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Software developers frequently face high levels of occupational stress, emotional strain, and mental wellbeing challenges, stemming from both the nature of their work and the surrounding environment in which it takes place. While previous studies have explored these challenges, individual-level solutions—particularly lightweight tools tailored to developers’ needs—remain scarce. This thesis presents MindReflect, a journaling-based mental wellbeing prototype designed to support emotional reflections, processing, and understanding for software professionals. The tool was piloted in a five-week study with students in a software engineering course at the University of California, Irvine, using pre- and post-surveys to assess its potential value.
Initial findings suggest that event-triggered, low-friction journaling may align with the cognitive and behavioral tendencies of software engineering students, particularly in fostering emotional reflection. The app was rated as highly usable, though its impact on deeper emotional processing and overall mental wellbeing remained limited in this study. These results offer early insights into how mental wellbeing tools can be better integrated into developer workflows and point to promising directions for future research and design.