Projects/ Balance
Overview
As the sole UX Designer at a startup, I led the design of Balance, an app aimed at improving the wellbeing of university students. I also built the branding and website from scratch, using Framer. This case study outlines my journey from discovering the profound gap in university wellbeing support to delivering a tailored, engaging solution that students love to use.
01 Problem š£
Background
The Problem
02 Define āš¼
Research
To truly understand these challenges, we engaged directly with the end-users ā students and staff. Initial interviews revealed a common theme: a disconnect between what students need and what is provided.
User interview results
General distrustā¦
ā¦ towards university wellbeing services with low engagement and poor sentiment
Diverse Definitions
Wellbeing means different things to different students, highlighting the need for a personalized and flexible app solution.
Inconsistency in Wellbeing Practices
Students struggle to maintain consistent wellness habits, often due to poor time management and unclear goal-setting.
Social Media's Double-Edged Sword
While students find relief in social activities online, the addictive nature of social media often exacerbates stress and take time away from things that actually matters to them
How might weā¦
Design principles
Personalisation
HMW tailor wellness experiences to individual definitions and understandings of wellness?
Trust-building
HMW establish a trustworthy space within the app to counteract general distrust towards university wellness services?
Engagement
HMW offer captivating content without the addictive qualities of social media
Consistency
HMW motivate students to engage regularly and form sustainable wellness habits?
Exploration
Three initial ideas.
Based on the design principles outlined above, we came up with three potential solutions
Concept 1
Project Management Tool
Need addressedā
Poor time management and academic pressure among students
Ideaā
A productivity app with time-blocking and integration with university calendars and deadlines
Why rejectedā
Potential overlap with existing academic tools and its complexity which might add to student stress
Concept 2
21-day Wellbeing Programs
Need addressedā
Lack of structured, goal-oriented support.
Ideaā
Offer structured programs targeting areas like stress, sleep, and diet.
Why rejectedā
imposed too rigid a structure, which might not cater to all students' flexible needs.
Concept 3 ā
Daily Wellbeing Trio
Need addressedā
Overwhelming daily schedules that neglect wellbeing, provide flexibility in goal-setting that tailors to students' diverse interests and needs, therefore encourage consistency and habit formation.
Ideaā
Encourage students to set a daily wellbeing to-do list categorised into three pillarsāBody, People, and Self.
Why chosenā
This allows students to set manageable daily goals, fostering a sense of achievement and progress in their personal wellbeing.
03 Develop š©š¼āš»
Validate
Diary study to test the concept
To validate our concepts of daily wellbeing trio, we conducted a week-long diary study with 8 university students using google spreadsheets.
Process:
01 Preparation
We prepared spreadsheet + guide for participants, the goal was for them to explore features like setting goals in three wellbeing pillars, mood check-ins, and more
02 Engagement
We maintained regular contact, sending reminders for mood logging and goal setting.
03 Follow-up interviews
After a week of interaction with the prototype, we conducted follow-up interviews to gather in-depth feedback.
04 Synthesis
Using affinity diagrams, we organised the data from interviews to identify key patterns and insights.
User Flow
Insights from the user interviews then informed our initial user flow. The potential user journey focused on simplicity and effectiveness in enhancing student wellbeing.
Wireflow
Testing and improvements
#1
More intuitive navigation
Design A
It doesn't make sense for the adding goals button to still be there if all three goals have been added
Design B
Use floating action button for adding goals is slightly better, however, users find it confusing when they can't click on the empty goal cards to add goals
Design C šš»
Users find it most intuitive and straightforward for both adding goals and log mood entries
#2
Flexible mood check-ins
Feedback: Users wish to see more autonomy and allow nuanced expressions in mood input
Action: Implement a mood slider with the option to add details on specific emotions an factors
#3
Smarter goal suggestions
Feedback: Users appreciated suggestions for goals but often had to scroll down the whole list to find the suitable ones, & sometimes struggled with defining tasks in each categories
Action: Implement suggestion chips and sub-categories to enhance engagement
04 Deliver š¦
Final Design
Results
Business Impact
Pilot Success: Secured pilot programs with two universities, with letters of interest from several more.
150+
students early adopters
> 50%
signed up for co-design in last lecture
1000+
students' wellbeing supported
Results
Users' reception
We gathered feedback from student volunteers who used the app for the duration of a week, and here's what they think š
Georgia
@UCL
It helps you keep on top of yourself with all the things going on around you.
Liam
@UoB
You can see progress and growth, that motivates you to keep going.
Oliver
@UoB
Made sure I prioritise the things I said iām going to do, instead of putting things off.
Suki
@UCL
Helps me focus on prioritising fewer aspects of my wellbeing.
Kristine
@UCL
This app is for actualising your goals and thoughts into action.
Matt
@ARU
Compared to traditional way to write thing down, this provides clear guidelines to categorise your goals, and keep track of your progress in your wellbeing journey.