Solo student project for the AllWoman UX/UI Bootcamp 2023
User research, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, user testing and visual design
October - December 2023 (7 weeks)
Figma, G Suite, Zoom
I started learning painting, something I had always wanted to do but never found the time for. I used to think that painting was a talent that people were born with. However, my teacher was always telling me that I would struggle at first and that I needed to keep practising to get better. I made it a habit to pick up my sketchbook every day and create something, but it was challenging to stay motivated when I couldn't see any good results. I talked to my colleagues, and they were all facing the same problem. This made me wonder how we can help more people stay motivated when starting something new. To understand why this happens, I decided to investigate further.
Starting with Desk Research, I wanted to understand what is a habit in the first place and how it's formed - already getting important insights from that:
REFERENCES: Frontiers in Psychology, Harvard Business Review & James Clear.
I wanted to explore some habit-tracking applications already available in the market - to understand how they work and what people say about them. One of the apps I use daily is TickTick, which has helped me keep up with some of my habits, like exercising and reading daily. However, I've been struggling to stay motivated in painting; even though I practice for at least five minutes daily - I still couldn't see a result, so it wasn't motivating me enough. Then I also visited the App Store and found Productive, which was one of the first options that it suggested to me when looking for a habits-related app. I also researched Google to find a different type of habit-tracking app that would have gamifying elements, and it suggested Habitica, a game that helps track habits.
Based on that, the opportunity identified was to think about a solution with a habit-tracking app with gamification features, collaboration options, and friend challenges - integrating these focusing solely on habit-tracking.
A user survey was conducted as quantitative research with 27 participants who had started a new habit in the last six months, with the primary goal of having answers to my research questions. These were the main takeaways:
An important insight from here is that even though there are a lot of tracking apps available in the market, only 20% use or have used them, leading to my curiosity about the reason behind it.
This insight I got after conducting a user survey, where I invited five participants who had previously completed the survey to a 30-minute Zoom interview. The goal of these interviews was to understand the challenges faced by people who tend to start something new but give up after a few days.
To conclude the research, I added all the information gathered from desk research, benchmark analysis, user surveys and interviews into Figjam. This process helped me to identify common themes across the gathered data and gain insights from each one.
This statement was related to all the users. One of them even mentioned that using a habit-tracking app would be like learning a new habit just to use it, and that already would make her feel overwhelmed. About the ones already existing in the market, they answered that they feel annoyed by too many things on it and prefer not to use them. My primary focus was to keep this insight in mind, while also considering all the others.
I gathered all the data collected from the user survey and interviews and organized it into an Empathy Map. I divided the data into categories to gain a better understanding of what the users do, think, feel, and say. This helped me to understand their needs, behavior, and build a User Persona.
Based on that, I built a persona named Kate, being able to synthesize the needs and behaviours of my users to better anticipate how they might interact with the proposed solution.
After gathering all the necessary data during the research phase, I explored some "How Might We's" (HMW's) based on the insights found and decided to focus on one in particular. The main insight I wanted to address was that users feel pressured and annoyed when there are too many things on the platform, and then they prefer not to use it as a result. So how might I make a process that is the opposite of making the users feel pressured and annoyed?
After considering the HMW, I began brainstorming ways to create a solution to provide users with a positive and enjoyable experience. To come up with ideas, I started with a brainstorming session called Crazy 8's and used the Lotus Blossom technique while keeping the HMW statement in mind. The reason why I chose these techniques was that, as with the Crazy 8's, I could just write down and sketch every possible idea that came into my mind; with the Lotus Blossom, I was already iterating with some of them and refining it for my final minute. Doing this helped me to already think about features I would like to incorporate in my solution while also considering the emotions and user experience I wanted to evoke. At the same time, I was starting to think about the values I would like to incorporate into that.
By answering my HMW during the brainstorming sessions, I was able then to create a solution statement to better guide through the whole process, already writing down the features I would like to add to my solution, as previously stated.
As I was brainstorming ideas, the name "Circle" popped into my head. I thought it would be a great name for a place where people could share their accomplishments and progress with friends. The name was inspired by the concept of a "circle", which can refer to a group of individuals who share a common interest or participate in similar activities*.``
*SOURCE: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/circle
At this point, features I wanted to include were:
Once I had identified the key features I wanted, I began by defining the primary tasks I intended the user to do. I narrowed it down to these main tasks: creating and tracking a habit, adding friends and cheering on their progress.
Prior to initiating any sketching, my primary objective was to gain a comprehensive understanding of successful design patterns that are closely related to my task flows. The main purpose of this exercise was to obtain valuable insights and knowledge that would enable me to continue to work on my project.
Based on my task flow and design pattern research insights, I started to sketch screens for each step of the main task flow: creating a habit, tracking it and sharing their progress with friends by creating a visual memory from that. Doing this helped me to get down on paper as many ideas as possible, without any judgment, and only later select the ones I felt would answer to my solution.
After reviewing my sketches, I went to create my mid-fidelity prototype on Figma. This allowed me to better visualize and test my ideas, already thinking about proper sizes and practices. To ensure that I followed established standards, I researched examples such as the Apple Human Interface Guidelines and Google Material Design.
Doing the Mid-Fidelity Prototype allowed me to conduct user testing before jumping into my High-Fidelity Prototype.
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A usability test was conducted with three users who had previously participated in the user interview. During the test, they were asked to perform the main tasks, and the following findings were gathered.
When given the task to make the habit daily except on Sundays, all the users expected to select only the day they would like to exclude, not the opposite of selecting day by day for daily activity.
2/3 users also expected to be able to choose a specific time to get notifications when creating a habit
Users needed clarification about where to click on the habit to see: if they would need to click on the streaks bar or the overall card. They also mentioned that streaks were repeating on the page after and didn't understand why they were in the 1st one.
After the screen where the user added Jenny, they needed clarification about what to do after they saw the confirmation. The solution was to add, after the delayed animation, two buttons: one leading them to add more friends and another one to the Circle so they could check the feed with the new friends added.
When starting to think about my high-fidelity prototype, I referred back to the brand values that had been established earlier and began to gather visual references in accordance with them. Since the brand had a cheerful, easygoing, and motivating vibe, I looked for many references featuring colourful and energetic designs. Even though the moodboard had a lot of colours, I chose the colour palette in a neutral way by selecting orange as the only colour since it is a known energetic colour. The reason behind not having too many colours in the palette was that the primary goal was to make the colours stand out when the user customized their habit with them.
Once I established my brand identity, I began using Figma to design components and create a Design System for my application. By doing this, I could design my high-fidelity prototype in a more efficient manner. To ensure that I followed established standards, I researched examples such as the Apple Human Interface Guidelines and Google Material Design.
The solution is a mobile application that allows users to keep track of their habits and share their progress with friends using pictures, creating a visual memory of that and, by that, having a more enjoyable experience. Moreover, users can set reminders to stay motivated and on track. By reaching their goals, users can earn badges to recognize their progress.
