Research at Reset

What we know, and what we don’t.

Reset is built from lived AuDHD experience and shaped by research in ADHD, memory, behaviour change and human-computer interaction. The evidence is uneven, so we say what is established, related or still emerging.

See what informs Reset

Reading the evidence

Three ways to say how sure we are.

These labels describe the research behind a design choice. They do not rate a person, a task or a day. None of the six ideas below is labelled “more established” yet. We will move a card up when the evidence supports it.

More established

There is useful direct or wider evidence.

The underlying idea has support in ADHD research, broader psychology or both. That still does not prove the Reset feature itself works for everyone.

Related evidence

The reasoning is sound, but indirect.

The feature draws on research into a closely related problem, age group or setting. Direct adult ADHD evidence may be limited.

Still emerging

The idea is promising and needs testing.

Early studies, theory and lived experience point in a useful direction, but there is not yet enough direct evidence for a strong claim.

What informs the app

Informed by research. Shaped for real life.

We start with studies of ADHD itself. Where that research is still catching up, we draw on wider work on memory, habits and how people use technology, and each card tells you which is which.

Cognitive offloading, related evidence

Getting a thought out of your head can reduce how much you have to hold in working memory.

Research in the wider population supports external notes and reminders as memory aids. Adults with ADHD often use the same strategies, but direct trials of voice capture for ADHD tasks are still lacking.

In Reset: Offload accepts voice or text, keeps capture quick and lets you check every suggested task.

Sources and limits

Most offloading evidence comes from the wider population, not trials of Reset or voice capture in adults with ADHD.

Smaller next steps, related evidence

A specific, manageable action can ask less of planning and working memory than a vague, oversized task.

Research on clear goals and if-then planning supports concrete actions. Studies involving children with ADHD are encouraging, but direct adult ADHD trials of app-generated next steps are limited.

In Reset: AI plan breaks a large task into a few editable steps. You can change or remove every suggestion.

Sources and limits

The if-then study involved children with ADHD. It does not test app-generated steps for adults.

Intentions that point to action, related evidence

Plans tend to be more useful when they connect a clear cue with a clear action.

Implementation intentions have strong support in wider behaviour research and promising ADHD-specific findings, especially in younger groups. Adult ADHD evidence is thinner, so Reset avoids presenting an intention as a guarantee.

In Reset: one daily intention sits at the top of Today and appears in your focus session, without turning the whole day into a target.

Sources and limits

Useful ADHD-specific evidence exists, but direct evidence for daily intentions in adult app users is limited.

Optional reminders, related evidence

A well-timed cue can help when remembering at the right moment is the difficult part.

Some ADHD studies show reminders can improve a specific behaviour or prompt quicker action, but they do not reliably improve overall completion. Too many alerts can become noise or pressure.

In Reset: reminders are optional, easy to change and written as neutral cues rather than warnings.

Sources and limits

Results are mixed, and a medication reminder is not the same as help with completing a task.

Focus Companion and body doubling, still emerging

Some people find it easier to begin or stay with a task when another presence is nearby.

Body doubling is widely used in ADHD communities, and social-presence research offers a plausible explanation. Direct adult ADHD research is small and early, so quiet digital company should be treated as a feature to test, not a proven intervention.

In Reset: the Focus Companion is optional, calm and centred on the task. On Ultimate, replies are off until you turn them on, stay brief and only come when you are stuck or ask.

Sources and limits

This is an early, not yet peer-reviewed virtual-reality study of 12 people. It did not test a phone app or Reset.

Reflection and private patterns, related evidence

Looking back can help someone notice what supported them, as long as the feedback does not become another judgement.

Structured self-monitoring appears in ADHD support and has encouraging findings. There is no direct proof for AI-written session summaries, and rigid scores or comparisons may add shame and avoidance.

In Reset: Insights describe patterns from your own sessions in plain words. There are no rankings or productivity scores.

Sources and limits

These studies inform reflection and tone. They do not test AI-written summaries or prove that a no-score interface changes outcomes.

From research to Reset

What we learned. What we built.

Every finding had to earn its place by changing something real in the app.

  1. We learned

    Keeping lots of thoughts in your head is tiring. Getting them out frees up space.

    So Reset

    Offload takes voice or text, however the thought comes out.

    Evidence: Cognitive offloading
  2. We learned

    A small, clear next step is easier to start than a big, vague task.

    So Reset

    AI plan breaks a big job into a few steps you can edit or remove.

    Evidence: Smaller next steps
  3. We learned

    Plans work better when a clear cue points to a clear action.

    So Reset

    Your daily intention stays in view on Today and in every focus session.

    Evidence: Intentions that point to action
  4. We learned

    The same reminder can help one person and distract another.

    So Reset

    Every reminder is optional and worded as a calm cue, never a warning.

    Evidence: Optional reminders
  5. We learned

    Many people with ADHD say it is easier to start with someone nearby.

    So Reset

    The Focus Companion offers quiet company, on your terms.

    Evidence: Focus Companion and body doubling
  6. We learned

    Scores and comparisons can add shame and make looking back harder.

    So Reset

    Insights show patterns from your own sessions. No streaks, no rankings.

    Evidence: Reflection and private patterns

Reset is a focus and task app. It is not a treatment for ADHD, and we never claim it is.

Research library

The research behind the choices.

We use working evidence reviews to keep product decisions traceable. They bring together ADHD-specific studies, wider research and the gaps between them. If you would like to read one, ask us for a copy.

  • Internal review Evidence map

    Evidence map and theory of change for Reset

    Maps each core feature to the problem it is trying to reduce, the proposed mechanism and the strength of the supporting evidence.

    Summarised on this page: See the six evidence summaries

  • Internal review Capture

    Voice capture, cognitive offloading and ADHD

    Reviews working-memory relief, faster capture, interruption risk, privacy and the need for user-controlled recording.

    Summarised on this page: Cognitive offloading

  • Internal review Starting

    Daily intention-setting for ADHD

    Looks at implementation intentions, clear cues and why one specific next action may be more useful than a broad goal.

    Summarised on this page: Intentions that point to action

  • Internal review Remembering

    ADHD-specific evidence on reminders

    Examines what reminders can and cannot do, plus timing, personalisation, alert fatigue and respectful wording.

    Summarised on this page: Optional reminders

  • Internal review Staying with it

    ADHD body doubling and encouraging feedback

    Separates the emerging evidence for social presence from the much less certain case for frequent spoken encouragement.

    Summarised on this page: Focus Companion and body doubling

  • Internal review Looking back

    Metacognition and self-monitoring in ADHD

    Explores helpful reflection, self-efficacy and pattern recognition, alongside the risks of scores, shame and over-monitoring.

    Summarised on this page: Reflection and private patterns

Last reviewed: October 2026. We will update this page as the product and the evidence develop.

See it in practice

See the thinking inside the app.

Explore how Reset turns this research into practical, low-pressure help for starting, sorting and staying with a task.

Explore the features Read why Reset began