Unbound
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Tools used: Figma, Miro, Justinmind, Google sheets & docs
Break free from smoking and breathe your way to a healthier you with 'Unbound,' the personalized app that supports your every step. More than just a tracker, 'Unbound' combines evidence-based strategies with a user-friendly, trauma-informed design to create a holistic and empowering experience. Monitor your health improvements, visualize your financial savings, and build a supportive community to stay motivated and celebrate your milestones. With 'Unbound,' you're not alone on your journey towards a smoke-free future.
01. Project Overview
Role:
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Lead UX Researcher
Timeline:
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Nov 2023 - Dec 2023
Team:
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2 UX Researchers
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3 UX Designers
Project Type:
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Mobile App
Problem:
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Smoking Cessation: Trifecta of Challenges. Nicotine's potent addiction, limited support structures, and stress-induced cravings create a formidable obstacle for quitting smokers.
Goal:
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Personalized Roadmap: Tailored guidance, tips, and resources fuel individual success.
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Empowering Community: Connect, share, and celebrate alongside fellow smoke-free warriors.
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Trauma-Sensitive Design: A supportive haven, free from judgment and focused on healing.
How we designed:
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Empathy First: Deep dives with 28 smokers (surveys & interviews) led to "Wade," our user persona guiding development. User testing continuously refined features (rewards, tracking, community) for a user-centered experience.
Responsibilities:
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Unmasking Challenges: User research (surveys & personas) identified smoker pain points.
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Crafting the Path: Intuitive flows and information architecture guided users to smoke-free success.
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Engaging Design: A user-friendly interface resonated with the target audience.
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Continuous Improvement: User testing and feedback fueled iterative design, making "Unbound" the ultimate quit-smoking companion.
02. Understanding the User!
Quantitative: Surveys
Click here to see the results of the survey!
Qualitative: Interviews
Click here to see the results of the Interview!
Persona:
Driven by ambition and organization, Wade, 30, balances a demanding m career in San Francisco with a growing desire to ditch her 12-year smoking habit. While aware of the health and financial drawbacks, the stress relief cigarettes offer in his fast-paced world presents a significant challenge. Determined to prioritize his well-being and future family plans, Wade seeks a supportive, non-judgmental approach to quitting. Tech-savvy and open to interactive learning, he gravitates towards apps that offer personalized guidance, data-driven insights, and gamified elements to keep his motivated on his smoke-free journey.
User Journey:
Made a user flow to map out the steps a user takes to achieve a specific goal within the app, like personalized support and guidance using AI or Gamification & Rewards. This visual representation helped me understand the user's experience and identify any potential pain points or bottlenecks.
Competitive Audit
Direct Competitors:
Competitive Audit
Direct Competitors:
Competitive Analysis: Examined 50 reviews across 3 direct quit-smoking apps to identify user pain points and existing features. This analysis informed the development of "Lung Love," focusing on progress tracking (time, money saved) and fostering a supportive community.
Indirect Competitors:
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Personalization: Users seek features beyond basic tracking, like monitoring emotions and setting custom goals. They desire tailored advice based on progress to maximize effectiveness.
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Community Cravings: Simple forums aren't enough. Users want lively spaces for support, group activities, and a strong sense of community with shared goals. Targeted support groups catering to specific needs were also desired.
Indirect Competitors:
Brain Storming
Unbound: Ditch the smoke, embrace freedom! Imagine cravings? Hit 'em with personalized mini-games or live chat support. Stressed? Melt it with breathing exercises. Track smoke-free days, unlock cool rewards, get personalized tips. Gamify quitting! Connect with experts, share progress, make your journey epic! Unbound: Your quit, your way.
User Flow:
Feeling stressed, Wade opens Unbound. Quick options: calming breaths, personalized games, live chat support. She chooses a soothing meditation, feels calmer. App celebrates, tracks progress, suggests stress-busting tips. Empowered, Sarah logs experience, ready to crush the next urge. Unbound: Breathe easier, one step at a time.
03. Starting the design:
Crazy 8's:
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Crazy 8s are a design thinking exercise used to quickly generate and iterate on a large number of ideas within a short timeframe. The core purpose is to encourage rapid brainstorming and exploration of different possibilities without getting bogged down in details or perfecting individual ideas.
Paper Prototype:
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Sketching mockups on paper is fast and flexible, allowing me to iterate on features, layouts, and user flows without getting bogged down in digital complexities and explore multiple ideas rapidly and see what resonates with potential user
Digital Wireframes:
For Lung Love, Lo-fi prototypes are crucial to testing features like:
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Personalized goal setting & tracking
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Gamification & rewards
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Community & support features
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Craving management & stress reduction
Early Design: These early designs were used for user testing
Usability Study Findings:
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Rewarding Beyond the Badge: Explore personalized rewards (preferred activities, charity donations) and limited-time challenges to boost engagement, while emphasizing achievement celebration and sustainable behavior change.
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Insights Through Visualization: Complement numeric tracking with engaging visuals and enable logging triggers/cravings for self-awareness. Offer optional progress sharing for external motivation.
View Unbound's Early design here
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Trauma-Informed Approach: Provide safe spaces, trigger warnings, and positive language to create a judgment-free environment. Integrate curated support resources, including mental health professionals.
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Actionable Education: Deliver personalized information about smoking's effects, actionable tips, and benefits of quitting (health, financial, social) alongside risks. Engage users with interactive elements like quizzes and infographics.
04. High Fidelity Prototype
Taking user feedback into consideration a improvements were made to the app to provide the best & optimised results users would expect!
To view the prototype of the app Unbound click here
Impact:
Improved User Experience: User feedback highlighted the app's effectiveness in providing personalized support and fostering a motivating community.
Potential for Positive Change: Unbound has the potential to empower individuals to quit smoking and live healthier lives
Learnings:
Unbound, my quit-smoking app, became a deep dive into trauma-informed design. User interactions revealed the power of empathy in supporting smokers.
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Personalized Rewards: Ditch generic points - choose activities, donate, or unlock features based on your preferences.
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Enhanced Tracking: Go beyond numbers. Track triggers and cravings, visualize progress, and share milestones for support.
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Trauma-Informed Design: Safe spaces, warnings, and expert resources create an empowering environment.
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Impactful Information: Get tailored facts, actionable tips, and interactive elements to empower your journey.
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Key Learnings:
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User feedback fuels successful iterations.
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Deep user understanding is essential.
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Trauma-informed design builds strong communities.
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Engaging information empowers quitting journeys.
Unbound, is a testament to empathy-driven design. It's your smoke-free companion, not just an app.