Fueling Momentum:
UX for Collective Wellness

Momentum is a high-energy wellness and goal-sharing app designed for college students. This UX project focused on creating an intuitive, motivating interface that encourages ongoing engagement across diverse wellness goals. Informed by user research, the final design emphasizes personalization, community support, and a seamless user experience.

Why Momentum?

College students are seeking balance.

Momentum supports realistic wellness and goal-setting habits, by understanding what motivates students’ and tailoring features to their unique needs related to wellness and community.

Strava

Pros: Strong collaborative aspects, data integration, customizable goals, frequent challenges and achievements

Cons: Key features paywalled, not beginner friendly

Top frustrations and weaknesses

  • Current apps are not motivating

  • Cost barriers

  • Intrusive/unorganized interfaces

  • Inaccurate data results

  • Lack of flexibility and customization features

“I’m excited to grow through fitness and mindfulness, but I need tools that don’t overwhelm me along the way.”

Stridekick

Pros: Built for group challenges, seamless integration, inclusive goal tracking

Cons: Minimal long-term progress tracking, limited wellness tracking, basic social features

Most desired features

  • Wellness features

    • Step count, sleep tracker, motivational reminders

    • User specific customization

    • Device integration

  • Goal-setting features

    • Streaks and achievements

    • Organization and flexibility

    • Device compatibility

Goals

  • Improve mental wellbeing

  • Build physical strength

  • Maintain consistent routines

Painpoints

  • Struggles to maintain long-term motivation

  • Often overwhelmed by cluttered interfaces

  • Trouble balancing mental health with personal life

Journey Map

Sam continued to use the app and connected with her friends, she is now highly motivated to reach her wellness goals

She is now proficient at using the app and happy with its performance, but feels it lacks mental wellness features which she was looking for to create overall wellness balance

Research

Competitor Analysis

Apple Health

Pros: Seamless integration, intuitive navigation features, free for Apple device users

Cons: Lacks social/community support aspect, minimal customization features

Survey and Interview

5 interviews with wellness centered Ohio State students

104 survey responses from Ohio State students

Sam Brooks

Persona

Age: 19

Major: Psychology

Year: Sophomore at Ohio State

Current tech usage: Apple health, FitBit

Sam is excited to continue her fitness journey and use her new wearable fitness tracker

Key Findings

User Experience

Gamification and Social Features

  • Increase engagement and motivation

  • 50% of users find motivation when competing against family and friends

Wellness Balance

  • Apps often are dedicated to either wellness or goal-sharing, few have the capabilities of both

  • Allowing students to customize their experience

Wireframes

Accessibility

  • Data synchronization to other devices or platforms is crucial

  • Free, no hidden paywalls

  • Simple and effective UI design

Design

  • Bold and energizing

  • High-impact typography

  • Dynamic, motivational elements

  • Flexibility in customizable features

She is quickly overwhelmed by the app setup and onboarding process, but hopes to learn more about app navigation

Moodboard

Styleguide

Momentum App

The Collaboration page allows users to connect with friends and join wellness groups. Features like a QR code for quick connections, a dynamic group card display, and a location-based friend finder make it easy to build community and stay motivated together.

Welcome page where users sign up using their designated student ID, promoting safety and connection within university communities.

The home page provides a quick overview of key wellness metrics and goal progress, while encouraging social connection and community support.

The spinner wheel adds an exciting and playful twist to the goal creation process. Users spin to randomly select or intentionally choose a wellness category to pursue.

The profile page offers users a more personalized hub to view their goals, achievements, social connections and upcoming schedule.

Usability Testing

Goal

This early-stage usability testing focused on understanding the app’s core functionality, navigation and design consistency before visual elements were introduced. I created tasks to evaluate users' ability to complete basic actions, recognize icons and offer feedback. The insights gathered helped identify usability challenges and informed improvements for a smoother user experience moving forward.

Usability Findings

Pros: Signing up was smooth and felt secure, goal creation was intuitive and exciting, initial exploration was enough to understand the basis of the app.

Cons: No clear distinction between signing up and signing in, UI elements lack consistent style, icon confusion made initial navigation slightly confusing.

Task 2:

  • Sign in using BuckID

  • Skip all of the onboarding tasks 

  • Check your calendar

  • Find what is on your calendar on March 1st

Task 3:

  • Locate the pilates group

  • Identify the group progress leaderboard

Refinements

I enhanced the onboarding experience by adding a guided tutorial and help features to support user navigation. I also refined key icons to improve clarity, ensured greater stylistic consistency across the interface, and added functionality to the areas users naturally gravitated toward.

Task 1:

  • Sign up/in using BuckID

  • Navigate to the goal creation page

  • Start a new goal

  • Choose an icon you feel fit for that goal