The OneStepNow.Me Project

Introduction

My name is Jeppe, and for the past two years I have worked as a sergeant in the Danish Army. I now work as a teaching assistant, where I support and coach children between the ages of 12 and 16 in a stressful school environment. The experience of leading adults in stressful and often unknown environments, and now supporting children with ADHD and autism, has given me experience in handling stress, sudden feelings of sadness, and feelings of being overwhelmed—both for myself and for others.

This has taught me the value of taking very few, but concrete, steps toward improving mental struggles. You can be gently guided through small, dedicated steps over a longer period of time, rather than being overwhelmed by the idea of taking large, concrete, and actionable steps toward better mental health in both the short and long term. In this process, I came across a trove of valuable insights, such as the research papers listed below:

Fincham, G. W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J., & Cavanagh, K. (January 2023). Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36824160/

Sohal, M., Singh, P., Dhillon, B. S., & Gill, H. S. (March 2022). Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Retrieved from PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8935178/

Grassini, S. (March 2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of nature walk as intervention for anxiety and depression. Retrieved from PubMed Central: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8953618/

Most people already know that things like breathing deeply, journaling, or going for a short walk can help regulate stress and mood. The problem is not knowledge — it is execution. When someone feels overwhelmed, even simple actions can feel out of reach.

Most of us probably already know that taking a few deep breaths or going outside for a walk will benefit us—but how often do we actually do these things? This question is where the project really started. I wanted to create a tool that helped specify both which steps to take and how to take them in order to combat the mental struggles a user may be facing.

While exploring different ways to create this tool, I quickly researched the possibility of using AI, but also discovered the potential caveats of applying AI in a mental health context.

Ethical Concerns

These ethical concerns led me to the following study, which concludes that there are serious problems with using AI as a replacement for therapy:

Moore, J., Grabb, D., Agnew, W., Klyman, K., Chancellor, S., Ong, D. C., & Haber, N. (April 2025). Expressing stigma and inappropriate responses prevents LLMs from safely replacing mental health providers. Retrieved from arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.18412

However, the study also concludes that AI can be helpful in less safety-critical scenarios. One such scenario is the use of AI to provide simple, non-medical guidance to help combat mental struggles immediately through micro-actions.

To avoid the AI providing any form of medical advice, the code on which the platform runs is instilled with explicit instructions such as: “Avoid clinical advice; use crisis referrals for self-harm.” This constraint is clearly demonstrated when users attempt to ask the AI for medical advice. In such cases, the AI avoids answering directly and instead provides steps aligned with the user’s expressed symptoms. Furthermore, at the center of the UI, the website features a dedicated tab that highlights the limitations of AI within the field of mental health guidance.

Additionally, the site collects data based on user input, which introduces its own set of ethical considerations. Initially, I considered storing full user responses, but from an ethical standpoint, I concluded that it would be better to store anonymized and safe keywords instead.  

OneStepNow.Me also operates from a Human-in-the-Loop perspective. Users can add additional prompts to better suit their individual needs. Rather than the AI fixing the prompt on behalf of the user, the user themselves can add these specifications in follow-up prompts. This enables a more personalized experience while reinforcing that the AI only provides suggestions based on its coding, and that users retain full authority over how the platform is used. Responsible AI usage is therefore essential to OneStepNow.Me.  

Data

The data collected provides insight into which mental struggles dominate users’ daily lives, while also highlighting the topics users feel an AI platform like OneStepNow.Me can help them with most effectively. Is it stress, or feelings of sadness, that users turn to AI for guidance?

The keywords collected include terms such as stressed, overwhelmed, and sad. In total, the platform tracks 20 different keywords to ensure a sufficiently broad sample size. These keywords were selected based on the most common daily mental struggles, as highlighted in the following source:

Healthy Survey. (n.d.). Common mental health problems. Retrieved from Healthy Survey: https://www.healthysurvey.org/uk/mental-wellbeing/self-help/common-mental-health-problems  

The use of data—and, more specifically, well-designed data-driven feedback loops—is a key reason why AI capabilities have advanced rapidly over the past two to three years. OneStepNow.Me also leverages data-driven feedback. Collecting user inputs informs both how the platform is marketed and how its backend should evolve.  

For example, if the data shows that a majority of users report feeling stressed, this may indicate that stress-related struggles represent the platform’s strongest market appeal. This insight could guide both marketing efforts and further AI development, enabling the system to deliver more stress-related micro-actions. This process can be framed as follows:  

Input → Aggregation → Insight → Adjustment

Where does OneStepNow.Me Fit in the Market

Value Proposition Canvas / Porter’s Generic Strategies

The value proposition of OneStepNow.Me is best understood through a Value Proposition Canvas. This model illustrates how the platform aligns its functionality with user needs. A typical user may feel stressed at work or overwhelmed, while struggling to take concrete steps toward regaining mental balance. At the same time, the user is seeking something simple that does not require significant time or effort.

OneStepNow.Me addresses this need by offering a simple, user-friendly UI that provides clear and easy-to-follow steps. The platform delivers non-medical, yet scientifically supported micro-actions in a technically robust and data-secure manner. Overall, its value proposition is built on simplicity, user-friendliness, and an ethical approach to applying AI as a supportive tool.

From the perspective of Porter’s Generic Strategies, OneStepNow.Me is positioned within differentiation by serving a specific need: providing immediate relief or improvement of mental struggles through micro-actions. The platform differentiates itself through its simplicity, ease of use, and ethical considerations when compared to platforms such as Wysa or Youper, which offer more complex and ethically challenging solutions.  

STP

Segmentation

When considering digital strategy—especially for a platform like OneStepNow.Me—traditional customer segmentation offers limited value. Instead, users can be segmented based on shared experiences: individuals who feel mentally overloaded, lack motivation, or struggle to identify concrete actions to take. Additionally, users can be segmented by the type of support they seek: simple, immediate, and effective assistance.  

Digital behavior is also an important segmentation factor. OneStepNow.Me appeals to users who prefer low-effort, privacy-focused, and situational tools that can be accessed quickly.  

Targeting

Based on this segmentation, OneStepNow.Me benefits most from a focused targeting strategy. The platform is not designed for everyone, but rather for users seeking a low-effort, privacy-conscious, and ethically considered solution that does not overcomplicate its purpose.  

Positioning

OneStepNow.Me positions itself as a simple, non-medical, and situational AI-driven support tool. This is best understood through the theoretical marketing mix. The product is an AI-based support platform that delivers low-barrier actions and non-medical guidance through effective micro-actions during moments of mental struggle. The platform is free, reinforcing the intention and passion behind the project. Its distribution is fully digital, ensuring ease of access. While OneStepNow.Me currently exists as a website, developing a mobile application represents a significant opportunity.  

Promotion should emphasize transparency, ethical responsibility, and the genuine motivation behind the platform.  

Physical evidence is reflected in the simple and user-friendly UI, which aligns closely with the platform’s process and mission. Both simplicity and ease of use reinforce the overall purpose of the website. From a people perspective, the platform differs from traditional services by relying on the interaction between AI and users, where the AI acts as a helper and the user remains the primary decision-maker within a Human-in-the-Loop framework.  

Conclusion

OneStepNow.Me occupies a unique position in the market by differentiating itself through ease of use and a strong ethical approach to the relationship between AI and mental health support. The platform stands out by focusing on micro-actions rather than in-depth interventions, resulting in a distinct positioning compared to tools such as Wysa, Youper, or Elomia.

Furthermore, OneStepNow.Me maintains ethical integrity by ensuring that no medical advice is provided and that the platform is not intended to replace professional therapy. In conclusion, I believe the platform holds strong market potential and serves as a compelling example of how AI can be responsibly used to support mental health in modern society.  

Small steps create momentum.