Task Cat

Task Cat is a personal project and case study addressing the prevalent mental health concerns among young adults and students. Recognizing the importance of establishing healthy habits early on, I embarked on creating a mobile app solution enriched with gamified elements.


My role involved conceptualizing and designing Task Cat to offer a fun and supportive platform for building healthy habits among young adults and teens. Task Cat aims to empower young adults to adopt lifelong wellness practices.

UI/UX Design

Visual Design

Figma

Photoshop

The Foundation: User Research

In the foundational stage, I delved into secondary research to gain insight into the youth mental health crisis and the significance of fostering positive habits in the context of a post-COVID social landscape.


I embarked on user interviews with a demographic of young adults who either expressed interest in or were currently using habit tracking apps. Through these interviews, it became apparent that young users are eager to develop healthy habits, provided that the process is engaging and stress-free. However, I discovered a common thread among existing habit tracking apps—they lack the adaptability and playful elements necessary to keep their audience engaged.

Defining Solutions

Through researching, the challenges I aimed to tackle include:

How can we transform habit tracking into a less stressful and more user-friendly experience?

How might we effectively guide users in identifying and adopting positive habits?

Through researching, the challenges I aimed to tackle include:

How can we transform habit tracking into a less stressful and more user-friendly experience?

How might we effectively guide users in identifying and adopting positive habits?

Through researching, the challenges I aimed to tackle include:

  • How can we transform habit tracking into a less stressful and more user-friendly experience?

  • How might we effectively guide users in identifying and adopting positive habits?

Through researching, the challenges I aimed to tackle include:

How can we transform habit tracking into a less stressful and more user-friendly experience?

How might we effectively guide users in identifying and adopting positive habits?

Creating Utility
Creating Utility
Creating Utility

Ensuring utility and value to keep users engaged in the long term

Providing structure for users to build habits without feeling overwhelmed

Ensuring utility and value to keep users engaged in the long term


Providing structure for users to build habits without feeling overwhelmed

Ensuring utility and value to keep users engaged

Providing structure for users without feeling overwhelmed

User Engagement
User Engagement
User Engagement

Motivating users to build and maintain habits in a playful and enjoyable manner

Social aspect of sharing progress and a more personalized experience

Motivating users to build and maintain habits in a playful & enjoyable manner


Social aspect of sharing progress and a more personalized experience

Motivating users to build & maintain habits in a playful manner

Social aspect of sharing progress and accountability

Adaptive Habit Tracking
Adaptive Habit Tracking
Adaptive Habit Tracking

Catering to various habits and ensuring flexibility to accommodate unique user needs

Catering to habits and ensuring flexibility to accommodate user needs

Ensuring flexibility to accommodate unique user needs

Visualizing THE User-Centered Experience

Utilizing rapid ideation techniques, I methodically examined design patterns prevalent in similar apps. This exercise allowed for a thorough exploration of key features crucial for interface design, aiming to establish user familiarity and seamless navigation.


Moreover, I delved into research on gamified apps, dissecting their approaches in translating missions, rewards, and achievements into visually compelling layouts. Through researching similar apps and video games, I designed a solid framework for sculpting a dynamic and captivating user experience.

Visualizing THE User-Centered Experience

Utilizing rapid ideation techniques, I methodically examined design patterns prevalent in similar apps. This exercise allowed for a thorough exploration of key features crucial for interface design, aiming to establish user familiarity and seamless navigation.


Moreover, I delved into research on gamified apps, dissecting their approaches in translating missions, rewards, and achievements into visually compelling layouts. Through researching similar apps and video games, I designed a solid framework for sculpting a dynamic and captivating user experience.

Establishing Visual Design
features informed by research

In our usability testing, users found Task Cat to be playful and enjoyable, yet they noted that establishing habits felt somewhat rigid. The absence of utility and structure in the onboarding experience created a barrier to entry, making the initial steps daunting for many. Several users expressed interest in features like a friends list and social interactions, although time limitations prevented their implementation.

Drawing from these insights, I honed in on enhancing the habit creation and tracking flows while spotlighting the gamified elements integrated into the app.

features informed by research

In our usability testing, users found Task Cat to be playful and enjoyable, yet they noted that establishing habits felt somewhat rigid. The absence of utility and structure in the onboarding experience created a barrier to entry, making the initial steps daunting for many. Several users expressed interest in features like a friends list and social interactions, although time limitations prevented their implementation.

Drawing from these insights, I honed in on enhancing the habit creation and tracking flows while spotlighting the gamified elements integrated into the app.

⭐️

Connect to Content

Add layers or components to make infinite auto-playing slideshows.

Initially, the app featured habit tracking through checklists, which users found too rigid. They expressed a desire for more flexibility in tracking methods.

Initially, the app featured habit tracking through checklists, which users found too rigid. They expressed a desire for more flexibility in tracking methods.

By tailoring habit-building into interactive “quests” and employing captivating UX writing, the app introduces a fresh perspective enhanced by companion selection, rewards and charming illustrations

By tailoring habit-building into interactive “quests” and employing captivating UX writing, the app introduces a fresh perspective enhanced by companion selection, rewards and charming illustrations

In the onboarding phase, my aim was to make account creation both simple and enjoyable. However, some users perceived it as overly open-ended, leading to feeling overwhelmed upon encountering an empty home page.

habits. This addition helps users take initial steps with ease, alleviating any sense of constraint and ensuring a smoother, less intimidating start.

Next steps & takeaways

For this project, next steps would be to track KPI's such as user retention, daily usage and error logs as ways to measure the apps success. I would also want to continue addressing the flexibility in habit track; making it more accommodating to diverse habits and preferences (maybe including a priority system, ways to "snooze" certain tasks, and/or journaling functionality).


Definitely if there is more time in the project scope, I would prioritize building a social function that includes a friend tree and ways to interact with other "Task Cats".

For this project, next steps would be to track KPI's such as user retention, daily usage and error logs as ways to measure the apps success. I would also want to continue addressing the flexibility in habit track; making it more accommodating to diverse habits and preferences (maybe including a priority system, ways to "snooze" certain tasks, and/or journaling functionality).

For this project, next steps would be to track KPI's such as user retention, daily usage and error logs as ways to measure the apps success. I would also want to continue addressing the flexibility in habit track; making it more accommodating to diverse habits and preferences (maybe including a priority system, ways to "snooze" certain tasks, and/or journaling functionality).

Designing with a focus on creating positive impact is crucial to me. I've discovered that working within constraints often leads to innovative solutions, like incorporating gamified and playful elements. Through this project, I've realized the potential of gamification in promoting positive habits and well-being in a friendly manner.

Don’t be shy

Feel free to get in touch! I love meeting new people.

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  • LET'S CONNECT

    COFFEE CHAT

    BRAINSTORM SESH

    TAKE A WALK

    TELL STORIES

    SEE YOU ON THE RIFT

    TAKE A WALK

    ICE CREAM RUN

    GRAB BOBA

    WATER PLANTS