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Exploring how thoughtful design can make goal achievement more supportive and less stressful.
Timeframe: 4 months (May-August 2024)
Team: Shrey Baranga (me), Alice Liu
My Role: UX Researcher and UX/UI Designer
Tools: FigJam, Miro, Figma, Stark, Material Design System, iOS/Apple Design System
The Problem
Many people set ambitious goals but struggle to maintain motivation and accountability. We wanted to design a system that supports users in building sustainable habits, celebrating progress, and reducing the emotional toll of "failure". From our research, we consistently heard that users felt demotivated when streaks broke, and that productivity app often focused too heavily on numbers rather than encouragement.
Research
Our research process combined secondary research on goal-setting psychology with primary user interviews to understand both the strategies people use to set goals and the emotional experiences that shape whether they succeed or fall short.
Secondary Research Insights
From external research, I compiled 4 key insights that informed our design direction:1. Goals should be SMART → Effective goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound 2. Fear of failure can be tied to self-worth → When setbacks are internalized, users may self-sabotage or create excuses. 3. Instant gratification often derails progress → Focusing too heavily on quick results leads to discouragement when change takes longer. 4. Positive reinforcement is crucial → Encouragement and recognition help users continue even when they feel disappointed.
User Interviews
We conducted 12 user interviews with users aged 13-55, focusing on their approaches to personal goals and their experiences with productivity apps.
Using affinity mapping and empathy mapping, we identified recurring themes:
Main learning objectives guiding this phase:
Using affinity mapping and empathy mapping, we identified recurring themes:
- Social accountability matters → Users benefit from accountability, but only when it feels supportive rather than judgmental.
- Progress tracking is valued → Users prefer flexible and visible formats (e.g. visible calendars, milestones)
- Accomplishments need to be visualized → Numbers alone felt insufficient; users wanted ways to see and reflect on their progress.
Main learning objectives guiding this phase:
- What holds people back from achieving their goals?
- How do people approach setting goals?
- What works best for sustaining motivation?
- How do users feel when they succeed and fall short of goals?
Some key quotes from our interviews:
Affinity Mapping
After conducting the interviews, we synthesized our findings using affinity mapping to uncover patterns, pain points, and recurring behaviors. This helped us better define user needs and informed the creation of our user personas.
Miro board affinity map
Click on this link to access our Miro board! This contains our affinity and empathy maps, as well as our initial user flows.
Key pain points for consideration:
- Lack of accountability structures
- Goals that feel unattainable or unrealistic
- Constant distractions and lack of available time
Pain points from user interviews
Empathy Mapping
The main themes I found insightful from affinity mapping were accountability with others, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and specificity of goals. Building on the affinity mapping, we developed empathy maps to illustrate how users think, feel, and behave when setting and pursuing goals. From these, we identified three core user types:
The Self-Driven Achiever
Highly motivated internally, easily sets and achieves goals.
The Short-Term Strategist
Motivated both internally and externally, usually achieves goals but can feel discouraged along the way.
The Resilient Planner
Motivated internally and externally but struggles with goal setting and achievement, thriving when supported or working alongside others.
User Personas
Finally, we translated our empathy maps into three fully developed personas that represented our core user groups. These personas guided design decisions throughout the rest of the project, ensuring our solutions addressed specific motivations, frustrations, and needs.
Design Process
Our design process moved iteratively from research synthesis to initial sketches, then through progressively higher-fidelity prototypes. At each stage, we ensured that the features we created directly addressed user needs identified in our research and created an intuitive and supportive experience.
From Research to Wireframes
Before beginning the design phase, we evaluated how to consolidate our findings into actionable insights for the app. I asked myself key framing questions:
By revisiting interview recordings, affinity and empathy maps, and our user personas, three recurring themes emerged as essential to helping people succeed with their goals: 1. Accountability → Users are more motivated when they feel supported and have someone to share their journey with. 2. SMART Goals → Progress is most sustainable when goals are structured in small, attainable steps. 3. Community and Positive Reinforcement → Encouragement and positive feedback sustain motivation and help users overcome setbacks. These pillars became the foundation of our design exploration.
- What are the overarching pillars of our users' needs?
- How can I ensure that users stay accountable and reach their goals within our app?
By revisiting interview recordings, affinity and empathy maps, and our user personas, three recurring themes emerged as essential to helping people succeed with their goals: 1. Accountability → Users are more motivated when they feel supported and have someone to share their journey with. 2. SMART Goals → Progress is most sustainable when goals are structured in small, attainable steps. 3. Community and Positive Reinforcement → Encouragement and positive feedback sustain motivation and help users overcome setbacks. These pillars became the foundation of our design exploration.
Wireframes to Low-Fidelity Design
With the three pillars in mind, I mapped key user flows, each emphasizing one or more of the themes:
- Accountability → Users could attach evidence to goals, check in with accountability partners, and communicate via chat
- SMART Goals → Users could set structured goals, view daily tasks, and mark progress in manageable increments.
- Community and Positive Reinforcement → Features such as community feedback and light gamification mechanisms provide ongoing encouragement.
Initial user flows
Design Considerations
After sketching mockups through a modified version of the Crazy 8s method, our team discussed design guidelines to narrow down and consolidated ideas:
- Layout and grouping → Ensure content is organized logically and easy to scan.
- Thumb ergonomics → Design interactions that are accessible for both left- and right-handed users.
- Task efficiency → Minimize the number of steps required to set and complete goals.
- Color psychology → I selected yellow as the primary accent color, as it evokes cheerfulness, optimism, confidence, energy, and alertness: qualities we want users to associate with their goal-setting journey.
Iteration One
In our first prototype, we explored how accountability, goal tracking, and community interaction could come together in a single app experience.
Viewing Goals
Users can track their daily in-progress goals by priority and time, and navigated across days with arrow controls.
- This allows users to focus on what's most important
Attaching Evidence to Goals
When completing a goal, users can attach evidence by submitting a photo or adding a comment, with the option to include it in their weekly progress report.
- This factors for users having accountability with others
Creating a Goal
Users can set goal details such as name, time, priority, reminders, and notes.
All Time Goals
Goals can be filtered by status (in-progress, completed, and incomplete) and timeframe (all-time, last week, and last month).
Weekly Report
Users verify their accountability partner's goal evidence at the end of the week.
Engaging with Evidence
Users can expand goals, view their partner's comments, and respond directly.
Partner Chat
Users can communicate with their partner via text, photo, audio, or video.
Usability Testing
To validate our design, I conducted usability testing with 5 participants, who performed 6 core actions (e.g., creating a new goal, submitting evidence, messaging an accountability buddy). After task completion, participants shared their impressions and suggestions.
Testing methods
- Prototype walkthrough with think-aloud protocol
- Post-task feedback on likes, dislikes, and pain points
- Synthesis of recurring issues into prioritized redesign directions
Some key quotes from our testing:
Key Insights
After usability testing, I discovered 3 major issues:
- Users struggled to stay engaged with their accountability partner and wanted more flexible ways to connect.
- Mandatory goal verification felt tedious and frustrating.
- Streak-based gamification risked discouraging users who missed days.
Iteration Two
Based on usability testing findings, I made several significant changes:
Issue One: Partner Engagement and Community
Problem: Limited partner interaction and overlooked weekly reports reduced accountability. Solution: Introduced an Activity Feed where users can engage with multiple accountability buddies, check progress updates in real-time, and interact more frequently. This transformed accountability from a weekly chore into a daily, social experience.Read More Details
Problem
Our first design did not effectively motivate consistent interaction with accountability partners and lacked support for engaging with multiple people. During usability testing, participants frequently overlooked the weekly report feature, interpreting it as a passive status update rather than an actionable item. This limited opportunities for ongoing check-ins and discouraged users from building stronger accountability habits. Additionally, users expressed a desire for more flexibility in choosing their accountability network. Instead of being restricted to a single partner matched by goal similarity, participants wanted the ability to connect with multiple accountability partners, including people they already know.Solution
To address these challenges, I redesigned the experience around an Activity Feed. This feature replaced the static weekly report with a more dynamic, continuous stream of updates. In the feed, users can:
Engage with multiple accountability partners, creating a stronger sense of community
View real-time progress updates instead of waiting for weekly summaries
Interact more frequently and flexibly through likes, comments, and check-ins.
By reframing accountability as an ongoing, interactive experience, the Activity Feed made it easier for users to stay engaged and fostered a deeper sense of support within their personal goal networks.
Issue Two: Goal Verification
Problem: Verifying every goal became repetitive and demotivating.
Solution: Replaced "Verify/Reject Goals" with a Challenge Evidence button. Users now only intervene when evidence seems questionable, making interactions more meaningful and reducing cognitive load.
Read More Details
Problem
The original design required users to verify every single goal completed by their accountability partner. While this feature was intended to reinforce trust and accountability, usability testing revealed that it quickly became tedious and frustrating.
For users with partners who set many goals, the verification process felt like a chore, especially when goals were broad or abstract. Instead of fostering meaningful accountability, it risked reducing interactions to repetitive approval tasks. This undermined the opportunity for authentic engagement, where users could provide thoughtful support and feedback.
Solution
To streamline the process, I introduced a "Challenge Evidence" button in place of the dual "Reject" and "Verify" options. With this adjustment:
Users no longer need to verify every single goal, which significantly reduces unnecessary actions.
Attention shifts toward exception cases where evidence doesn't align with a stated goal.
Engagement becomes more intentional and meaningful, as users intervene only when something seems off.
Issue Three: Gamification and Motivation
Problem: Streaks created pressure and discouraged users who missed days.
Solution: Introduced a weekly calendar that highlights active days rather than penalizing breaks, paired with achievements as flexible, positive reinforcement.
Read More Details
Problem
Our initial gamification strategy relied heavily on streaks to motivate consistent app use. However, during testing, participants pointed out that streaks could be demotivating rather than motivating. If users missed a day due to factors like vacation, illness, or needing a break, the streak reset was discouraging. Instead of encouraging them to continue, the broken streak often created a sense of failure that make users less likely to return. This design unintentionally introduced stress and pressure, making goal tracking feel like a chore rather than a supportive tool.Solution
To address this, I redesigned the system around a weekly activity calendar paired with achievement milestones:
The calendar emphasizes active days rather than unbroken streaks, creating a more flexible and forgiving experience.
Users gain recognition for consistency across a week, even if they miss occasional days.
Achievements provide varied and rewarding milestones, helping users celebrate progress in different ways beyond daily repetition.
This shift reframed motivation as positive reinforcement and flexibility, ensuring users could step away without being penalized, while still feeling proud of their progress.
Other Redesign Improvements
1. Clearer icons: Simplified task actions (☑️ for completion, ✏️ for editing) for clarity.
2. Collapsible goals: Grouped by priority on the homepage for focus and scannability, allowing users to focus on what's important in the moment.
3. Completed goals section: Removed clutter by moving finished tasks to a separate view.
4. Accessibility fixes: Adjusted color contrast (e.g., black "+" icon on yellow background) to meet accessibility standards.
Reflection
This project reinforced several key lessons about the UX design process:
🫂Prioritizing user centricity. Conducting interviews revealed struggles and blind spots we had not initially anticipated. By grounding our design decisions in user needs, we created a product that felt both relevant and genuinely useful.
🔁Embracing iteration. While our initial research informed the first design, subsequent usability testing was invaluable for refinement. Iteration helped us move from assumptions to a more intuitive, user-centered solution.
✅ Designing for accessibility. I relied on the Stark plug-in in Figma to evaluate contrast ratios. This process surfaced color issues that would have impacted users with color blindness, and adjusting these choices early ensured a more inclusive experience. Accessibility cannot be an afterthought, it needs to be embedded throughout the design process.
👥 The Value of Collaboration. Our team actively engaged across roles and held collaborative work sessions. This cross-pollination of ideas pushed our designs further than any one of us could have achieved alone.
With more time
With an additional iteration, I would conduct another round of usability testing on the current design, gather feedback, and refine the experience further. Continuous cycles of testing and iteration are where the most impactful improvements emerge.
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