Daily
Daily journaling Dashboard
Product Design
Introduction
Daily journaling is a therapeutic tool, especially beneficial for those with neurodevelopmental conditions or mental health challenges. Current digital journaling tools, often focused on productivity, lack the flexibility needed by many individuals for personal reflection and creativity. The objective of this project, “Daytime,” was to design an innovative journaling app that provides the autonomy of analogue journaling while leveraging the capabilities of digital platforms. The design goal was to create a customizable, user-friendly solution that would appeal to a diverse user base, including neurodivergent individuals, within a six-week timeframe.
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Timeline
- Three month sprints
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My Role
- Product Designer
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Collaboration
- 1 PM
- 1 Team of SWEs
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Platform
- Figma
- Figjam
- Notion
- ChatGPT
- Adobe Photoshop
- Zoom
- Slack
Problem
Current digital journaling solutions such as Trello and Notion are productivity-focused, limiting the flexibility needed for personal journaling. These tools do not provide the autonomy and creativity that analogue journaling offers. People looking for a digital solution with similar benefits face challenges such as limited customization, lack of personalization, and rigid structures not suited for neurodivergent needs.
Solution
Daily journaling solves these issues by offering a highly customizable infinite canvas for journaling, allowing users to create their own layouts, track various aspects of their day, and capture their thoughts in a freeform way. It blends the personal autonomy of analogue bullet journaling with the power and predictability of digital tools, making it adaptable for people who need flexibility, creativity, and functionality.
Process
End-to-End Double-Diamond process; User Research, Competitive Analysis, Card Sorting, Site map and information Architecture, UI Design, Style Guide, Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping, User testing, Iterations, Logo design
Research plan and goals
We initiated the process by focusing on understanding the diverse needs of users, especially those with neurodivergent conditions. Key goals included:
1. Understanding the motivations and pain points of current journal-keepers.
2. Gaining insights into the needs of neurodivergent users.
3. Conducting ethnographic interviews to gather qualitative data.
We aimed to conduct interviews with a minimum of 30 participants, ensuring diversity and representation of neurodivergent individuals.
Timeline
The project followed a six-week design sprint broken down as follows:
Week 1-2: Research Phase (ethnographic interviews, user persona creation, and empathy mapping).
Week 3-4: Conceptualization Phase (wireframes, feature ideation, and prototype testing).
Week 5-6: Design Phase (high-fidelity wireframes, design system development, and final design iteration).
BEHAVIOURAL INTERVIEW CANVAS
A behavioral interview canvas was designed to guide ethnographic interviews, focusing on the user’s daily journaling habits, challenges, and preferences. Special consideration was given to neurodivergent participants to uncover specific needs related to journaling.
AFFINITY MAPPING WORKSHOP
An affinity mapping workshop was conducted to synthesize data from the interviews. This allowed us to categorize user insights, identify patterns, and define the key challenges faced by different user groups.
USER PERSONA
Based on the research, we identified three key user groups: Analogue Journalers, who are traditionalists wanting a customizable digital alternative; Neurodivergent Journalers, who need flexibility and autonomy for their journaling; and Digital Productivity Enthusiasts, who use productivity tools but seek more creative control.
EMPATHY MAP
An empathy map was developed for each persona to illustrate their goals, fears, frustrations, and desires in relation to journaling.
PROBLEM FRAMING
We reframed the core problem into a more actionable challenge: How might we create a journaling tool that is customizable, inclusive, and supports both personal expression and productivity?
HOW MIGHT WE
We designed a journaling app that strikes a balance between structure and creative freedom, ensuring it meets the unique needs of neurodivergent users while appealing to a wide audience. By seamlessly integrating the flexibility of analogue journaling with the functionality of digital tools, the app offers a personalized and adaptable experience for all types of journalers.
FEATURE CANVAS
We developed a feature canvas to prioritize the app’s core functionalities, focusing on key elements that would enhance the user experience. The main features included an infinite canvas, allowing users to create fully customized journal layouts, seamless integration with task management and habit tracking, and flexible templates that users could modify to suit their individual journaling styles and preferences.
USER JOURNEY
We mapped out the user journey, outlining touchpoints from onboarding to daily journaling. This highlighted moments of delight and frustration for different users.
MOMENT MAPPING WORKSHOP
The Moment Mapping Workshop identified key moments in a user’s journaling journey, from initial reflection to daily entry completion. This process helped us visualize user interactions, emotional touchpoints, and potential friction areas, guiding our design to create a smoother, more engaging journaling experience.
MOMENT FLOW WORKSHOP
In the Moment Flow Workshop, we mapped out each key moment in the user’s journaling experience to identify opportunities for a smooth, intuitive journey. By focusing on users’ needs and natural interactions, we refined the flow to ensure an effortless journaling process from start to finish.
HAPPY PATH
The happy path scenario focused on ensuring a seamless experience for users who were familiar with digital tools but sought more customization and autonomy.
OOUX WORKSHOP
The OOUX (Object-Oriented UX) workshop focused on designing the app’s interface around real-world objects and processes familiar to journalers. We modeled objects like “Journal Pages,” “Tasks,” and “Trackers” to reflect the user’s mental model.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE BOARD
The architecture board structured the app’s navigation and flow, ensuring easy access to key features like templates, customization options, and saved journals.
Style Guide & Logo Design
We designed the Stay Guide to help users make the most out of the app’s customization features. The logo for Daily reflects the app’s theme of blending structure with creativity, featuring a calming and fluid design.
Thumbnailing Workshop
Join Daily Thumbnailing Workshop to explore creative ideas for journal dashboard! We’ll brainstorm and sketch out concepts that enhance user engagement and streamline the journaling experience.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
The low-fidelity wireframes for the Daily Journal Dashboard outline the basic structure, layout, and flow, focusing on essential features like customizable journaling, task tracking, and quick access to widgets. These wireframes provide a clear framework for user interactions and initial feedback on the design concept.
High Fidelity Wireframes
The high-fidelity wireframes for the Daily Journal Dashboard showcase a polished interface, combining intuitive navigation with custom widgets, timers, and flexible journaling options to enhance user experience.
Project summary
Our Daily journaling app successfully addressed the problem of rigid, productivity-focused digital tools by creating a flexible, user-centered journaling experience. With extensive user research, empathetic design practices, and iterative testing, we developed a solution that caters to a diverse user base, including neurodivergent individuals. Daily stands out by offering customizable layouts, integrated tracking features, and a thoughtful interface, bringing the benefits of analogue journaling into the digital age.
The final design was completed within the six-week timeframe, meeting all project goals and receiving positive feedback from usability testing.
