Habitude is a mobile app designed to empower users to break negative habits, overcome temptations, and enhance their quality of life. By providing a supportive and intuitive platform, Habitude enables individuals to take control of their habits and cultivate a positive mindset, fostering personal growth and well-being.

This capstone project marked the culmination of my cohort's journey, allowing me to showcase the skills I had acquired over the past months. As someone aspiring to achieve personal and professional success, I was deeply intrigued by the idea of cultivating habits that would align me better with my goals. What habits do I need to develop? How will I track these habits? What apps were out there that could help plan this? How do I stay motivated? Will this be sustainable? In this case study, I will explore my findings and insights on habit formation and its impact on personal growth and success.

I first started with a white paper research to better understand users and their relationship with habits. Through these findings, I know that:
• Habits are actions that arise from triggers that humans have subconsciously developed.
• Some habits may not always be helpful or healthy - some can even cause long-term difficulties.
• Habits form through the brain’s reward centers, and it may be difficult to overcome any habits due to their hardwired nature and the brain’s constant craving for them.

In my research, I gathered quantitative insights on common pain points and experiences from over 40 surveyed participants. Followed up with six user interviews to delve deeper into the user's experience, pain points, and desires concerning habits. Throughout the study, it became apparent that regardless of the specific habit users tried to adopt, their struggles in breaking existing bad habits were consistently overlooked.

Using the user research data I have collected, I created two personas that I have narrowed down throughout the design process. I used Jack as my primary guide throughout the creation of Habitude.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing solutions in the market, I downloaded and evaluated 12 leading habit-related apps to identify their key features, strengths, and weaknesses. I focused on assessing the motivational and educational elements, time management tools, and consistency features offered by these apps to understand better how they support users.

Based on the research findings, I curated a focused and insightful list of design decisions to address user pain points and meet their needs. These design decisions form the app's foundation, guiding the project's next phase with a user-centric approach. Below are the top three high-level I decided to move forward with.

I created a high-fidelity, interactive prototype for the usability test as I wanted the participants to experience the app as if it was launched. I wanted feedback on many spect, from concept, visual design, feeling, emotions, usability, and accessibility. Below are a few key sample screens.

During the project, one of the major challenges I faced was balancing users' diverse preferences. While feedback on various features was mixed, certain issues arose consistently during task flows, particularly with the Temptation SOS screen and its functionality. Due to time constraints, I had to prioritize this feature as it was the primary function that could assist users in combating temptations and cravings based on pain points identified in user research.

However, all feedback was thoroughly evaluated and considered during the iteration process, and decisions were made based on what would have the most significant impact on the user experience. Despite the challenges, the project taught me the importance of balancing user preferences and product constraints while still striving to deliver an effective solution.

Throughout this project, I am glad to have the opportunity to apply my past learnings and undergo significant growth as a designer. Moving forward, I see continuous learning and development. The non-linear nature of the UX process became evident in the project, pushing me to challenge my assumptions, continuously asking "why," and going deeper into research and design.

Despite the time constraint, I am grateful for my rapid and interactive prototype, its positive reactions during usability testing, and the valuable feedback received. The experience was exhilarating, and although I feel a bit saddened that the project has concluded, I recognize that given more time beyond the given time constraint, there are specific steps I would approach differently.