Improvements Based on User Feedback

After its first usability test, three major components were discovered as areas that could be improved upon:

1. Overcrowded Footer

The first discovery was the overcrowding of icons / navigational tools at the footer of the app. It its first stage, it originally had six icons. It was discovered that six created a sense of busyness and unease. Two of the icons were relocated to other areas of the app and new pages and paths were created to help alleviate some of the space on the bottom of the screen.

2. Lack of Intuitive Scrolling Feature

It was not immediately intuitive to have a scrolling feature for the app. While the app scrolled successfully, some users reported feeling stuck and unsure of where or how to progress. A scroll bar was made more visually accessible within the app to allow the viewer to better understand how to intuitively navigate it.

3. Visually Accessible Pie Charts and Graphs

When taking note of W3C Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines, it is important to make charts accessible for the visually impaired, or those who may perceive color differently. Different patterns were overlaid onto each color to better help differentiate them and to make the app more accessible for all.

Competitive Analysis

Several apps were researched while designing this concept. Habitica is close in its gamification approach to goal setting although, nothing seems to also address the holistic needs and emotional barriers users have particularly our specific target audience of this specific app (ages 11-14). If someone has a negative outlook, perspective, or mood, they will be less likely to achieve their goals. Having a game-like app is a bonus, but without also meeting the emotional needs of the user, it may be harder for them to get started with their goals.

Headspace and Duolingo were researched in terms of their design interface. While those two apps are very different from one another, they have a very similar design interface. Duolingo is very successful in its notifications and gamification to keep the user engaged with their app consistency over long periods of time. The success of these two apps was studied intensively.

Right: Here we see one of the weekly progress views. Goals are customized to meet your needs and the view formats can be altered to pie chart, bar graph, and overall history

Final Product

Note Sharing

Note sharing is a great way to connect to other users. Forethought has been placed into user safety as the design is open enough to allow creativity to flourish, but specific enough to only create what is within the predetermined templates to ensure each note sent out is positive and full of only good intentions.

Next Steps

Continuing this product requires a branding update looking more into a blend of the Neobrutalism design style. Bright and bold colors with dark black strokes. While Neobrutalism rejects gradients it celebrates going against the traditional design rules with UX design. Working in this style and including more bright and high saturated colored would better capture the interest of our target audience (middle school age range) and help them feel more engaged within the application.

The mascots created represent a much more fun and engaging theme than the current application interface provides. More work will be done to redefine and overhaul the look and feel of the app.

Above: Some of the team mascots

Mascots were all custom designed to fit the colorful and optimistic theme of the app and created in a way to feel cohesive.