Date
July 2025
Project Type
Academic Project
Role
Sole Designer
Tools Used
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Google Forms
Responsibilities
UX/UI
User Research
From Problem to Opportunity
Many habit apps feel rigid, sterile, or limited to just one activity. When building healthy routines requires juggling multiple apps, the process stops feeling supportive and starts feeling overwhelming.
Insights from early surveys showed that people wanted something that felt approachable and grew with them. An app that was flexible, engaging, and supportive without adding pressure.
Fill the gap by designing a flexible, feel-good habit app that brings users back through a simple idea: as you grow your habits, you grow your habitat.
Easy to log a habit from the home screen, specify the amount through pre-made options or custom amounts. Microinteractions create rewarding delighters.
The experience begins with an interactive onboarding moment that connects habits to growth. Each logged habit earns points that help users unlock plants and expand their virtual habitat, turning consistent actions into visible progress.
Metrics focuses on gentle insight rather than guilt. Users can see trends, small wins, and visual progress that encourage them to keep going.
Users can cheer on friends and peek into their growing habitats, creating a sense of connection without turning progress into a competition.
The Task
Design a wellness app based on the cognitive principles of what motivates people.
Survey & Interviews
I began by sending out a survey about wellness and wellness apps to understand how people currently track health habits, what motivates them, and where existing apps fall short.
I followed up with three in-person interviews that helped clarify the emotional side: what feels supportive vs. stressful, and what actually helps people build consistency.
Empathy Map
With these insights, I felt like I had a direction to go in. A variety of wellness and health topics came up, but participants also liked keeping tasks overall simple, just adding more variety to not get bored with the app.
User Persona
Brainstorming
Off the bat I had just thought of doing a hydration related app. Using “hydration” as a jumping off point, I did a complete mind map to see what words popped out of me when I thought of this space.
Initially, this led me to start scoping out an app set in a garden or aquarium, encouraging users to drink more water to grow their greenhouse or garden.
The Idea
A gamified hydration tracker allowing people to log their water intake and grow their virtual aquarium or garden.
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis to see what all was out there that felt similar to mine. This initial competitive analysis revealed there are many “hydration” apps, and several that focus on garden or aquarium.
Blueprinting the Experience
I mapped out the information architecture and key features, carving out the 4 main screens to establish the app's foundation.
The Pivot
Around this point in my process I felt I wasn’t doing enough to serve my user. This present idea wasn’t adding value and I had a nagging feeling to expand to different habits, but how?
💡 New Idea
I looked back at my initial mind map and saw how the idea of nature and habitats could come together, so multiple habits can build up a beautiful habitat that can grow with the user.
Competitive Analysis 2.0
My next competitive analysis expanded my search, and included duolingo due to the app’s success at gamifying experiences to keep people coming back.
Around this point in my process I felt I wasn’t doing enough to serve my user. This present idea wasn’t adding value and I had a nagging feeling to expand to different habits, but how?
Updated Wireflow
Created all vector illustrations to bring the habitat to life.
Users are welcomed into their habitat with a playful and welcoming onboarding tutorial.
All elements were illustrated by me to help keep things cohesive and set the tone for the rest of the app
Iconography and other assets
I experimented with how each habit should look and feel, using color and illustration to keep the interface cohesive, friendly, and playful.
Style Guide
Playful, Friendly, and Inviting!
Overall I am very proud with how this project turned out given the short timeline. I had so much fun creating the assets, brainstorming, learning new microinteractions, and just putting it all together.
Room for Improvement
I will remind myself to take a step back and try to catch myself when I’m getting too into the details.
Give myself extra time for user testing and feedback, designs cannot really thrive in isolation!
Future Steps
Flesh out additional task flows and features
Conduct user tests to gather feedback, iterate to ensure the designs align with users' needs as I work through this process
