Project Overview
This study explores how post-secondary students between the ages of 20 and 29 track and form habits in their daily lives.
Role:
Designer, Researcher, Project Lead
Tools:
Figma, UXTweak, Canva, Google Form
Conducted under the supervision of Adam Rallo for INF1611 at University of Toronto
Research Objectives
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Identify when students typically abandon habit-tracking tools
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Understand which goals students prioritize tracking
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Explore emotional responses to missed habits
Research Question 1
How do post-graduate students interpret the difference between “building a habit” and “creating a goal” when interacting with a habit-tracking tool?
Research Question 2
What types of progress visualizations do post-graduate students find most motivating and meaningful in habit-tracking tools?
Research Process
Secondary
Research
Competitive analysis of existing habit-tracking solutions
Primary
Research
Conducted interviews with students to understand their specific needs and motivations
Planning & Prototyping
Translated research insights into wireframes and interactive mockups
User
Testing
Validated design decisions through usability testing
Final UI
Mockup
Refined and polished design
Secondary Research
Our research began with a screening survey aimed at identifying the primary motivators behind habit tracking within our target audience.
Academic Improvement
Health/Fitness Goals
Personal Development
Reducing Anxiety/Stress
Time Management
I Don't Track Habits
From there, we conducted a competitive analysis of popular habit-tracking apps and methods.
Bullet Journaling | Habitica | Finch | Aspect |
|---|---|---|---|
High initial setup - varied maintenance level | Medium (10-20 min daily) | Low (5-10 min daily) | Motivational Approach |
Self-directed. No built-in failure or recovery mechanics | Medium penalties: opportunity to erase previous penalties | Minimal penalties: multiple “Try Again” opportunities | Customization |
Dependent on user (Unlimited) | High | Moderate | Time Investment |
Creative expression and self-reflection | Gamification and RPG elements | Emotional connection to pet | Failure and Recovery Mechanisms |
Primary Research
With a clear picture of the tracking goals students prioritized and the models used by competing products, we moved into our first round of user interviews.
The key patterns and themes we identified through thematic analysis of the interview results were:
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Barriers and Challenges in Task Tracking
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Emotional Responses to Task Management
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Hybrid Tracking Systems
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Reminders and Memory Support
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Task Organization and Prioritization
Key Findings
Usage & Abandonment Patterns | Motivation Factors | Feature Desires |
|---|---|---|
Tracking tools are abandoned when they feel tedious or obligatory | Users respond positively to immediate feedback and digital rewards | Desire for accountability features and social support |
Users discontinue tracking when habits become intuitive or scheduling conflicts arise | Persistent reminders and external triggers are necessary for consistency | Need for seamless, integrated platforms rather than multiple specialized apps |
Students struggle to maintain consistent habit tracking when academic demands increase | External motivation (gamification, rewards) often supersedes intrinsic motivation | Strong preference for customizable tracking methods |
Planning and Prototyping
We began the design process with individual hand-sketched, low-fidelity concepts of our main pages to establish an initial design direction. These sketches were then translated into a low-fidelity digital prototype for user testing.
To guide this prototype, we mapped a user flow defining how people would move between pages within the app.
Main pages were made accessible through a bottom navigation bar, while certain processes required moving through a sequence of secondary pages.
User Testing
To validate our design decisions, we conducted moderated remote testing sessions with 5 participants matching our target demographic of post-secondary students aged 20-29 with varying levels of habit-tracking experience.
Each 30-minute session followed a semi-structured format combining specific tasks with open exploration, using a think-aloud protocol to capture real-time reactions, followed by a post-test interview for broader impressions.
Testing focused on evaluating navigation clarity and information architecture, assessing the effectiveness of gamification elements, measuring task completion rates for core functions, and gathering feedback on motivational features.
Based on observations from testing, we then revised the flow to address points of confusion.
Style Tiles
To explore the visual direction before committing to full designs, we created three distinct style tiles. Each of these tested a different mood, color palette, and typography.
From there, we narrowed to the direction that best matched the user research findings.
Note: Due to time limitations we were unable to run a usability study on each theme however, we a project with a larger scope, it would be best to test each theme through A/B testing.
