Pearl.
Pearl.
MAR 2025
MAR 2025
1st Place • SBCL Designathon
1st Place • SBCL Designathon
Figma
Case Study
Mockup
Wireframing
Prototyping
Interaction Design
Mobile App
User Research
Users didn’t need another reminder to stop scrolling — they needed a reason to feel good about staying focused. That’s where Pearl swims in.
Users didn’t need another reminder to stop scrolling — they needed a reason to feel good about staying focused. That’s where Pearl swims in.
Context
Context
Self-guided mental-health and wellbeing apps relying on guilt-based nudges see median retention plummet from 3.9% at 15 days to just 3.3% by day 30.
In a world flooded with endless notifications, doomscrolling, and digital burnout, many people are seeking healthier screen habits. While tools like Apple’s Screen Time or Google’s Digital Wellbeing exist, they often feel passive, confusing, or easy to dismiss. Users need something more engaging and personalized to truly change their digital habits.
Self-guided mental-health and wellbeing apps relying on guilt-based nudges see median retention plummet from 3.9% at 15 days to just 3.3% by day 30.
In a world flooded with endless notifications, doomscrolling, and digital burnout, many people are seeking healthier screen habits. While tools like Apple’s Screen Time or Google’s Digital Wellbeing exist, they often feel passive, confusing, or easy to dismiss. Users need something more engaging and personalized to truly change their digital habits.
Challenge
Challenge
Design a mobile app that helps users build mindful digital habits in fun and engaging ways. The app should focus on encouraging healthy screen usage without relying on guilt or restriction. You may incorporate gamification, journaling, social accountability, or mindfulness elements.
Design a mobile app that helps users build mindful digital habits in fun and engaging ways. The app should focus on encouraging healthy screen usage without relying on guilt or restriction. You may incorporate gamification, journaling, social accountability, or mindfulness elements.
Problem
Problem
Despite available solutions, users often:
Feel guilty when using screen-time limiters
Ignore passive notifications or dashboards
Lack emotional motivation to shift their habits
which brings us to the question...
Despite available solutions, users often:
Feel guilty when using screen-time limiters
Ignore passive notifications or dashboards
Lack emotional motivation to shift their habits
which brings us to the question...
How might we
How might
we
How might we design a mobile app that promotes mindful digital habits in fun and engaging ways, without guilt or restriction?
How might we design a mobile app that promotes mindful digital habits in fun and engaging ways, without guilt or restriction?
Competitor Analysis
Competitor
Analysis
We evaluated several popular productivity and digital wellbeing apps to better understand where they succeed, and where they fall short, in supporting healthy screen habits for college students.
We evaluated several popular productivity and digital wellbeing apps to better understand where they succeed, and where they fall short, in supporting healthy screen habits for college students.
Forest
Flora
Screen Time
Focus Keeper
Where they fall short:
Guilt-based limits discouraged users
Passive Data doesn't drive behavior change
No control over what counts as "productive" or "distractive" elements/platforms
Minimal emotional or visual engagement
Where would Pearl fix these:
Uses gentle encouragement and positive reinforcement
Delivers playful, visual feedback through animated elements or companions
Let users define productivity on their own without having to accommodate to app's rigid rules
Features a soothing underwater theme that makes focus feel enjoyable
Where they fall short:
Guilt-based limits discouraged users
Passive Data doesn't drive behavior change
No control over what counts as "productive" or "distractive" elements/platforms
Minimal emotional or visual engagement
Where would Pearl fix these:
Uses gentle encouragement and positive reinforcement
Delivers playful, visual feedback through animated elements or companions
Let users define productivity on their own without having to accommodate to app's rigid rules
Features a soothing underwater theme that makes focus feel enjoyable
Forest
Flora
Screen Time
Focus Keeper
Product
Product
Pearl is your focus fish—a playful, Pomodoro-based productivity app that helps users “lock in, lock out, and repeat.”
Key features include:
A customizable Pomodoro timer featuring a friendly fish companion
A productivity vs. distraction breakdown based on user-defined app categories
Gamified streaks and consistency metrics (e.g. “days focused,” “sessions completed”)
A relaxing underwater aesthetic that makes reflection feel less clinical
Pearl is your focus fish—a playful, Pomodoro-based productivity app that helps users “lock in, lock out, and repeat.”
Key features include:
A customizable Pomodoro timer featuring a friendly fish companion
A productivity vs. distraction breakdown based on user-defined app categories
Gamified streaks and consistency metrics (e.g. “days focused,” “sessions completed”)
A relaxing underwater aesthetic that makes reflection feel less clinical
User Research
User
Research
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 college students (ages 18–21) to explore how they manage screen time, navigate digital distractions, and interact with wellness apps in a world of constant notifications and doomscrolling.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 college students (ages 18–21) to explore how they manage screen time, navigate digital distractions, and interact with wellness apps in a world of constant notifications and doomscrolling.
Findings
Findings
83% of students reported that most existing screen-time tools rely on rigid limits or guilt-inducing alerts — often perceived as discouraging, anxiety-triggering, or too easy to dismiss.
83% of students reported that most existing screen-time tools rely on rigid limits or guilt-inducing alerts — often perceived as discouraging, anxiety-triggering, or too easy to dismiss.
79% of participants expressed a strong preference for positive reinforcement over punitive strategies. They favored tools that make them feel motivated, not monitored.
79% of participants expressed a strong preference for positive reinforcement over punitive strategies. They favored tools that make them feel motivated, not monitored.
67% highlighted the importance of convenience — apps that work with their habits, not against them. They emphasized that the best tools should integrate seamlessly into fast-paced student life.
67% highlighted the importance of convenience — apps that work with their habits, not against them. They emphasized that the best tools should integrate seamlessly into fast-paced student life.
74% shared that customization and control were essential. Students want the ability to define what “productive” means to them, rather than being forced into a one-size-fits-all mold.
74% shared that customization and control were essential. Students want the ability to define what “productive” means to them, rather than being forced into a one-size-fits-all mold.
88% described feeling more engaged when wellness tools incorporated friendly visuals, gamification, or avatar-based feedback, rather than plain statistics or dashboards
88% described feeling more engaged when wellness tools incorporated friendly visuals, gamification, or avatar-based feedback, rather than plain statistics or dashboards
Design Iterations
Design
Iterations
This team did have a lot of varying design talent, each with their own aesthetic. So ideating and finally coming to an agreement was quite the task. We prioritized a clean, inviting interface and, through multiple design iterations, arrived at these three refined concepts.
This team did have a lot of varying design talent, each with their own aesthetic. So ideating and finally coming to an agreement was quite the task. We prioritized a clean, inviting interface and, through multiple design iterations, arrived at these three refined concepts.
Adaption 1
Adaption 1
Lacks clear structure or hierarchy, making it hard to understand what’s being communicated.
Overwhelming and visually dense.
Lacking a cheerful and motivating element
Lacks clear structure or hierarchy, making it hard to understand what’s being communicated.
Overwhelming and visually dense.
Lacking a cheerful and motivating element
Adaption 2
Adaption 2
Clean sections with detailed descriptions and information.
Motivational tasks are present but it may not be optimal for uplifting the user and encouraging them to interact more with the app and keep up their streak.
Clean sections with detailed descriptions and information.
Motivational tasks are present but it may not be optimal for uplifting the user and encouraging them to interact more with the app and keep up their streak.
Adaption 3
Adaption 3
A playful, gamified companion to boost engagement and motivation.
Short blurbs to explain stats clearly in each section.
A clean homepage to reduce reliance on the nav bar and feel more open.
A playful, gamified companion to boost engagement and motivation.
Short blurbs to explain stats clearly in each section.
A clean homepage to reduce reliance on the nav bar and feel more open.
We ended up going with Adaptation 3, where we removed all the extra boxes and grouped them into folders to make the homepage feel cleaner and more welcoming. This version breaks the user’s priorities into four main categories: Pomodoro, Productivity, Progress, and Treasure Chest. Inside each section, users can tweak things like timer length or daily tasks, just enough customization to keep them engaged without pulling them off track. We refined a preliminary information architecture that our app will be based off on.
We ended up going with Adaptation 3, where we removed all the extra boxes and grouped them into folders to make the homepage feel cleaner and more welcoming. This version breaks the user’s priorities into four main categories: Pomodoro, Productivity, Progress, and Treasure Chest. Inside each section, users can tweak things like timer length or daily tasks, just enough customization to keep them engaged without pulling them off track. We refined a preliminary information architecture that our app will be based off on.
Final Product
Final
Thoughts
Since this project was part of a Designathon, the fast-paced nature didn’t give us time for multiple rounds of formal usability testing. But we did go through tons of iterations, waking up our friends to test different versions along the way. After all that, we finally landed on these beauties.
Since this project was part of a Designathon, the fast-paced nature didn’t give us time for multiple rounds of formal usability testing. But we did go through tons of iterations, waking up our friends to test different versions along the way. After all that, we finally landed on these beauties.
Final Thoughts
Final
Thoughts
Our final prototype for Pearl was evaluated by judges at the Jumpstart Spring Designathon and received perfect scores across all criteria, including user research, experience, interface, and creativity, highlighting the strength of our concept, execution, and attention to user needs — bringing home the First Place Prize!
Our final prototype for Pearl was evaluated by judges at the Jumpstart Spring Designathon and received perfect scores across all criteria, including user research, experience, interface, and creativity, highlighting the strength of our concept, execution, and attention to user needs — bringing home the First Place Prize!
