UX
UI
End-to-End Design
The problem
Many people set out with good intentions, but struggle to follow through.
We’ve all experienced moments like this. But for some, procrastination becomes a persistent barrier to their personal growth. Our team set out to design a tool that helps users bridge the gap between intention and action.
In a hurry? Here's the gist:
1
We found that people procrastinated less with social accountability AND there was a gap in the market!
2
We narrowed our scope to small accountability groups where users commit to daily tasks, share and monitor progress, and support each other to get their tasks done.
3
Based on that, we iterated and built these features: Task visibility & Progress sharing, daily planner, and a timer.
4
Instead of building a lean MVP as we intended, we added more features out of eagerness, delaying user testing.
Now for the full story…
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Research
Why do people procrastinate?
Research shows procrastination is not just laziness.
People avoid tasks as a way to manage the negative emotions associated with a task (i.e., fear of failure, task difficulty, not knowing what to do, anxiety, etc.).
The need for accountability
Through interviews with 6 casual and chronic procrastinators, I discovered procrastination was indeed not just simply putting things off. It was a way to escape feelings of stress, anxiety, uncertainty, or self-doubt.
But what stood out the most was the role of social accountability — almost every participant brought it up. External pressure from work, school, or others, helped them stay on track, while procrastination became far more likely without it. This aligned with my findings on goal-setting theory, which highlights how receiving external feedback on the process and outcome of a goal increases the likelihood of achieving it.
Most importantly, this interview revealed that failing to follow through on intentions triggers guilt and shame, trapping people in a negative cycle of procrastination.
An opportunity in the market?
I reviewed current productivity apps designed to help people get their tasks done and manage procrastination. Few apps directly addressed procrastination, but many helped people stay organized and complete tasks through to-do lists, timers, habit trackers, etc.
We were surprised to find that there was a lack of social accountability apps in such a saturated category!
How might we help people overcome procrastination by
creating supportive social accountability that keeps them on track?
Develop
Small accountability groups with daily tasks
Our team explored a wide range of possible directions, such as gamification, high-stakes punishments (betting money for example), shared commitments, live work sessions, and so much more. We needed to narrow down our focus for clarity and feasibility.
We decided to narrow our scope to small accountability groups where users commit to daily tasks, share and monitor progress, and support each other. This was guided by several factors:
1
Daily rhythm builds consistency
Focusing on daily tasks is a digestible commitment that can help people make steady progress and develop consistent habits over time.
2
Positive social motivation
Supportive relationships provide personal, positive accountability, whereas competitive approaches like leaderboards and high stakes could worsen guilt and shame.
3
Groups reduce pressure
One-on-one accountability partnerships easily fail due to inconsistent check-ins, but group accountability reduces this dependency and fosters a sense of community.
Features
We identified a set of core features combining social accountability with tools for task execution, that make daily tasks easier to manage and complete.
Task visibility & Progress sharing
All group members’ tasks and statuses are visible to each another, making it easy to track each other’s progress throughout the day and creating gentle social pressure
Provide feedback to each other's progress with emojis or short comments
Daily planner/Time blocking
Manage and view tasks for the day
Turn intentions into concrete commitments
Further strengthen daily planning with dedicated time blocks for tasks
Timer
Make tasks feel finite → lowers emotional resistance → starting is easier!
Creates a sense of urgency
Break down work sessions into manageable chunks (25 min work, 5 min break)
Immediate reward from a sense of accomplishment
Then we made mistakes.
Looking back…
We aimed to release a lean MVP but kept adding features before launch out of eagerness. What felt like progress soon slowed us down, delaying testing. I saw how easily scope can creep up and derail timelines. Although we realized a bit late, we focused our energy on finishing the MVP with what we had, while further developing other parts of our product such as marketing and branding.
Next steps
Our next steps are to validate our approach and polish any usability issues through user testing.
The priority lies in measuring whether users are following through on their tasks — daily. Are users able to translate their intentions into actions?
What I've learned
Adaptability in the Design Cycle
The reality of the design process proved far less linear than anticipated. Instead of rigidly adhering to 'textbook' frameworks, I learned to prioritize adaptability—tailoring our workflow to fit the team's specific constraints and strengths, rather than forcing the team to fit the process.
Big thinking
While it was tempting to perfect the timer or the schedule in isolation, I realized that the app’s value came from how these tools interacted. By maintaining a holistic view, I was able to ensure that each feature amplified the others, resulting in a cohesive experience rather than a collection of disjointed tools.
Don't get attached to ideas
Very early into the project, I found myself becoming protective of designs because I had invested hours into them. I quickly learned that detaching from my work allows me to stop defending 'my' designs and start objectively choosing the best options for the product.