Pathfinders: Designing for Productivity
Designing a productivity web app that encourages active breaks through gamification.
Big Picture
Pathfinders is a gamified productivity tool designed to combat unproductive study habits and promote physical wellness for university students. Developed during the UBC BizTech UX Open Design Hackathon, our project combines customizable wellness reminders, gamified rewards, and social features to create a holistic study experience that balances focus and health.
Role:
Product Designer
Timeline:
Nov 2024 (24 hours)
Tools:
Figma
Team:
Jackie Crowley, Allison Chu, Owen Li, Rosie Xuan
Problem Statement
University students often spend extended hours working at their computers, leading to physical discomfort and unproductive breaks.
• 98% of students reported physical pain (e.g., neck and eye strain) after prolonged study sessions.
• 84% used their phones during work breaks, missing opportunities for restorative physical activity.
The challenge: How can we create a study tool that encourages students to take active breaks and fosters a sustainable study routine?
User Research
Our PMs conducted 56 survey responses and 8 user interviews, uncovering key insights:
• Gamified elements motivate students to take active study breaks.
• Social accountability helps students extend their study sessions.
• Combining multiple features into a single platform is more appealing than using multiple apps.
User Persona
Value Proposition
Pathfinders goes beyond traditional Pomodoro trackers by combining customizable wellness reminders, gamified rewards, and social accountability in one tool. The result? A more productive, health-conscious study routine.
Key Features
Customizable Breaks and Reminder
Tailor wellness reminders to specific issues (e.g., shoulder pain, eye strain).
Pomodoro Timer with Gamified Rewards
The more you focus, the more you level up! Level up to compete with friends or unlock new Landscapes!
Collect Landscapes
Unlock stunning virtual Landscapes with new adventures and mini-games to explore!
Interactive Wellness Mini-Games
Reduce strain with activities like a skiing mini-game controlled by stretching your neck.
Social Study Sessions
Work alongside friends in group sessions; avatars progress together through the same focus sessions, wellness
reminders, and mini-games, fostering accountability and mutual support.
Impact
Physical Wellness: Encourages active breaks, helping users combat physical discomfort.
Social Accountability: Creates a shared study experience, increasing productivity.
Motivation: Gamified rewards inspire long-term habit building.
Pathfinders transforms the study experience into an engaging, health-conscious routine for university students. By integrating features students value most into a single platform, we’ve created a tool that promotes both focus and wellness in a unique and meaningful way.
Reflection
This project pushed us to tackle the dual challenge of productivity and wellness, teaching us the importance of user-centered design. The workshops at UX Open taught me a lot about Design Thinking and Design Systems, which were two concepts I kept turning to during the design phase.
Huge shoutout to Allison Chu, the other designer on our team. Our systemized approach of sketching out ideas, creating lo-fi wireframes, and then hi-fi mockups contributed to our success immensely, We also made sure to constantly check in with each other before moving on to each step, ensuring the designs were consistent and that the UX was as excellent as possible.
I am really proud of what we built :)
Check out the FULL prototype here!