PROBLEM

Many users struggle with staying organized and motivated when managing tasks

Traditional to-do apps can feel overwhelming or uninspiring, especially for students and young professionals who crave structure with a sense of achievement

Competitive Analysis + The Gap

Beyond the Competition: Finding the Missing Piece

I analyzed 3 popular apps surrounding the goal/productivity space: Notion, Evernote, and Todoist. While these three apps are innovative and helpful for millions of users, none of the three apps seamlessly combine freeform note-taking (voice, text, handwriting) and actionable task conversion with a gamified system that motivates users through rewards and progress tracking

User interviews

Listening to Real Voices: Insights from Student Interviews

I conducted user interviews with four students from the University of Washington who often struggle to complete assignments and tasks on time. Through guided questions, I explored the factors that contributed to their success or failure in managing different tasks. After gathering responses, I analyzed the data to identify common trends and pain points

The interviews revealed a recurring trend where users rely on multiple platforms for note-taking and task management. When faced with a long list of tasks without clear priorities, users often feel overwhelmed, leading to procrastination and avoidance. Additionally, many users expressed difficulty navigating the interfaces of these apps

User persona

Designing with Empathy

To keep user needs at the heart of the design process, I created a detailed user persona based on interview insights. Meet Maya—a busy university graduate student who juggles multiple deadlines and often feels overwhelmed by scattered notes and task lists

User Flow

Mapping the Journey

To understand the ideal path a user might take within the app, I created a user flow that outlines key actions—from adding a note to earning points through completed tasks. This visual helped identify where to simplify navigation and reduce friction

Paper Wireframes

Sketching to Solve

Early on, I used rapid paper sketches to explore layout ideas and interactions. These low-fidelity wireframes allowed me to quickly test different concepts before moving into digital prototyping

Digital Wireframes

Structuring the Experience

After refining my sketches, I translated them into digital wireframes. I focused on clarity and usability, ensuring that task creation, note-taking, and point tracking were intuitive and accessible

UI Kit

Building the Visual Language

I created a UI kit to maintain visual consistency across the app. It includes typography, color styles, button components, and icons—all optimized for mobile accessibility and a clean, modern feel

User Testing + Iterations

Refine, Test, Repeat

Based on user testing sessions with 4 participants, I continuously iterated my designs over the span of 2 weeks—with two major improvements

The final screens

The Final Product

Conclusions + Lessons Learned

The Takeaway Trail

Designing Lume taught me the importance of balancing flexibility with simplicity. Through user interviews, iterative testing, and refining the dashboard and calendar features, I realized how small changes—like surfacing new tasks or integrating a calendar—can greatly impact user experience.

Key takeaways:

• User feedback is invaluable: Insights from real users uncovered pain points I hadn’t initially considered, like task overwhelm and the need for visual clarity.

• Structure doesn’t have to mean rigidity: By allowing users to organize in their own way, Lume encourages productivity without pressure.

• Details drive engagement: Thoughtful interactions like tappable elements and dynamic task updates helped make the app feel intuitive and responsive.

This project strengthened my belief that great UX comes from empathy, iteration, and a deep understanding of user habits.