Discovery

User Research: Understanding the Motivation Gap

Through interviews and surveys, I discovered that users often struggle with maintaining motivation for personal growth goals. The initial enthusiasm wanes when progress feels invisible or too gradual, highlighting the need for consistent positive reinforcement.

Pain Points Identified:

• Progress Visibility:
  Difficulty visualizing incremental improvements in abstract qualities like confidence or patience.
• Long-term Motivation:
  Challenges in maintaining momentum after initial excitement.
• Celebration Deficit:
  Lack of meaningful rewards or acknowledgment for small steps toward personal growth.

Use Cases

Identifying Scenarios for Enhanced Engagement

Analyzed user interactions to pinpoint scenarios where users are most likely to disengage:

• Initial Goal Setting:
  Users feel overwhelmed by broad objectives.
• Progress Pause:
  Motivation dips when progress isn't immediately visible.
• Accessibility:
  Users with disabilities require a more accessible interface.
• Lack of Feedback:
  Absence of acknowledgment for small achievements leads to disengagement.

Design Requirements

Based on user insights, we established the following design requirements:​

Ideation

Generating ideas that put users first

Developed concepts focusing on simplifying the personal growth process by breaking down goals into micro-actions, enhancing motivation through visual progress indicators, and integrating celebration features that offer immediate, positive reinforcement for small wins.

• Simplified Goal Creation
  Reducing complexity in setting personal development goals.
• Progress Visualization
  Designing dashboards that reflect incremental achievements.
• Reward Mechanisms
  Implementing vibrant animations and messages to celebrate user milestones.

Ideation

Ideation

Solution

Ever Better Solution

Ever Better transforms how users approach self-improvement by breaking character development into manageable micro-actions. The app delivers a clear visual journey—celebrating even the smallest wins—making personal growth feel less abstract and more attainable. It supports long-term engagement by emphasizing flexibility, consistent positive feedback, and meaningful recognition of user effort.:

• Step-by-step goal building:
  Allows users to set micro-actions tailored to their personal development journey.
• Progress tracking:
  Visual indicators help users clearly see their growth, even in abstract traits like confidence or patience.
• Celebration screens:
  After each completed action, users receive vibrant, rewarding animations and messages to reinforce momentum.
• Flexible customization:
  Users can create their own growth paths, selecting focus areas and adjusting goal pacing to fit their lifestyle.

Usability Tests

Evaluating User Interaction and Satisfaction

I studied user challenges in personal development, using design research to create motivating solutions that make self-improvement feel achievable.

Key Findings:

• Reward Timing:
  Users desired immediate positive reinforcement after logging achievements.
• Progress Visualization:
  Needed clearer visualization of their growth journey and milestone achievements.
• Customization:
  Wanted more flexibility to create personalized micro-actions.

Usability Tests

Usability Tests

Iterations

Enhancing the Design Based on Feedback:

• Quick goal record:
  Enable a quick goal recording process of favorites/recent goals from the main hompe page.
• Progress Visualization:
  Enhanced dashboards to better reflect incremental achievements.
• Improved achievment experience:
  Applying a clear and motivating reward mechanisms.

Iterations

Final Design

High-Fidelity Prototype

Users found the incremental approach to personal development refreshing and motivating, appreciating the immediate positive reinforcement after completing even small actions.

• Incremental Progress Tracking:
  Helps users visualize growth through small, consistent actions rather than overwhelming long-term goals.
• Immediate Positive Reinforcement:
  Celebration screens boost motivation by recognizing every achievement, no matter how small.
• Flexible & Personalized Journeys:
  Users can tailor micro-actions and goals to match their unique growth paths and pace.
• Inclusive & Accessible Design:
  High contrast visuals, customizable animations, and assistive-friendly navigation make the app usable for everyone.