StayHealthy is a fitness app designed to help individuals committed to healthier living. The app offers personalized goal setting, nutrition tracking, many recipes and articles.

The World Obesity Atlas reported that in 2020, 15% of the world adult population was obese. Moreover, obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. 

The goal is to design a solution that promotes a healthier lifestyle in today's fast-paced world. The app should assist individuals struggling with obesity while also preventing new cases from arising. The app should be easy to use and it aims to stand out by avoiding the overwhelming complexities of similar apps in the same domain.

Solo UI/UX designer.

For the user research, I created a survey in Google Forms containing 12 questions. 

To understand the users' problems and pain points; what are their main concerns regarding nutrition; what are the things that keep them from being healthy and how the app could help them.

The main obstacles for having a healthy diet were: meal preparation time, lack of discipline, anxiety, busy routines, dietary restrictions, limited access to healthy living content, lack of guidance, long-term diet adherence, nutritional knowledge gaps, and emotional eating.

Based on the user research, I've discerned the target audience: individuals from 20 to 45 years old, who are seeking improved health and nutrition but face time constraints, diet-related frustrations, and difficulty finding personalized support. 

To ideate on the solution, I performed the Crazy 8s exercise which is a rapid ideation technique to generate multiple, quick sketches for a design problem within a limited timeframe (1 min per sketch, 8 min in total).

After determining the approach I would choose, I started to design the layout, using paper wireframes. I crafted five different versions for each screen, refining them to create the final version.

Then, I designed digital wireframes, taking into account the user needs from user research. The app's main feature will center around calorie and macronutrient tracking, so I prioritized it at the top of the hierarchy at the diary page. Also, the most common user action will be meal logging, so I strategically positioned meal-logging cards immediately following the calorie and macronutrient sections.

For the app's visual design, I made a deliberate choice to feature a vibrant shade of green as the primary color. This decision was rooted in color psychology, where green is widely associated with nature and health, creating a sense of vitality for users.

My design approach prioritized consistency, with the aim of improving navigation and ensuring a seamless user experience. Additionally, I designed with scalability in mind, allowing the product to adapt and evolve swiftly, keeping it aligned with emerging user needs and design trends.

The main challenge during mockup design was to incorporate the functionalities identified through user research, while ensuring the app's interface remained intuitive and non-overwhelming.

I decided to employ a restricted color palette, featuring only shades of green and neutral tones. This decision aimed to prevent color overload, particularly given the app's extensive range of features, and maintain a harmonious user experience.

Assess learnability, identify pain points, collect user feedback, test accessibility, identify areas for improvement.

Are users able to quickly find and access the information they need?

What are the initial challenges faced by users when trying to use the app?

What specific usability issues do users encounter during their interactions with the app?

What features do users appreciate the most, and what areas do they believe could be enhanced?

After formulating the usability study plan, I reached out to potential participants, inviting those who had responded to the survey to take part. After a week of interviews, I compiled and categorized my notes, identifying themes and patterns. This analysis yielded valuable insights that informed subsequent iterations in the design process.

Through the journey of designing the fictional app StayHealthy for the Google UX Design Certificate, I've garnered valuable insights, like the importance of focusing on the problem and not the solution. Thanks to the very large sample of answers in my user research, I was able to distinguish between what I thought users wanted and what they actually needed. This experience also reinforced the significance of accessible nutrition information and the importance of user-centered design.