Reimagining productivity with focus and simplicity.
OVERVIEW
Feeling unproductive is one of the main causes of burnout. To help combat burnout, I conducted research on real life productivity frustrations and prototyped a simple but powerful productivity app with intuitive task input, satisfying progress tracking, and a seamless onboarding experience. The goal was to make productivity feel dynamic and rewarding.
ROLE
Product Designer
YEAR
2025
TOOLS
Figma, Miro
DELIVERABLES
Mobile App Design, User Research, Wireframes, Prototypes, User Testing
THE PROBLEM
The struggle is real. Productivity burnout affects almost half of the working population.
*Quotes from user interviews.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The user research said…
Too many tools exist (calendar apps, notes apps, reminder apps, etc.)
There is an overwhelming number of things to write down
Burnout is mainly caused from feeling unproductive due to not being able to see holistic progress
So I thought…
There needs to be a seamless way to juggle multiple responsibilities in an easy and emotionally rewarding way.
And then I built…
A high functioning, emotionally satisfying and visually pleasing productivity app that feels simple, yet is powerful to increase motivation and overall happiness.
(verb) to remain for a time, or to keep the attention directed.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
RESEARCH METHODS
To understand productivity on a deeper level…
I conducted 1:1 interviews, data analysis from articles and studies, and an online survey.
With gathered insights, I broke down user problems into 3 categories:
(1) brain overload,
(2) work/life inbalance,
(3) and motivation meltdown.
The end goal was to de-clutter users' minds, help them organize with ease, and increase motivation.
KEY QUESTIONS
How do you stay productive?
How do you juggle multiple priorities?
What keeps you motivated to pursue your career goals or passions?
If you could have one magical tool today to help you with productivity, what would it be and why?
*Quotes from user interviews.
THE CHALLENGE
So what?
How might we build a productivity system that reduces mental load, increases motivation, and helps users balance work and personal life seamlessly?
To design the solution, I derived insights from how people keep track of their tasks and events. I developed an information architecture through user testing, card sorting, and tree testing and discovered that most people organize their tasks and events with setting deadlines in their calendars. From there, I created several different views and filters for ease of access.
KEY INSIGHTS:
(1) People use calendars almost every day, so this feature should be prioritized.
(2) Users want quick and easy, so inputting, organizing, delegating and completing tasks should be fast and simple.
(3) Search bars and filters can help people do more, quickly, reducing mental load.
(4) People care about tracking progress, so visual aids should be incorporated for emotional satisfaction.
Hover over circles to see more insights.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
How does DWELL stand out?
FEEDBACK AND ITERATION
But… another tool to learn? Let's make this as easy as 1, 2, 3!
At first, I designed an in-depth onboarding process with tool tips and pagination tutorials. However, I quickly learned that to reduce as much friction as possible, I needed to focus on creating a pleasant and easy onboarding experience.
ONBOARDING USER FLOW
LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
HIGH-FIDELITY 3-STEP ONBOARDING USER FLOW
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
I designed a quick and easy 3-step onboarding process because a frictionless understanding of the product is the key to get users feeling good about their decision.
I focused on a simple, intuitive experience—guiding users with minimal steps, clear prompts, and smart defaults so they see value immediately and clearly.
The goal? Reduce cognitive load, eliminate frustration, and make productivity feel effortless from the very first interaction.
Then, I tested two more flows for seamless interaction.
I realized I needed to take into account both first-time users and avid users, so instead of designing things vaguely with shapes and gestures, I decided to add more detail and labelling to features.
HI-FIDELITY HOMEPAGE BEFORE AND AFTER
HI-FIDELITY HOMEPAGE BEFORE
HI-FIDELITY HOMEPAGE AFTER
FEEDBACK
Users think there is not enough clarity with available features
Users unsure how to add tasks from homepage
Not sure about the functionality of the top right orange button
CHANGES
Added four views: All, Late, Today, Scheduled
Fixed "+" button to add tasks
Timer button made more apparent and obvious
The focus space should help users organize their tasks better with three swipe-able pages: "Do," "Doing," and "Do."
MID TO HIGH-FIDELITY FOCUS SPACE
MID-FIDELITY
HIGH-FIDELITY
HIGH-FIDELITY FINAL
FEEDBACK
Notes feature overcomplicates things and is not a necessary feature
Don't need the pomodoro timer to be extremely accessible
Users want customization and aesthetics, while keeping things simple
CHANGES
Notes feature removed
Pomodoro timer tucked away
Light vs. dark mode
DESIGN SYSTEM
What should it look like?
Clean, simple sans serif typeface with light and dark mode.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
Within 8 weeks, the culmination of feedback and iterations led to the final product.
The hi-fidelity prototype was built with 5 main features and user tested live through 1:1 video calls, and several more visual and aesthetic points of feedback led to this final iteration.
(1) VIEW & ADD TASKS
Users who are on-the-go want efficiency and ease. Tasks can be viewed at a glance in four different ways: All, Today, Late, and Scheduled.
For ease of use, users can add tasks in one click.
Left screen: Add task
Right screen: View tasks
(2) IN-APP CALENDAR & DATE PICKER
Visual learners can see their day, week, or month with the in-app calendar, or date picker feature on the home page, which shows you a list of your tasks based on the day you select.
Users can also conveniently add tasks from any page with the fixed "+" button.
(3) STATISTICS AND FOCUS TRACKING
Users who like long-term planning can track how many high priority items vs. low priority items they are completing for each focus.
The statistics feature gives users a bird's eye view of their progress.
(4) FOCUS TIMER
The pomodoro tool is helpful for users who want to do deep work and get several tasks done in one work session.
To maximize emotional satisfaction for users, nature sounds and colour customization are included.
(5) FOCUS SPACES
Users who want to prioritize certain areas of their life can use the 'Focus Space' to zone in on one facet.
The focus space gives you three different views of your focus: Do, Doing, and Done.
Light and dark mode available for users who want to personalize their space to increase motivation.
NEXT STEPS
What's next with DWELL?
Based on user feedback, these are features I would prioritize in order of importance and impact.
LESSONS LEARNED
My three learnings!
Motus
