How to Complete Onboarding

Who this is for: Anyone opening Grief Companion for the first time.

Renata opened the app at 1 AM, two months after the stillbirth of her daughter. She did not know what she was looking for — just something to hold the weight of the night. Onboarding is designed to welcome her, and everyone else, in under three minutes, with no pressure and no account required.

Steps

1. Open the app: The welcome screen appears. There are no sign-in gates, no subscription prompts. Tap Get Started.

2. Select your grief type: A list of grief categories appears. Choose the one that fits your situation — for example, "Loss of a child." You can select more than one, and you can change or add to this selection later in Settings. Take your time.

3. Name what you lost (optional): The app gently invites you to give a name to what you are grieving — a person's name, a relationship, a role, or whatever feels right. This is optional. Whatever you enter is stored only on your device and never shared.

4. Set your check-in time: Choose when you would like your daily reflection reminder. Options include morning, afternoon, evening, and late night. Select the time that feels most natural. You can adjust this anytime in Settings.

5. Read the multi-dimensional grief model introduction: The app presents a brief, plain-language explanation of the seven grief dimensions it tracks — emotional intensity, daily functioning, meaning-making, connection, acceptance, identity, and hope. This is informational, not a quiz. Tap Continue when you are ready.

6. Arrive at your dashboard (Home screen): You are now in the app. The Home screen shows a crisis resources banner at the top — tap it at any time to access support lines and mental health resources. Below the banner, you will see your first coping prompt and a prompt to write your first journal entry or add a memory.

Expected Outcome

You are fully set up in under three minutes. The app is ready to use — journal, memories, assessments, and the education library are all available immediately. No account, no payment, no waiting.

Notes

• All core features are available on the free tier from the moment onboarding completes.
• The grief type you select during onboarding influences the prompts and coping suggestions you receive, but it does not lock you into a fixed path. You can explore any part of the app at any time.
• The crisis resources banner on the Home screen is always visible. It does not go away after onboarding.
• If you close the app before completing onboarding, the app will resume from where you left off next time you open it.