iconography, tightening copy, and reinforcing trust indicators at key decision points.
The final MVP secured demos at core conferences, won buy-in from Space Force and enterprise pilots with the Air Force, validated new customer adoption paths, and hit an 85 SUS score with users.
Lessons for founders
A well-scoped MVP with 3–4 critical flows can unlock investor traction and enterprise pilots.
Trust and explainability are a must. They define adoption in sensitive domains, so design diligently the first time.
Delivering a demo-ready MVP in weeks, not months, positions startups to capture momentum and funding opportunities.
This project shows my approach in action: moving fast from rough prototype to adoption-ready MVP, proving usability with real users, and unlocking enterprise traction that positions AI products for scale.
The Results
The MVP gave Okaya the traction and validation they needed to move forward fast:
Secured buy-in from Space Force during a pitch competition that landed a pilot initiative.
Demoed at major conferences (MassChallenge, Esri) to boost credibility.
Enabled a pilot initiative with the Air Force that led toward future contracts.
Scored 85 (excellent) on usability; real users said “I felt immediately at ease… I even got emotional.”
"Josh has been awesome at helping us at Okaya and putting the focus on making our AI an intricate part of the UX.
If you are looking at taking your startup to the next level, definitely get in touch with him"
Gregory Menvielle
Founder & CEO, Okaya
"Josh has been awesome at helping us at Okaya and putting the focus on making our AI an intricate part of the UX.
If you are looking at taking your startup to the next level, definitely get in touch with him"
Gregory Menvielle
Founder & CEO, Okaya
Onboarding
From cluttered + unclear → to guided, calming flow with “Start check-in” clarity.
AI Check-In
From vague, unclear actions → to transparent, supportive dialogue with trust indicators
Session Results
From raw, context-free scores that felt intimidating → to clear, human-friendly results with plain-language explanations and actionable next steps.
Dashboard
From buried insights → to clear, pitch-ready reporting for end user & enterprise stakeholders.
Before & After
Each core flow went through a transformation, turning confusing, hard-to-demo experiences into clear, trustworthy, and investor-ready features.
The Process
I used a design thinking approach with rapid prototyping, iterative feedback, and constant user validation to ensure we were building the right MVP for real-world traction.
Step 1: Define MVP scope
Interviewed end users to understand adoption barriers.
Locked in core MVP-defining flows: onboarding, AI wellbeing check-in, and dashboards (including enterprise analytics).
Step 2: Establish design foundations
Defined guiding UX principles, such as trust, explainability, emotional safety.
Built a scalable design system for rapid iteration.
Step 3: Build the MVP prototype
Designed and prototyped end-user app + enterprise dashboard.
Collaborated with engineering and leadership to make flows clickable and demo-ready.
Step 4: Validate with users
Usability tests confirmed clarity and trustworthiness.
Iterated copy, visual cues, and AI feedback loops to maximize user confidence.
Validated Feedback
To validate the MVP, I ran targeted sessions with both Okaya users and new participants under high-stress, privacy-conscious conditions.
Feedback confirmed that the redesign not only worked, but built the trust and clarity needed for adoption.
These findings directly shaped final improvements like simplifying iconography, tightening copy, and reinforcing trust indicators at key decision points.
The final MVP secured demos at core conferences, won buy-in from Space Force and enterprise pilots with the Air Force, validated new customer adoption paths, and hit an 85 SUS score with users.
“I felt immediately at ease to be open. [Even though] it’s AI, I felt zero judgment... I even got emotional.”
“The UI was satisfying and there’s an inherent wanting to know more about yourself and seeing that data.”
“I think it’s laid out very well—I can get help if I need help.”
“If I did this more often, it would really get a feel for what would be helpful for me.”
"I really love the new UI. What a transformation - wow!"
Lessons for Founders
Delivering a demo-ready MVP in weeks, not months, positions startups to capture momentum and funding opportunities.
Delivering a demo-ready MVP in weeks, not months, positions startups to capture momentum and funding opportunities.
Trust and explainability are a must. They define adoption in sensitive domains, so design diligently the first time.
Trust and explainability are a must. They define adoption in sensitive domains, so design diligently the first time.
A well-scoped MVP with 3–4 critical flows can unlock investor traction and enterprise pilots.
A well-scoped MVP with 3–4 critical flows can unlock investor traction and enterprise pilots.
This project shows my approach in action: moving fast from rough prototype to adoption-ready MVP, proving usability with real users, and unlocking enterprise traction that positions AI products for scale.