Insight
‍Research
‍Define
‍Design
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Design Insight
I noticed Gen Z has a growing Interest towards Gacha games, trading cards, and collectibles. I wondered if it was possible to re-purpose these same behavioral patterns, orienting them toward personal goals and productivity.

What the research says

Variable rewards systems, such as loot boxes or Gacha games, use unpredictability to strongly encourage repeated behavior. While this boosts engagement, it can lead to overuse if safeguards are not in place. Medium

Gamification can increase engagement, but its effect on a person's internal drive is mixed. To create lasting behavior change, the design must support a user's core psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness (feeling connected with others). Science Direct

The timing and presentation of rewards shape behavior. Immediate, noticeable feedback boosts short-term engagement, while rewards that remain visible in
a collection help sustain long-term motivation.
Science Direct

After digging into the research, I was left with a big question: How do you use the power of collectible rewards without the downsides? To answer this question i need to understand potential users. so, I conducted some user interviews.

interview questions:

  • Can you walk me through a typical day?
  • What kinds of tasks or responsibilities do you usually need to keep track of?
  • How do you currently keep track of your tasks or schedule?
  • Follow-up: What do you like or dislike about this method?
  • Have you ever used apps or tools for organizing tasks?
  • Follow-up: Which ones, and how did they work for you?
  • What’s the hardest part about managing your tasks or time?
  • When you fall behind on your tasks, how do you usually get back on track?
  • Can you tell me about a positive habit you’ve built? How did you build it?
  • Can you tell me about a habit you struggle with? What makes it hard to change?
  • Do you collect things like blind boxes or Pokémon cards? If so, how did you get into it?
  • Do you play any mobile games? If yes, what do you enjoy about them?
I conducted interviews with 12 blind box collectors to explore two key areas: their daily routines and personal organization, and their motivations for collecting.

Which lead me to discover two important insight

  • Collecting is a Vehicle for Deeper Needs. It’s a flexible outlet people use to satisfy deeper psychological and social needs. Seeking excitement, comfort, connection, creativity, or even a side hustle.
  • While people want to be organized, the act of formal planning often creates more anxiety, causing them to abandon complex tools for simpler methods. Lasting habits and effective task management are not achieved through willpower or a "perfect system," but by using simple, identity-aligned tools and engineering their environment to reduce cognitive load.
  • With the key insights established, I created two user personas to embody the needs and behaviors we identified. These personas will guide the development of our solutions.
Competitive Analysis
Strengths

Strong motivation / gamification
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Turning focus time into something visual (a growing tree, forest) gives a rewarding feel. You can also use conies to plant trees in the real world making your effort feel more
meaningful.

Minimalistic UI
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A clean, distraction-free design focuses on promoting productivity, appealing to users who value simplicity and clarity.

Weaknesses


Hard and Harsh
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‍Some users have complained, It takes many sessions/coin-actions to unlock more tree types, and especially to accumulate enough for planting real trees.

The frailer mechanic adds a level of stress (tree’s can die if inactive for a while). Making it hard for some to try again once they are panelized.

Insight
  • If you're motivated by visible progress or rewards it can gives a tangible sense of achievement.
  • Don’t create a system that adds more stress to users.
  • UI needs to properly incorporate the gamification without overtaking the functionality of the app.
  • Progression and reward should feel seamless and achievable, when the purpose is motivation.
Strengths

Gamification / visual reward


Having the pet (birb), earning stones, decorating, watching your bird grow, going on adventures gives a fun/satisfying visual feedback.

Lots of “free” value 

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Even without paying, many of the core self-care, timer, journaling, mood-tracking features are available. The design is pleasant, which helps usability.



The focus on self care. You can pause progression. There is no harsh penalty's for missed tasks.

Weaknesses

Can be a distraction
  
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While the cute visuals and customization can be motivating at first, some users find themselves spending more time on the game side than on real tasks. Some users also complained the novelty of the gamification feels repetitive over time.

Setup
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On-boarding and setting up other features like habit templates, customizing tasks take too long.

Insight
  • If you're motivated by visible progress or rewards it can gives a tangible sense of achievement.
  • Don’t create a system that adds more stress to users.
  • UI needs to properly incorporate the gamification without overtaking the functionality of the app.
  • Progression and reward should feel seamless and achievable, when the purpose is motivation.
Solution
Make it Effortless, Make it fun.
Design a task manager that’s simple and intuitive.
Simple onboarding and set-up is key.

A reward system that makes completing tasks both
satisfying and tangible.
UX artifacts
User Journey map
A user journey map
of Emma’s daily experience.
Open
User flow
Emma’s path through the app experience.
Open
Content Structure
The structural map that guides user navigation.
Open
Design solution
UX/UI Approach.
The design focuses on clarity, making all core features immediately visible.
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Bright, playful colors and simple iconography create a light-hearted, approachable feel that keeps the app engaging.

The system is built with flexible depth: it works just as well for quick reminders as it does for full project planning. Nests hold lists, and lists can open into detailed note spaces. Ideal for students managing multiple classes or anyone balancing layered responsibilities.


Gamification
Users earn points each time they complete a task. Once an egg reaches a certain number of points, it hatches, rewarding the user with a random character.

Some characters are rarer than others, adding an element of surprise and excitement.

Users can also purchase physical toys of the characters they unlock directly from the app.

The number of tasks required to hatch an egg depends on its level: every 10 hatches the egg levels up, increasing both the number of tasks needed and the chances of receiving rarer characters.

Design
Sketches
Mockup
Wire-frames
Character Design’s
The Driven Den’s are unique blindbox characters. Each one blends a serious, driven personality with a cute, friendly design. They’re only available by unlocking them through the app, making them feel even more special.
Grizzgo
Donedog
Nibi
Plodwin