Designing the first 10 seconds of a quit-vaping app: one button for a craving
A vaping craving usually peaks and passes within minutes. The problem is those minutes. CraveBreaker is built around one button, "I have a craving", and what happens in the first few seconds after you tap it.
The craving screen: no account, no paywall, no questionnaire
- A 90-second reset: slow breathing plus a quiet 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise.
- Pattern Break: a small puzzle to pull your attention somewhere else.
- A craving timer: 1, 3 or 5 minutes or your own length. Stop early or add time.
- Your reasons: the words you wrote for yourself, shown back to you.
- Change the routine: practical swaps for coffee, driving, stress and work breaks.
- Reach out: text someone you trust, or find free quitline support (U.S. and Canada).
Every craving tool is free, always. That was a deliberate decision: the moment someone needs help is the worst moment for a purchase screen.
Data that only says what you recorded
Log a craving in seconds: situation, intensity, what you tried, and whether you vaped. Patterns only appear once you've logged enough to be meaningful, and they're shown as observations, not causes. The app doesn't claim to measure your body; progress is your quit date, your vape-free stretch, total vape-free days and cravings handled.
A lapse doesn't erase progress
Vaped? Record it without judgment. Your original quit date, total vape-free days and milestones stay. You look at what happened, adjust the plan and pick a next step. Resetting everything to zero after one slip is a common design choice, and we think it pushes people to quit the app instead of the vape.
Savings, with the formula shown
Enter what you spent per week or month and see estimated spending avoided, with the calculation visible. You can also record money you actually set aside.
Guides on cravings, withdrawal, triggers and lapses are short and sourced from Smokefree.gov and Health Canada guidance. Everything runs privately and offline.
CraveBreaker: Quit Vaping is free on the iPhone App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cravebreaker-quit-vaping/id6787461078
Have you designed for a "moment of need" screen? What did you remove to make it faster?