Designing the MVP for a Mood Tracking App
Hofin, a Canadian startup, has a new app that tracks daily moods to boost emotional well-being. It connects users with experts and friends, focusing on support for success and happiness. By processing daily data, Hofin aims to reduce unhappiness and loneliness, creating a global network of human connections.
Our Team:
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Solo UI Designer
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2x Developers
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Product Manager
Problem Context:
Existing mental health apps lack effective ways for users to connect during difficult moments and share advice. This gap inspired Hofin, a platform aiming to reshape how people seek and provide emotional support in times of need.
Process:
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Stakeholder interviews and understanding
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Competitive analysis
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User flow
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Mid-fidelity wireframes
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UI design
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Prototyping
Design Process:
1. Stakeholder Interviews and Understanding
In the beginning, I focused on grasping things by talking to key people and looking at data from a survey with 114 participants. The insights from these talks and the survey helped us see where we're headed. We worked together to turn these insights into a list of features that match what the stakeholders want and what the business is aiming for, forming the basis for our upcoming design choices.
2. Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitor analysis involving five key competitors to delve into their primary features, and implementation strategies, and assess both the advantages and disadvantages. This exploration aimed to identify opportunities for strategic differentiation and improvement in our design.
3. User Flow
To begin designing, we carefully defined the UI requirements and created user flows to plan how people would smoothly move through the app. This helped us figure out the important screens and guided the next design steps.
4. Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
I created wireframes to understand how the design will look and function. After the team confirmed the wireframes and ensured the design suits our users, I transformed them into mockups and prototypes.
5. UI Design
The UI design process started with a mood board to gather preferences from stakeholders and decide on the design direction. Using a simple design system, I carefully created the user interface, resulting in a prototype for the MVP version.
6. Prototyping
A clickable prototype was developed to offer stakeholders and users a tangible representation of the app's functionality and flow.