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Herbal Habit Companion
herbal app design

Herbal Habit Companion

Discover natural ways to take care of your health & wellbeing

My role

End-to-End Product Designer

Project type

Team project (4-5), part of UXD/PD postgraduate studies at SWPS University

Tools

Figma
Mural & FigJam
ChatGPT & NotebookLM (AI-analysis)
Google Docs & Slides

Our team designed a solution for individuals who actively care about their physical and emotional well-being but need motivation and easy access to practical herbal remedies.

I contributed across all five project phases - from coordinating research with 10 user interviews and competitive analysis of 50+ sources, to creating user scenarios and wireframes, building interactive prototypes with design system components, and facilitating 13 usability testing sessions.

Together we created a mobile herbal companion Filo that guides users in choosing the right herbs and building sustainable health habits - unlike existing products that demand more from users than they offer.

Approach & Insights

Working across 5 project phases (research, strategy, modeling, prototyping, usability testing), the biggest challenges weren't technical. They were about aligning diverse perspectives and making strategic decisions that balanced user needs with safety requirements.

Challenges

Defining our focus
Early in the project, the team struggled with scope - "natural medicine" vs "home ways to improve health". I facilitated clarifying discussions using specific examples (onion syrup vs. meditation) to help us reach consensus on at-home wellness practices that avoid medical treatment territory.

Team vision alignment
When some team members wanted to skip strategy frameworks, I advocated for completing the Value Proposition Canvas together. This process revealed different priorities and helped us reach consensus on our 5 key aspects: habit-building, practical advice, rewards, personalization, and expert trust.

Decisions

Herbs as core focus
Based on research insights showing widespread use and clear demand for accessible herbal information, we narrowed from general natural health to specifically herbal remedies.

Safety over flexibility
We chose pre-curated rituals over user-created ones. While I initially advocated for more user freedom, the team's safety concerns convinced me this was the right approach for herbal content.

Working across 5 project phases (research, strategy, modeling, prototyping, usability testing), the biggest challenges weren't technical. They were about aligning diverse perspectives and making strategic decisions that balanced user needs with safety requirements.

Challenges

Defining our focus
Early in the project, the team struggled with scope - "natural medicine" vs "home ways to improve health". I facilitated clarifying discussions using specific examples (onion syrup vs. meditation) to help us reach consensus on at-home wellness practices that avoid medical treatment territory.

Team vision alignment
When some team members wanted to skip strategy frameworks, I advocated for completing the Value Proposition Canvas together. This process revealed different priorities and helped us reach consensus on our 5 key aspects: habit-building, practical advice, rewards, personalization, and expert trust.

Decisions

Herbs as core focus
Based on research insights showing widespread use and clear demand for accessible herbal information, we narrowed from general natural health to specifically herbal remedies.

Safety over flexibility
We chose pre-curated rituals over user-created ones. While I initially advocated for more user freedom, the team's safety concerns convinced me this was the right approach for herbal content.

Working across 5 project phases (research, strategy, modeling, prototyping, usability testing), the biggest challenges weren't technical. They were about aligning diverse perspectives and making strategic decisions that balanced user needs with safety requirements.

Challenges

Defining our focus
Early in the project, the team struggled with scope - "natural medicine" vs "home ways to improve health". I facilitated clarifying discussions using specific examples (onion syrup vs. meditation) to help us reach consensus on at-home wellness practices that avoid medical treatment territory.

Team vision alignment
When some team members wanted to skip strategy frameworks, I advocated for completing the Value Proposition Canvas together. This process revealed different priorities and helped us reach consensus on our 5 key aspects: habit-building, practical advice, rewards, personalization, and expert trust.

Decisions

Herbs as core focus
Based on research insights showing widespread use and clear demand for accessible herbal information, we narrowed from general natural health to specifically herbal remedies.

Safety over flexibility
We chose pre-curated rituals over user-created ones. While I initially advocated for more user freedom, the team's safety concerns convinced me this was the right approach for herbal content.

Solution

The challenges of aligning team vision and defining safe herbal practices led us to create a structured approach: expert-curated ritual libraries that eliminate dangerous user-created combinations while preserving choice through timing and duration customization.

Our solution centers on ritual journeys. Users like Natalia complete a brief health survey, receive personalized recommendations (like mint and nettle for energy), and follow guided daily practices with calendar-integrated reminders. When she completes her detox challenge, she earns the "Healthy Energy Master" badge and can share her success - transforming individual wellness into community motivation.

The interface reflects our safety-first philosophy: clear contraindication warnings, expert-validated content, and simplified ingredient lists. Through the RITE testing sessions I coordinated, we discovered users needed warmer language and clearer navigation - leading to an app they described as feeling "warm and supportive" rather than clinical.

This solution proves that the tensions between safety and personalization, individual practice and community sharing, can be resolved through careful design decisions rooted in real user needs.


👉 Click here to view final prototype.

The challenges of aligning team vision and defining safe herbal practices led us to create a structured approach: expert-curated ritual libraries that eliminate dangerous user-created combinations while preserving choice through timing and duration customization.

Our solution centers on ritual journeys. Users like Natalia complete a brief health survey, receive personalized recommendations (like mint and nettle for energy), and follow guided daily practices with calendar-integrated reminders. When she completes her detox challenge, she earns the "Healthy Energy Master" badge and can share her success - transforming individual wellness into community motivation.

The interface reflects our safety-first philosophy: clear contraindication warnings, expert-validated content, and simplified ingredient lists. Through the RITE testing sessions I coordinated, we discovered users needed warmer language and clearer navigation - leading to an app they described as feeling "warm and supportive" rather than clinical.

This solution proves that the tensions between safety and personalization, individual practice and community sharing, can be resolved through careful design decisions rooted in real user needs.


👉 Click here to view final prototype.

The challenges of aligning team vision and defining safe herbal practices led us to create a structured approach: expert-curated ritual libraries that eliminate dangerous user-created combinations while preserving choice through timing and duration customization.

Our solution centers on ritual journeys. Users like Natalia complete a brief health survey, receive personalized recommendations (like mint and nettle for energy), and follow guided daily practices with calendar-integrated reminders. When she completes her detox challenge, she earns the "Healthy Energy Master" badge and can share her success - transforming individual wellness into community motivation.

The interface reflects our safety-first philosophy: clear contraindication warnings, expert-validated content, and simplified ingredient lists. Through the RITE testing sessions I coordinated, we discovered users needed warmer language and clearer navigation - leading to an app they described as feeling "warm and supportive" rather than clinical.

This solution proves that the tensions between safety and personalization, individual practice and community sharing, can be resolved through careful design decisions rooted in real user needs.


👉 Click here to view final prototype.

herbal app design
herbal app design

Impact & Reflection

Key personal learnings

  • Structured tools help team alignment - advocating for the Value Proposition Canvas revealed different priorities and helped us reach consensus

  • Safety decisions require compromise - initially wanted users to create custom rituals, but learned that expert-curated content was safer for herbal apps, even if it limits user freedom

  • User testing reveals unexpected insights - users couldn't find the swipe gesture even after demonstration, teaching me that familiar interactions aren't always discoverable

  • Clear communication during disagreements - facilitating discussions with specific examples helped resolve scope confusion

Future Considerations

Expert collaboration needed
Content requires collaboration with herbalism experts and UX writers to balance professionalism with accessibility

Onboarding optimization
Need to test if current version communicates app value quickly enough without overwhelming new users

Safety messaging refinement
Current warnings must be clearer and more credible to build user trust

Gamification validation
Need to understand what genuinely motivates herbal wellness users beyond typical achievement systems

Community features potential
Some testers wanted to share progress within closed user circles through comments, ratings, or visible achievements

Herb purchasing integration
Users expressed desire to buy suggested herbs directly within the app, creating more complete user experience

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

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