Abstract Design Statement
Overview
HelpingCats is a mobile Gacha-Style game that aims to help users maintain productivity and develop and maintain healthy habits. This case study explores how gameplay can incentivize people to complete daily tasks. HelpingCats enables users to track health habits, set study timers and listen to music, and grow their own personal cat community.
Feature Overview
HelpingCats is a unique app that provides all the tools and resources necessary for users to develop a healthy and productive lifestyle. The main feature of the app is the Productivity Timer, which "locks" the user's phone to prevent distractions. When the user successfully completes a productivity session, they are awarded coins. If the user exits the app during a productivity session, the timer is canceled and the user will not be able to earn coins.
Music is an essential aspect of studying and productivity. Since the Productivity Timer does not allow users to exit the app, HelpingCats collaborates with artists and music producers to provide curated playlists for the user. In-app playlists can be purchased using coins.
Users can add and organize tasks by category and have the task repeated. Additionally, the user can also attach a Productivity Timer", which allows them to eliminate distractions while executing the task. By the end of the week, if the user successfully completes a week of daily habits, they will receive coins that allow them to purchase music and packs of in-game goods.
Coins can be used to purchase "packs" which are randomized sets of items. These items can range from furniture, unique cats, accessories, and other decorations. Users can add their items to cat rooms, where they can take care of their cats and feed them. HelpingCats incentivizes users to be productive and build unique collections in the game.
User Personas
Audience Analysis
My demographic group are users between the ages of 15 to 41 and focus mostly on students and millennial employees who work on assignments or work projects. HelpingCats offers very few in-app purchases, allowing people of all income levels to use the app. From this information, we can assume that users have proficient technology literacy.
Personas
Based on my audience analysis, I created two personas below. Personas allowed me to have a deep understanding of my target audience and deep dive into their motivations, behaviors, needs and wants.
Competitive Landscape
I researched other competitors in the market and investigated their mission, vision and core values, market segment, and strengths and weaknesses. Competitive landscape helps me identify insights into common features and flows that are either successful or unsuccessful for users. By understanding these common solutions, I can develop strategies to make my product stand out from competitors.
Forest App
- User can set a study timer, which tracks if the user leaves the app
- Users are awarded coins if they complete a study timer session
- Coins can be used to purchase trees that will be displayed in the app
- Spend their coins on trees that will be planted in real life, motivating them to make a valuable impact on the world
Focus Keeper
- Clean, minimal design with little to no distracting elements
- Ability to set goals and habit reminders, that repeat over the week
- A study timer, similar to the Forest App, can be attached to the goal or habit
Flipd
- Can join various study groups with like-minded people and can create their own personal room with friends
- Strong community and social opportunity on this app
- The study timer is also similar to other competitors and keeps the user off their phone
- Users can purchase in-app music to listen to while they study
Study Bunny
- Achieves a cozy and comfortable interface with cute characters and items
- Complete a study session to earn coins and purchase items for the user's bunny
- Offers a To-Do List feature, which helps users keep track of their tasks.
Technical Requirements and Limitations
Technical Requirements
HelpingCats will have WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. Bluetooth will allow HelpingCats to listen to music through wireless devices while they use the Productivity Timer. HelpingCats is mainly targeted towards mobile devices and the interface is designed for smaller interactions. A possible opportunity for this product is the introduction of AR. Perhaps users could use AR to see their cats and items in real-time.
Possible Constraints
Although HelpingCats is intended to be used on mobile devices, a possible constraint can be the small screen size. There are many features on this app, and allowing them to be discovered on such a small screen can be very challenging. Another consideration that needs to be made is the features that can be used offline or in a setting where there is no WiFi. Lastly, AR capabilities must be carefully evaluated, as it could cause lag and inaccuracy in the app.
User Scenario
User Scenarios are storytelling in a richer context. They illustrate how a user might act to achieve the task in a specific environment. This exercise helped me determine the user's motivations and why they want to execute this specific task. It also evaluated the user's intentions and priorities.
Below, I illustrated a user scenario using Persona #1 Emily Chan.
As we can see from the scenario above, a common reason why someone would download HelpingCats is burnout or loss of motivation. Users who download HelpingCats want to stay focused and boost their productivity. It is crucial that my design offer these features from the get-go.
Use Cases
Use cases outline user requests and the system’s behavior that responds to them. It can give key insights into the user’s needs in the app and how the interface will fulfill that goal. Through this exercise, I was able to pinpoint any situations where my solutions could go wrong and be a friction point for the user.
Information Architecture
Wireframes
Design Guidelines
Hi-Fi Wireframes
