Happy Heart Grateful Soul
APP DESIGN
The Product:
Happy Heart Grateful Soul is a mindfulness app that focuses on reprogramming one’s mind with daily positive affirmations to help change negative thought patterns, manifest goals and desires, and build confidence by implementing the law of attraction.
Project Duration:
April 2023-June 2023
The Problem:
Research has found that 80% of our daily thoughts are negative and 95% are repetitive. Getting stuck in negative thought patterns can cause anxiety and depression, which can then have a negative impact on a person’s immune system and overall health.
The Goal:
Design an app that will help users disrupt negative thinking and make positive shifts in their mindset by overcoming negative and self sabotaging thoughts with daily affirmations and accountability journaling, which leads to creating new positive thought patterns to better a person’s overall well being.
My Role:
UX designer leading the app and responsive website design from conception to delivery.
Responsibilities:
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, determining information architecture, and responsive design.
User Research: Summary
I used scientific research data to develop interview questions, which were then used to conduct user interviews. Most interview participants reported they were unable to make a daily habit of focusing on prioritizing their positive thought patterns. The feedback received through research made it very clear that users would be open and willing to commit to daily affirmations if they had access to an easy to use tool to guide them on where to start and how to maintain it.
Affinity Diagram
Persona 1: Stefan
Problem Statement:
Stefan is a busy professional that needs an outlet for helping manage his negative thoughts and anxiety about missing out on being with his family and shift them into positive ones.
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Persona 2: Harlow
Problem Statement:
Harlow is a student that wants to learn how to practice gratitude with the law of attraction to help manage her negative thought patterns due to her anxiety and depression.
Digital Wireframes
Enabling the app to work with assistive technologies with a simple design was a key need to address in the designs.
Usability Study: Parameters
Study Type:
Unmoderated usability study
Location:
New York City, remote
Participants:
12 Participants
Length:
15-30 minutes
Usability Study: Findings
1
Sensory:
Users want a sensory section to cope with anxiety and stress.
2
Accountability:
Users want help with being accountable daily to meditate and write affirmations.
3
Customization
Users want to be able to customize if they want music or speaking affirmations.
Mockups
After the usability studies, I added an image to demonstrate the theme of the brand.
High-fidelity Prototype
Accessibility Considerations
1
Added adding alt text to images for screen readers to provide access to users who are vision impaired.
2
Used icons to help users navigate easier throughout the sign in process.
3
Used detailed images of action items to help all users understand the designs and items offered.
Responsive Designs
Takeaways
Impact:
The app made users feel like Happy Heart Grateful Soul held them accountable to continue practicing a positive and healthy mindset.
One quote from peer feedback:
“I liked how the app was so structured and easy to understand. It had several features to help me customize how I wanted my affirmations to be presented to me. I look forward to using it again.”
What I Learned:
While designing the Happy Heart Grateful Soul app, I learned that usability studies are such an important part of the design process as they influenced each iteration of the app’s designs.
Next Steps:
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points which the users have expressed have been effectively addressed. Add a new feature and conduct more user research to determine if it is a need for the user.