Impulse

Simplifying Impulse’s goal tracking process from 8 steps to 5

Company

Impulse is a startup creating a B2C social accountability app designed for young professionals who want to build healthier habits.

Responsibility

When I joined the Impulse team, the app was in its beta phase. While the app had a solid foundation, there were issues with the user flow that caused many people to stop using it after a few weeks.

Final Prototype

Team

1 CEO
4 Developers
2 Visual Designers
7 Product Designers (Including me)

My responsibilities

Market research
Interview
Usability testing
Wireframing&Prototyping
User flow diagram
Cross-functional team alignment

Time

Aug 2024 - Present

Introduction

How does Impulse works?

The problem

But there was a problem.
After four weeks, 69% of users dropped off

Output

Outcomes

To address this problem, I collaborated with the Impulse team to improve the app’s user experience in three key areas:

Streamlined goal tracking
Added notification reminders
New branding & design system

Key final metrics

Impact

+ 85%

in task completion rates

8 → 5

steps in goal tracking flow

+ 9%

user retention

Interview research - qualitative

Listen and observe user frustrations

Why Were Users Leaving? To answer this question, I began with a discovery phase involving 12 interviews, observations, 5 usability tests, and a competitor analysis. I studied the experiences of both new and long-time users to get a well-rounded understanding of their struggles.

Since Impulse is a B2C app, even small frustrations can cause users to stop using it. This approach allowed me to identify four main pain points that were making the app hard to use and discouraging users from sticking with it.

Pain point 1:
Goal-logging felt like a chore

The original 8-step process for logging goals averaged 45 seconds. It is a significant time investment for a daily task.

Pain point 2:
High rates of misclicks (80%)

Poor button placement and unclear layouts led to 80% of users clicking the wrong buttons during their first interactions.

Pain point 3:
Users forgot about the app

Building a new habit is difficult, and users found it hard to remember to log their goals consistently.

Pain point 4:
Visual design lacked impact

Accessibility issues and a lack of emotional resonance with the brand made the app feel impersonal and unmotivating.

Marketing analysis

What did other apps do right?

I asked beta users about similar apps they were using and gathered feedback on what kept them motivated to stick with those apps.

Redesign objectives

Redesign goals based on the research

Based on my research findings, I defined three key objectives to guide the redesign:

Design goal 1

Simplify the logging process

Users shared their frustrations with how the app handled goal logging. They described the process as too long, prone to misclicks, and not encouraging enough to add captions that could make their logs more meaningful. These issues discouraged them from using the feature regularly. To tackle this, I redesigned the flow to offer two clear and user-friendly options:

Option 1: Create a new flow for goal-first tracking

If users find clicking directly on a goal the most intuitive way to start tracking, we will adapt the flow to reflect this expectation.

Option 2: Retain the current camera-first flow

For users accustomed to starting tracking by clicking on the camera icon, we will maintain this method as an alternative.

Design goal 2

Introduce motivational reminders

During interviews, users frequently mentioned that they stopped using the app after just a few days because they forgot about it. Building habits is already a challenge, especially in the beginning, and users need extra support during this critical period.

I designed goal reminders to act as friendly nudges. These notifications appear at the right moments, encouraging users to log their progress before they lose track. The reminders are thoughtfully timed and worded to feel helpful rather than intrusive, ensuring that users feel supported rather than pressured.

Design goal 3

Develop a design system

When I joined the team, I noticed a significant gap: there was no design system in place. This lack of structure caused several problems. Developers were hardcoding the UI, which led to inconsistencies in how the app looked and felt. It also made redesigns slow and complicated because every update required starting from scratch.

Additionally, user feedback revealed that the app’s color palette and overall design didn’t feel inspiring or motivational. Many users described the interface as “boring” or “unengaging,” which didn’t match the app’s goal of supporting and energizing people as they worked toward their habits.

Reflection

Lessons Learned

Small changes make a big difference

Simple adjustments like visual trackers and reduced steps significantly improved engagement.

Let’s connect

Thank you for taking the time to read through my case study

If you’re interested in learning more about my design process or discussing how I can contribute to your team, I’d love to schedule a call. Please feel free to reach out, and I look forward to connecting soon!

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