Kin (working name) · product scope Draft v0.2 · 12 Nov 2026 · for review Prepared by Ohio Imevbore
A preventive health app for every age

Look after your body and your mind before something goes wrong.

Two areas to start: general health and mental health. Short, evidence-backed steps that fit people's lives and budgets, regular check-ins, and a clear route to real help. The app stays with people after they leave the clinic.

This is my reading of our conversation, written down so you can tell me where I've got it wrong before I build anything. The four big questions are how we build it for every age, how we keep people coming back, how it spreads, and how it pays for itself.

General health and mental health overlap; the app's tools run underneath both General health Nutrition Movement Family history Immunity Heat & water Mental health Mood Anxiety Relationships Self-esteem Getting help BOTH Sleep Stress Substances Body image CHECK-INS · ONE-MINUTE CARDS · GET HELP · EVIDENCE
The two areas overlap on purpose: sleep, stress and substances belong to both. The tools along the bottom work the same way for every topic.
How to read this

Every claim is tagged with where it came from.

Heardyou said it in our conversation
Assumedmy inference; check these first
AskI can't decide this without you
How to reply

Assumptions are numbered A1 to A10, questions Q1 to Q10. A reply as short as A3 wrong: start with teens or Q4: grant deadline is March is perfect.

A voice note works too. Anything you don't mention, I'll treat as right for now.

Assumed

Ten things I'm assuming

If any of these is wrong, a large part of the plan changes. These are the ones to check before anything else.

  1. A1
    Two areas to start: general health and mental health.

    General health holds nutrition, movement, sleep, family medical history, immunity and heat. Mental health is big enough to stand on its own.

  2. A2
    It's for every age, eventually.

    Kids, teens, young adults, parents and older people, with content and tone that change by life stage.

  3. A3
    But the pilot starts with 18 to 30 year olds.

    Consent is simplest, they're on their phones, and your work already reaches them. Teens and families follow.

  4. A4
    Your side provides and signs off the content.

    I design and build how it reaches people, and how they stay. I don't write health advice.

  5. A5
    Every piece of advice traces to a source and a named reviewer.

    PubMed, WHO, South African Department of Health guidelines. Users see a light "why we say this", not a reference list.

  6. A6
    Health information is free for everyone, always.

    Money comes from institutions, training and optional paid guidance, never from locking information away.

  7. A7
    Mobile-first web app first, WhatsApp for reminders.

    An app-store app only once we need something a web app can't do.

  8. A8
    Version 1 doesn't diagnose or watch the phone.

    No passive sensing, no location tracking, no HIV status stored. Those come later, under ethics approval.

  9. A9
    You'll want to publish on this.

    So consent and data collection are designed for ethics approval from day one, even if the first pilot is small.

  10. A10
    "Training" means training people to onboard others.

    Health workers, teachers, peer educators or students are trained to use the app with the people they serve, and that is how it scales.

The problem

Care works inside the clinic. It breaks after the patient leaves.

Heard

"Once they leave, they're gone. So can we keep them engaged digitally?"

The example from our conversation: a mother is counselled for free in a public hospital, given medication that works, and checked up on. Her baby is HIV-negative at one month and at six months, and positive at eleven. She had stopped her medication because she was depressed.

Everything medical was in place. What failed was her mental health, after she left the clinic, where nobody could see it. That's why mental health sits beside general health as an equal, and why the app is about the months and years between clinic visits.

WorkedDiagnosis and free consultation
WorkedEffective medication supplied
WorkedInformation and choices explained
WorkedScheduled check-ups
BrokeDepression after discharge, unseen and untreated
BrokeMedication stopped, nobody knew

What the app is

  • Short, practical prevention steps people can afford
  • Regular light check-ins on mood, sleep and stress
  • A clear route to real help when a check-in looks worrying
  • Content that changes with your age and life stage
  • Evidence-backed, with every claim traceable to a source

What it isn't

  • A diagnosis tool. It never tells you that you have a condition
  • A replacement for a clinic, GP, psychologist or psychiatrist
  • A crisis service. It links to one, prominently
  • A place for advice nobody on the team can stand behind
Assumed · A1

Two areas to start

More areas can come later. For now, everything lives under one of these two.

General health and wellness

Everyday habits that keep you out of the clinic, on a real budget, not an ideal one.

  • Nutrition · eating well for less, including at fast-food places
  • Movement · no gym, no equipment; strength and balance for older people
  • Sleep · habits, screens, and what poor sleep does to mood
  • Family medical history · what runs in your family and what to watch for
  • Everyday illness · water, immunity, coughs, allergies, diarrhoea
  • Heat · coping with hot days without aircon

Mental health

Spotting what's going on early, building coping habits, and knowing when and how to get help.

  • Mood · early signs of depression, and what helps
  • Anxiety and stress · exams, work, money, family
  • Relationships · friends, partners, family, bullying
  • Self-esteem and body image · especially for teens
  • Substances · alcohol, weed and what they do to mood
  • Getting help · who to talk to, what to say, what it costs
AssumedLater, once the basics work
HIV prevention and treatment support Pregnancy and postnatal mental health Medication reminders Caring for ageing parents Sexual and reproductive health
Question 1 · Building it for every age

One app, different doors by life stage

A twelve-year-old and a seventy-year-old can't get the same screens. My approach: one product and one content library, where your age decides the tone, the topics shown first, and who else is involved. We open the doors one at a time.

Under 13

Kids

Games and short stories about feelings, food and sleep. No sign-up of their own.

Through a parent's account or a school. Later.
13–17

Teens

Stress, exams, friendships, body image, sleep and screens. Peer-led voice.

Guardian consent; schools and youth groups. Second.
18–30

Young adults

The full app: both areas, check-ins, family history, money-aware nutrition.

Pilot group. Campuses, clinics, your networks.
30–60

Adults & parents

Their own health, plus a family view: their children and their ageing parents.

Workplaces and medical schemes. Third.
60+

Older adults

Strength and balance to prevent falls, loneliness, managing conditions. Bigger text, audio.

Often set up by a son or daughter. Later.

Families link the stages together. A parent can add a child, and an adult can keep an eye on a parent, so one person joining can bring the whole household. That's also part of how it spreads.

What it could feel like

Nothing longer than a minute

You said people don't want it to take long. So every screen is one idea, one action. These sketches show the shape, not final content: the health advice in them is placeholder until your team writes it.

09:41Kin
Thursday

Morning, Thandi

Today's minute Why you feel worse after a late night on your phone, and one fix for tonight.
General health2 new
Mental healthCheck-in due
Your familyAdd Gogo
This week 4 of 7 days. You and 3 classmates are on the sleep challenge.
Talk to someone now
09:411 min read
General health · nutrition

Eating well on R50 a day

Placeholder text. Three swaps that cost less and keep you fuller for longer.
Your one step Try one swap this week. We'll ask on Sunday how it went.
Why we say this
✓ Reviewed by [expert name], [date]
✓ Source: SA food-based dietary guidelines
Share with a friend
09:41Check-in
Heat today · Johannesburg 34°C. Drink water early, and keep the room dark this afternoon.
Mental health · 30 seconds

How have you been sleeping this week?

BadlyMehOKWell

Felt down or hopeless lately?

NoSome daysMost days
Talk to someone now

Sketches. Names, numbers and advice are illustrative.

What it does

Features, and which version they land in

One-minute cards

Version 1

Bite-size content across both areas, each ending in one small action. Text, short video or a voice note, whichever the topic suits.

Check-ins

Version 1

Weekly 30-second check-ins on mood, sleep and stress, using short validated questionnaires your team chooses (such as PHQ-2). A worrying answer leads to help, not a label.

Get help

Version 1

Always one tap away. Local clinics, counselling lines such as SADAG, and what to say when you get there. A tested crisis route before launch.

Why we say this

Version 1

Every card shows its source and reviewer on request. Mostly for when someone asks, and it's how we earn trust with clinics, schools and funders.

Family health history

Version 1

A simple list of what runs in your family, part of general health. It decides which cards you see first. "I don't know" is fine, and becomes a question to ask a relative.

Challenges

Version 1

Seven-day challenges (sleep, water, a walk a day) you can do alone or with friends, a class or a team.

WhatsApp reminders

Version 2

Weekly reminders and check-ins where people already are. Opt-in only.

Family accounts

Version 2

A parent adds children, an adult supports an ageing parent. Unlocks the kids and older-adult stages.

Clinician handover

Version 2

A QR code a nurse or doctor hands over at discharge, so the app picks up where the clinic leaves off.

Organisation dashboard

Version 2

Schools, universities and employers see anonymous, group-level trends (never individuals) and run challenges. This is what institutions pay for.

Book a professional

Version 3

Paid sessions with psychologists, dietitians or trainers, for those who want more than information.

Phone-behaviour signals

Research phase

You mentioned the phone can show early signs of depression through changes in movement and routine. Powerful but sensitive: explicit consent, ethics approval, and probably a store app.

Assumed · A7

Mobile-first web app, with WhatsApp alongside

My recommendation: a website built to behave like an app. It installs to the home screen, works on cheap Android phones, uses little data, needs no app-store download, and is one codebase. A store app can wrap the same code later if we need phone sensors.

OptionReach on cheap phonesData costGetting startedRich screensRemindersCost to build
Mobile web app (installable)Any phone with a browserLow, and can be zero-ratedTap a link or scan a QR codeFullPush on install, or via WhatsAppLowest
WhatsApp, alongsideMost people already use itVery lowMessage a numberText and buttons onlyBestLow, plus per-message fees
Native iOS + Android appsNeeds storage space and updatesLarge downloadFind, download, installFull, plus phone sensorsGoodHighest, two stores to manage
USSD / SMSEvery phone, no dataPaid per sessionDial a codeNoneSMS onlyMedium, via telecoms partners

MomConnect, the national maternal-health service, runs on WhatsApp and USSD. B-Wise, the Department of Health's youth platform, is a mobile website. Both are worth studying as precedents, and as partners rather than rivals.

Question 2 · Keeping people engaged

A reason to open it every week, and nothing that punishes you for not

Most health apps are opened twice and forgotten. These are the habits I'd build in from the start, and which ages they matter most for.

What brings people back

  • One minute a day, at most. A daily card that's genuinely short.
  • It's about you. Age, family history and check-ins decide what you see first.
  • Challenges with others. Seven days of better sleep with your class, your friends or your team.
  • Seeing progress. Your sleep and mood over a month, shown simply.
  • Timely topics. Exam stress in October, heat in summer, the festive season and drinking in December.
  • Gentle reminders on WhatsApp, weekly at most, easy to turn off.

What changes by age

  • Kids: characters, stories and small games, played with a parent or teacher.
  • Teens: short video, peer voices, quizzes, challenges with friends. Never preachy.
  • Young adults: practical and money-aware. Rewards like data bundles during the pilot.
  • Parents: the family view. Looking after kids and ageing parents is the motivation.
  • Older adults: larger text, audio, simple strength tests like a 30-second chair stand.
  • Everyone: no streaks that shame a missed week. That backfires on people who are struggling.
Question 3 · Letting it spread

Every user should bring the next one

Two engines: institutions that put the app in front of many people at once, and people who share it because it helped them.

  1. Someone joinsThrough a clinic, school, campus, workplace or a friend's link.
  2. Gets value in a minuteA useful card and a check-in on day one, no long setup.
  3. Shares or invitesSends a card to a friend, starts a challenge, adds family.
  4. The next person joinsAlready with a friend inside, which makes them more likely to stay.

Many at once: through institutions

  • Clinics: a QR code at the end of a visit. The most direct fix for "once they leave".
  • Universities and colleges: student wellness, orientation week, residences.
  • Schools: life orientation classes, with teacher and parent buy-in.
  • Employers and medical schemes: as part of staff wellness.
  • The training programme: every trained health worker or peer educator onboards dozens of people (A10).
  • Partners: youth organisations such as loveLife, and the Department of Health.

One to one: people sharing

  • Shareable cards: every card sends nicely to WhatsApp, Instagram or TikTok with a link back.
  • Challenges are more fun with friends, so people invite them.
  • Family accounts: one adult joining brings their children and parents.
  • Creators: young people making short videos from our content, in their own voice.
  • Zero-rated data: if the app costs no data to use, nobody has a reason not to try it.
Heard · A4 · A5

How a piece of advice gets into the app

We agreed advice has to be backed by evidence and by people who publish. This is the pipeline I'd build so anyone who asks "what are you basing this on?" gets an answer in seconds.

  1. SourceGuideline or study: WHO, SA Department of Health, PubMed.
  2. Expert draftsA named, published expert in that area writes the key message.
  3. Plain languageI rewrite it into a one-minute card with one action, per age group.
  4. Expert signs offSame expert approves the wording. Nothing ships unsigned.
  5. User testPeople of that age check it makes sense and is worth their minute.
  6. Publish, then reviewGoes live with its source and a re-review date, yearly.
Question 4 · Making money

Free for people. Paid for by the organisations that benefit.

You said it should be free and scale through training. I said information should be free and guidance paid. Both hold. Here's how the money could come in, in the order I'd expect it.

SourceWho paysFor whatWhenFit
Grants and research fundingHealth-research funders, foundationsBuilding and piloting, with published resultsYear 1Strong. Pays for the start
Training programmeHealth departments, NGOs, universitiesTraining staff and peer educators to use the app with peopleYear 1–2Strong. Your plan, and it grows reach too
Institution licencesUniversities, schools, employersTheir people on the app, group-level dashboard, their own challengesYear 2Strong. Recurring income
Medical schemes and insurersSchemes, wellness programmesPrevention for their members, which lowers their claimsYear 2–3Good, once there's evidence it works
Paid guidanceIndividuals who want moreSessions with psychologists, dietitians, trainers; we take a booking feeYear 2–3Good. Information stays free
Government contractsProvincial or national health departmentsRunning the app at scale as a public serviceYear 3+Large, slow, needs strong evidence

What we never do

  • Sell or share anyone's personal health data
  • Show ads, or let anyone target people by their health
  • Put health information behind a paywall

Anonymous, group-level findings can still go into research and into institution dashboards, with consent. That's where the value is, without selling anyone out.

Safety, ethics and the law

Health data, especially children's, needs care from day one

POPIA and health data

Health information is "special personal information" under South Africa's privacy law. Explicit consent, the minimum data we need, encryption, and a named information officer.

Children and teens

POPIA requires a parent or guardian's consent for under-18s, and schools need their own approvals. This is the main reason the pilot starts at 18.

Data about relatives

Family history records health details of people who never signed up. No names needed ("Gogo" is enough), nothing shared, deletable at any time.

Crisis and safeguarding

A check-in can surface someone at risk. Before launch: a tested route to help, clear wording, and an agreed answer to "what happens if someone discloses self-harm or abuse?" For teens this includes reporting duties.

Medical device rules

Software that diagnoses or calculates personal risk may count as a medical device with SAHPRA. Version 1 stays on the information side of that line.

Research ethics

If pilot data feeds a paper, the study needs university ethics approval, which can take months. Start the application during co-design, not after the build.

Where the data lives

Hosting in South Africa or in the EU are both workable under POPIA. Your institution may have a preference or a rule.

Assumed

From this document to a pilot

Dates depend on funding and ethics approval. Each phase ends with a decision we make together before the next one starts.

Now · Nov–Dec 2026

Align

  • You mark up this document
  • Agree roles, money, IP
  • Pick the pilot site
Gate: we agree what version 1 is
Jan–Feb 2027

Co-design

  • Workshops with 18–30s
  • Content plan with your experts
  • Ethics application in
  • Clickable prototype
Gate: people want to use it
Mar–May 2027

Build version 1

  • Cards, check-ins, challenges
  • Get help, evidence trail
  • First 30–50 cards across both areas
Gate: safe to put in front of real users
Jun–Aug 2027

Pilot

  • One site, 50–150 people
  • Weekly look at usage
  • Interviews and fixes
Gate: evidence it's used and helps
Sep 2027 on

Grow

  • WhatsApp, family accounts
  • Teens via schools
  • Training and first licences
Gate: funding for scale
Ask

How we'll know it's working

Pilot targets to agree with you. Numbers below are my starting proposals, not commitments.

70%

First week

of people who join finish a check-in and three cards in their first week

40%

Still there

are still checking in four weeks after joining

1 in 4

Bring someone

users invite a friend or family member who joins

100%

Reach help

of worrying check-ins are shown a route to help, and we track who takes it

Ask

Ten questions only you can answer

  1. Q1
    Which age group first?

    I've proposed 18–30. If you'd rather start with teens, the plan moves towards schools and parent consent.

  2. Q2
    What does the training programme look like?

    Who is trained, by whom, and who pays for it?

  3. Q3
    Who reviews content on your side?

    Names for general health and for mental health, and how quickly they can turn a card around.

  4. Q4
    Is there funding already, or a grant we're aiming at?

    And its deadline, which would set the real timeline.

  5. Q5
    Where would the pilot happen?

    Which clinic, campus or programme, and who there would champion it?

  6. Q6
    Where does HIV fit?

    Under general health, later, or its own product? And the intro to the person who built the HIV calculator.

  7. Q7
    Who owns the product, content and data?

    Your institution, your organisation, my consultancy, or a shared arrangement.

  8. Q8
    How much money should it make?

    Enough to sustain itself, or enough to fund other work? It changes how hard we push licences and paid guidance.

  9. Q9
    Which mental health topics come first?

    My guess: mood, anxiety and stress, sleep, substances. You'll know what matters most for this group.

  10. Q10
    What content exists already?

    Leaflets, curricula or validated questionnaires from your past work that we can start from.

What could go wrong

Risks I'm already thinking about

Trying to serve every age at once

An app for everyone ends up suiting no one. One age group first, done well, then the next.

It's used once and forgotten

The default for health apps. The pilot measures four-week retention from the start, so we know early.

Advice people can't afford

You raised it: fruit and vegetables cost more than a fast-food supper. Every nutrition card is costed in rands and includes a fast-food option.

Content becomes the bottleneck

Expert review is slow, and each age group multiplies the work. A small launch set, a clear review rota, and templates that make reviewing quick.

Money pulls against mission

Institutions paying could push for features users don't want. The "never" list above is agreed in writing before the first contract.

Scope creep

We covered elder care, HIV, pregnancy, climate and nutrition access in one conversation. All good. Version 1 does a few things well; everything else waits for evidence.

Next steps

What happens after you read this

  1. Mark up the assumptions and answer what you can of the questions, by message or voice note.You
  2. A one-hour call to walk through your corrections.Both
  3. Introduce me to the HIV calculator developer, and share any existing content or funding calls.You
  4. Version 0.3 of this scope, with a costed build plan and a clickable prototype of the three screens above.Me