App Redesign

Overview:

The goal of this project was to redesign an existing water intake tracking application to improve usability, encourage habit formation, and modernise the overall user experience.

The original app had an outdated interface, lacked intuitive navigation, and did not effectively support users in building consistent hydration habits. The redesign focused on creating a more engaging, goal-driven, and user-friendly experience.

Project Duration:

6 weeks (University Project)

Role:

UI/UX Designer

• End-to-end design ownership (research → design → testing)

• Conducted user research and usability testing (prototype-based)

• Designed wireframes, prototypes, and final UI

Tools Used:

• Figma

• Pen and Paper (for initial sketches)

Process:

1. Research & Discovery:

• Conducted informal user interviews with 8–10 participants (students & working professionals)

• Key pain points identified:

  • Lack of motivation to consistently track water intake

  • Poor visibility of daily progress

  • No habit-building or streak-based engagement

  • Confusing navigation and outdated UI

• Performed competitor analysis (habit trackers & health apps) to identify:

  • Effective use of visual progress indicators

  • Gamification techniques (streaks, goals)

  • Clean, minimal UI patterns

2. Wireframing & Prototyping:

• Developed low-fidelity wireframes focusing on:

• Simplified navigation (Home, Goals, History, Profile)

• Clear daily tracking flow

• Iterated based on peer and mentor feedback:

• Reduced cognitive load by minimising clutter

• Prioritised key actions (log water, view progress)

• Built an interactive prototype to simulate:

  • Water-logging flow

  • Goal setting

  • Progress tracking

3. Visual Design:

• Introduced a clean, modern design language:

• Soft colour palette centred around blue (hydration theme)

• Minimalist components and card-based layout

• Key improvements:

  • Visual water bottle indicator for real-time progress

  • Clear typography hierarchy for readability

  • Consistent iconography and spacing

• Designed for clarity, accessibility, and quick interaction

4. Usability Testing:

• Conducted prototype testing with 6–8 users

Key Observations:

• Users preferred visual indicators (water bottle + charts) over numeric-only data

• Navigation became significantly easier compared to the original design

• The goal-setting feature increased perceived usefulness

• Confusion around frequency tracking terminology

5. Implementation & Launch:

• Delivered high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototype

• Provided design specifications for potential development handoff

• Conducted final validation testing to ensure usability improvements

(Note: The development phase was not part of the project scope)

Results:

• ~70–80% of users completed core tasks (log intake, check progress) without assistance

• Improved task completion speed compared to the initial design (observational)

• Users reported:

  • Better clarity in tracking daily goals

  • Higher motivation due to visual progress indicators and streaks

Key Takeaways:

• Habit formation requires more than tracking — motivation and feedback loops are critical

• Visual progress indicators significantly improve engagement

• Iterative testing, even with small sample sizes, uncovers major usability gaps

• Simplicity and clarity outperform feature-heavy designs

Next Steps:

• Introduce reminders and notifications for habit reinforcement

• Add gamification features (badges, rewards)

• Integrate wearable/health data for automation

• Conduct real-world testing with live usage data