{"id":135725,"date":"2025-02-04T16:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/news\/?id=i74v3f4r"},"modified":"2025-02-04T16:00:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:00:26","slug":"the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2025\/02\/04\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"The good news bears: Inside the adorably unorthodox design of Bears Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"inline-article-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude.jpg\" data-img-dark=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude.jpg\" data-hires=\"false\" alt=\"A drawing from Bears Gratitude, showing two cartoon bears wearing party hats in front of a frosted birthday cake against a beige background.\"><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s the story of how a few little bears led their creators right to an Apple&nbsp;Design&nbsp;Award.<\/p>\n<p><em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> is a warm and welcoming title developed by the Australian husband-and-wife team of Isuru Wanasinghe and Nayomi Hettiarachchi.<\/p>\n<p>Journaling apps just don\u2019t get much cuter: Through prompts like \u201cToday isn\u2019t over yet,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m literally a new me,\u201d and \u201cCompliment someone,\u201d the Swift-built app and its simple hand-drawn mascots encourage people to get in the habit of celebrating accomplishments, fostering introspection, and building gratitude. \u201cAnd gratitude doesn\u2019t have to be about big moments like birthdays or anniversaries,\u201d says Wanasinghe. \u201cIt can be as simple as having a hot cup of coffee in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"sosumi margin-top-small\">ADA FACT SHEET<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-article-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-1.jpg\" data-img-dark=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-1.jpg\" data-hires=\"false\" alt=\"A screenshot from Bears Gratitude that shows several prompt cards containing journaling prompts like \u201cMy Good Day,\u201d \u201cA Meal With Boo,\u201d and \u201cFinally On My Chores.\u201d\"><\/div>\n<h3>Bears Gratitude<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Winner:<\/strong> Delight and Fun<\/li>\n<li><strong>Available on:<\/strong> iOS, iPadOS, macOS<\/li>\n<li><strong>Team size:<\/strong> 2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/bears-gratitude\/id6443609622\" class=\"icon icon-after icon-chevronright\">Download Bears Gratitude from the App Store<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wanasinghe is a longtime programmer who\u2019s run an afterschool tutoring center in Sydney, Australia, for nearly a decade. But the true spark for <em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> and its predecessor, <em>Bears Countdown<\/em>, came from Hettiarachchi, a Sri Lankan-born illustrator who concentrated on her drawing hobby during the Covid-19 lockdown.<\/p>\n<p>Wanasinghe is more direct. \u201cThe art is the heart of everything we do,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-article-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-2.jpg\" data-img-dark=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-2.jpg\" data-hires=\"false\" alt=\"A photo of the Australian husband-and-wife team who developed Bears Gratitude, Isuru Wanasinghe and Nayomi Hettiarachchi, sitting at a table in front of a MacBook and iPad. \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"typography-caption\">\n<p><em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> was developed by the Australian husband-and-wife team of Isuru Wanasinghe and Nayomi Hettiarachchi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In fact, the art is the whole reason the app exists. As the pandemic months and drawings stacked up, Hettiarachchi and Wanasinghe found themselves increasingly attached to her cartoon creations, enough that they began to consider how to share them with the world. The usual social media routes beckoned, but given Wanasinghe\u2019s background, the idea of an app offered a stronger pull.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn many cases, you get an idea, put together a design, and then do the actual development,\u201d he says. \u201cIn our case, it\u2019s the other way around. The art drives everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"article-quote\">\n<p>The art is the heart of everything we do.<\/p>\n<p><cite><\/p>\n<p>Isuru Wanasinghe, <em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> cofounder<\/p>\n<p><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>With hundreds of drawings at their disposal, the couple began thinking about the kinds of apps that could host them. Their first release was <em>Bears Countdown<\/em>, which employed the drawings to help people look ahead to birthdays, vacations, and other marquee moments. <em>Countdown<\/em> was never intended to be a mass-market app; the pair didn\u2019t even check its launch stats on App Store Connect. \u201cWe\u2019d have been excited to have 100 people enjoy what Nayomi had drawn,\u201d says Wanasinghe. \u201cThat\u2019s where our heads were at.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But <em>Countdown<\/em> caught on with a few influencers and become enough of a success that the pair began thinking of next steps. \u201cWe thought, well, we\u2019ve given people a way to look forward,\u201d says Wanasinghe. \u201cWhat about reflecting on the day you just had?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-article-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-3.jpg\" data-img-dark=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-3.jpg\" data-hires=\"false\" alt=\"A photo in which a gray and white cat stands on a table looking at drawings from Bears Gratitude. An iPad and candle sit on the table near the cat.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"typography-caption\">\n<p>Hettiarachchi\u2019s art samples get a close inspection from one of her trusted associates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Gratitude<\/em> keeps the cuddly cast from <em>Countdown<\/em>, but otherwise the app is an entirely different beast. It was also designed in what Wanasinghe says was a deliberately unusual manner. \u201cOur design approach was almost bizarrely linear,\u201d says Wanasinghe. \u201cWe purposely didn\u2019t map out the app. We designed it in the same order that users experience it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other unorthodox decisions followed, including the absence of a sign-in screen. \u201cWe wanted people to go straight into the experience and start writing,\u201d he says. The home-screen journaling prompts are presented via cards that users flip through by tapping left and right. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a nonstandard UX,\u201d says Wanasinghe, \u201cbut we found over and over again that the first thing users did was flip through the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"article-quote\">\n<p>Our design approach was almost bizarrely linear. We purposely didn\u2019t map out the app. We designed it in the same order that users experience it.<\/p>\n<p><cite><\/p>\n<p>Isuru Wanasinghe, <em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> cofounder<\/p>\n<p><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Another twist: The app\u2019s prompts are written in the voice of the user, which Wanasinghe says was done to emphasize the personal nature of the app. \u201cWe wrote the app as if we were the only ones using it, which made it more relatable,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Then there are the bears, which serve not only as a distinguishing hook in a busy field, but also as a design anchor for its creators. \u201cWe\u2019re always thinking: \u2018Instead of trying to set our app apart, how do we make it ours?\u2019 We use apps all the time, and we know how they behave. But here we tried to detach ourselves from all that, think of it as a blank canvas, and ask, \u2018What do we want this experience to be?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-article-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-4.jpg\" data-img-dark=\"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/the-good-news-bears-inside-the-adorably-unorthodox-design-of-bears-gratitude-4.jpg\" data-hires=\"false\" alt=\"Early design sketches for Bears Gratitude, showing three cards with Bears Gratitude mascots on them, as well as placeholder copy.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"typography-caption\">\n<p>Early design sketches for <em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> show the collection of swipe-able prompt cards. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Bears Gratitude<\/em> isn\u2019t a mindfulness app \u2014 Wanasinghe is careful to clarify that neither he nor Hettiarachchi are therapists or mental health professionals. \u201cAll we know about are the trials and tribulations of life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>But those trials and tribulations have reached a greater world. \u201cPeople have said, \u2018This is just something I visit every day that brings me comfort,\u2019\u201d says Wanasinghe. \u201cWe\u2019re so grateful this is the way we chose to share the art. We\u2019re plugged into people\u2019s lives in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/developer.apple.com\/design\/awards\/\" class=\"icon icon-after icon-chevronright\">Meet the 2024 Apple Design Award winners<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sosumi margin-top-small\"><em>Behind the Design is a series that explores design practices and philosophies from finalists and winners of the Apple Design Awards. In each story, we go behind the screens with the developers and designers of these award-winning apps and games to discover how they brought their remarkable creations to life.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s the story of how a few little bears led their creators right to an Apple&nbsp;Design&nbsp;Award. Bears Gratitude is a warm and welcoming title developed by the Australian husband-and-wife team of Isuru Wanasinghe and Nayomi Hettiarachchi. Journaling apps just don\u2019t get much cuter: Through prompts like \u201cToday isn\u2019t over yet,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m literally a new me,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-developer-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}