Design Requirements

After crafting our personas based on our research findings, we created a journey map for Sophia to explore her experience during a stressful time at school. This map helped us visualize her pain points, emotions, and needs, ensuring our design addressed real challenges. It built on our earlier research by providing deeper insight into her struggles, helping us identify key opportunities where our app could offer meaningful support. This process directly influenced what came next, shaping our feature decisions and ensuring our app seamlessly integrates into her daily life when she needs it most.

Initial Design Requirements

1. Help Users Identify and Maintain Goals 

• Enable users to clearly define and organize goals, addressing the need for technology to promote effective goal-setting. 

• Make goal-setting intuitive and user-friendly through features like natural language input and categorized goal templates. 

• Educate users with management, goal-setting strategies, and mental health practices to ease the process of starting and maintaining goals. 

• Provide actionable resources to help users improve their personal well-being and overcome barriers to setting and achieving goals. 

• Integrate generative AI to recommend goals and activities based on user patterns and preferences. 

2. Track and Customize Goals 

• Implement dynamic tracking tools, such as incomplete circles that close when goals are achieved, offering visual motivation. 

• Include progress indicators like timelines or percentage completions to enhance user engagement. 

• Allow users to track long-term progress with detailed historical records, inspiring them to set and achieve future goals. 

• Provide flexibility for users to adapt/change goals to their unique priorities and evolving schedules.

3. Incorporate a Reward System 

• Include a rewarding experience by celebrating achievements with badges, animations, or other incentives. 

• Draw inspiration from the Finch app to provide users with satisfying feedback that promotes motivation and follow-through. 

• Utilize technology's ability to keep users accountable over time by showcasing trends and milestones. 

4. Focus on an Intuitive Interface 

• Design a clean, user-friendly interface that minimizes learning curves and enhances usability. 

• Ensure the app fosters quick understanding and seamless interaction, driving user engagement and satisfaction. 

5. Enable Progress Sharing and Tracking

• Facilitate goal and progress sharing with peers, leveraging social incentives to encourage accountability and collaboration. 

• Recognize the importance of social interaction for college students, making it a motivating feature of the app. 

• Provide timely reminders to help users stay on track with their goals, addressing the challenges of flexibility.