Documentation mobile app

Moment App

Cover image of a life documentation app design called Moment App

Overview

Moment App is a life documentation app that inspires users to capture fleeting moments and delve into the depths of their observations.

Project type: personal project
Timeline: 1 month design phase
Current stage: under development

Role - UX designer

I conceived the original idea and am collaborating with a programmer to bring it to life.

The team:

  • 1 UX designer
  • 1 app developer

Beginning

The idea

In our busy lives and hectic schedules, we often crave a respite, a moment to pause and simply observe our surroundings. I want to design an app for people who want to appreciate their daily moments but struggle to articulate their observations.

Initial hypotheses

  • Target users are not merely looking for a momentary journaling session or a quick log of activities. They want to be inspired to create and document something meaningful, something that will last beyond the present.
  • A documentation app should provide additional motivation to keep users consistently involved.

Research and Insights

Competitive audit

I want to explore factors that set competitors apart and aspects that generate loyal fans.

An competitive audit of 5 primary competitors of the Moment App. These competitors are the "minutiae: Real Life" app, the "1 Second Everyday Journal" app, the "Card Diary - Memories Journal" app, the "Daylio" app, and the "Happyfeed" app. The graph shows notes on the weaknesses and strengths of each app.
(5 representative competitors)

I also identified 3 criteria that can be used to define the positioning of all documentation apps:

  1. The level of effort required to make inputs;
  2. The variety of tools available for documentation;
  3. The breadth of features offered.
On the left side of the visual, a graph shows 3 types of users, represented as a dot. They are named the "deep divers", "quick loggers", and "visual creators". Their position on the graph is determined by the number of tools to document life on the x-axis from less to more, and the breadth of features on the y-axis from narrow to wide. In terms of number of tools, "less" is defined as providing one tool, while "more" refers to providing different kinds of media to document life. In terms of the breadth of features, "narrow" is interpreted as focusing on documenting the present moment, "wide" means that the app provides diverse features that support overall well-being. In addition, the size of the dot represents required efforts; a smaller dot means a quick log to jot down thoughts or track activities, while a larger dot means requiring self-reflection or immersion at the moment.

Problems and opportunities

  • Many apps make it effortless for users to upload brief thoughts, but this falls short for my target audience (the "deep divers"). While some apps aim for a higher level of effort, they often impose too much restrictions and offer limited flexibility with the available tools.
  • While many apps focus on introspection and self-care, Moment App cultivates appreciation for the surrounding environment through creativity and mindful observation.
  • Some apps try to engage users by sending notifications at unpredictable times, but users may not have their phones around. This hints on the dilemma between using phone to document and and minimizing digital device usage.
Introducing Moment App

Moment App: Aiming for a higher level of commitment with sufficient motivation and inspiration

The Moment App stands out by emphasizing detailed and dedicated input. It's more competitive than other apps with similar intentions, as it offers additional inspiration and tools to keep users engaged and help them create more comprehensive descriptions. Moreover, it strikes a balance by implementing appropriate restrictions that guide users toward its purpose without compromising convenience or flexibility - a problem frequently raised by target users.

Approach

Key user goals

Cherish a special moment
Drawing inspiration from life
Sharpen observation

Users' needs

  • Users prefer flexible platforms and formats. Visuals are essential to recall the specifics of a particular day.
  • Community sharing is a distraction. Social aspect is appreciated only when it gives a sense of connection.
  • Users need to revisit previous moments in order to reminisce on past memories, or use them as references for future writing or journaling .
  • Being “forced” to accomplish the documentation is acceptable and even appreciated if users get motivated and inspired.

Design focus

Document in diverse ways
Common Practices
A simple UI focusing on private documentation
Sufficient motivation for deeper observation
Organize, filter, and search previous input
Inspiring users to sharpen observations
Different Practices
Let users learn about others' perspectives on similar moments
Make sense of how emotions correlate with input
Pay attention to the time and effort willing to invest in the app

Solution

A mockup of what the Moment App would look like on an iPhone screen. This mockup features the UI of creating a moment and logging in mood.A mockup of what the Moment App would look like on an iPhone screen. This mockup features the UI of looking for tips for inspirations when creating a moment. The caption says "users can get inspiration on describing a moment by searching for relevant terms, receiving quotes, or viewing previous moments about the same topic."A mockup of what the Moment App would look like on an iPhone screen. This mockup features the various filter options. The caption says "users can explore patterns or search previous moments with filter options such as mood, date, time period, tags, or media type (e.g. photos, audio)."A mockup of what the Moment App would look like on an iPhone screen. This mockup highlights the feature of fostering a sense of connection and ritual. It shows that users can receive and bookmark a stranger's moment and export moment to a local device.

Upcoming

The app is currently in the development stage.

Entire process
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