"No One Should Know I Used This App": Challenges and Design Opportunities for Digital Mental Well-Being Support for Young Saudi Women

Young Saudi women (YSW) face increasing mental health challenges, often hidden behind social barriers and stigma. While digital support has been investigated in Western contexts to offer discreet alternatives, its application in Saudi Arabia remains understudied, particularly in addressing unique cultural needs. To address this gap, we conducted remote interviews with 20 YSW to explore their lived experiences and challenges with existing Arabic apps, followed by remote co-design workshops with 38 YSW to explore design preferences. Using thematic analysis, our findings reveal that many apps rely on surface-level translation and fail to align with users’ cultural values, limiting their adoption. Concerns about incomplete anonymity, fear of being discovered, and a lack of guidance further challenged their use. Participants also framed online privacy as a collective moral value, rather than an individual concern. We discuss these sociocultural sensitivities and propose design considerations for future design targeting Saudi and broader Arab audiences.