Mobile App Redesign & Feature Development
Project Overview
Transforming an App to Address the Needs of Neurodivergent Users
Background
Understanding the Current Ethos of the Me+ App
The original Me+ app promotes personal growth by guiding users to adopt positive habits, such as regular exercise, organizational routines, and daily mindful practices. Consistent repetition of these actions fosters ingrained habits, resulting in a fresh perspective, enhanced self-assurance, and increased resilience in users.
Research Plan
Exploring ADHD, Management & Solutions
At the project's inception, I committed to thorough research to comprehend the ADHD experience and identify strategies to address its challenges. This involved developing a research plan to outline my initial assumptions and identify key areas for both primary and secondary research to guide the development process.
Heuristic Evaluation
Unearthing Opportunities for Improvement within Me+
To kickstart my research, I analyzed feedback from 25 active Me+ app users, revealing significant frustrations with the current platform and validating many of my initial assumptions. My firsthand evaluations further emphasized that the app was seemingly marketed toward ADHD users rather than genuinely addressing their specific needs.
“I paid for it to manage my stress, but so far it’s been more stress than help”
- Me+ User
Analyzing and Prioritizing Feedback
Competitive Landscape
Benchmarking Market Trends and Exceptional Performers
I evaluated three leading habit tracking apps against the Me+ interface, analyzing:
Integration processes
UI handling
Product features
This comparison revealed that although the competition’s designs weren't geared towards ADHD users, each app offered tools and features better aligned with the needs of the Me+ targeted user.
User Research
Understanding the ADHD Experience
I sought out four individuals, all with ADHD to understand their:
Personal experiences with ADHD
Motivations
Strategies for managing ADHD symptoms
Implemented organizational methods
My research uncovered a diverse use of coping mechanisms and management approaches, emphasizing the need for nuanced solutions in the Me+ app’s redesign.
"Organization is a pretty serious issue that I've always had, but never really solved."
- Participant 3
Research Synthesis
Adapting Research into Solution-Based Tools
My research findings, detailed in this report, guided the realization that introducing features to streamline task management, reduce cognitive load, and improve work/life balance was crucial.
This approach shaped:
Intentional onboarding
Motivational tools
Flexible customization options
Empathy Mapping
Taking a Deep Dive Inside the Mind of the ADHD User
Gaining a deep understanding of the user was vital for the app's integration into the daily lives of ADHD users. Extensive research provided insights into user characteristics, dialogues and interactions, which fostered alignment with Me+'s target user.
Target Persona
Rounding Out the Target User
Understanding user behaviors, motivations, and pain points informed the creation of this neurodivergent persona, which played an important role in pinpointing concept deliverables.
Feature Roadmap
Fostering Mental Clarity via Feature-Driven Solutions
Rolling out features required careful consideration, particularly in addressing the nuanced challenges identified through research synthesis:
Managing task overload
Navigating susceptibility to overwhelm
Overcoming focus challenges
Addressing difficulties in task and schedule management
Sitemap
Crafting Intuitive Information Flow
While sitemaps are typically a high point for me in the development process, recreating the information architecture for Me+ proved challenging. It took 15 renditions and one mild panic attach to address my concerns of overwhelming users with information, finally arriving at a balance between intentionality and intuitive design.
Design Principles
Prioritizing ADHD User Needs in Design Development
Design principles were clear, but necessary to ensure the alignment of research findings with design goals.
A stark departure from the existing app, these principles centralized the design focus on meeting the distinct needs of its target users.
Rebranding
Repositioning the Me+ Brand as a Supportive Ally
Refining the Me+ branding was important to visually communicate support for spectrum disorders, aligning with the emphasis on personal growth and improvement.
This concept guided color development, with the redesigned logo integrated as the primary action icon in the bottom tab bar.
Low to Mid Fidelity Wireframes
Blueprinting Capabilities, Refining Design Ideas
I crafted initial wireframes to showcase the comprehensive capabilities of the redesigned Me+, prioritizing layout, integrating key features, and establishing a foundation for information architecture. This approach emphasized successful design aspects and identified areas for refinement.
Style Exploration
Testing for the Ideal Design Fusion
I experimented extensively with color combinations, infographic displays, and visual hierarchy. While many tests were unsuccessful, each iteration provided valuable insights, bringing me closer to achieving harmony between content and design.
UI Kit
Optimizing Visual Harmony with Neurodivergent Research
Striking that balance between attention-grabbing aesthetics and the promotion of concentration was challenging given the diverse user needs I had previously identified. Upon revisiting my secondary research, the optimal combinations of color, font, and design components were revealed.
Onboarding
Recognizing Individual Preferences
The existing Me+ onboarding spans 34 pages with minimal impact on interface customizations. In redesigning, I crafted a concise 10-page onboarding to pinpoint user needs and preferences for a tailored platform, aimed at enhancing user engagement.
Dashboard
The Epicenter of Achievement
The dashboard functions as a central hub for user success, offering live tasks and quick access to key features as well as providing agenda and productivity overviews.
Schedule Pages
A More Efficient, Less Overwhelming Task Management Experience
The Schedule pages, central to time blocking, empower users to seamlessly manage, edit, and complete agenda items. Offering intuitive options and familiar customizations reduces the learning curve while maintaining user control.
Add New
Customized Time Blocking for Streamlining Routines
The 'Add New' functionality allows quick creation of tasks, events, or habits throughout the app. Users can segment time blocks by type, priority, calendar, and due date. For complex tasks, automatic subtask generation streamlines management for efficient completion.
Discover Pages
Curated Discoveries for Productivity & Serenity
The discover pages cater to curious users seeking productivity insights, calming sounds or integration of pre-built routines into daily life. At every corner, this design prioritizes customization and accessibility while providing guidance to minimize cognitive load.
Profile
Centralizing the User Experience
Designed for redundancy and affirmation, the Profile consolidates user libraries, provides access to key features, and offers a range of settings for customizing the user experience.
User Testing
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the New Me+ Interface
Engaging ADHD users at different design stages provided integral insights for refining the product, ensuring it met the needs of our target audience.
“I can already see the potential impact on my organization & daily routine this app would have.”
-Neurodivergent User 5
Reflection
