Fitbit stress management app screens

Fitbit

Fitbit Redesign for Behavior Change

We had an open brief: find and solve a problem within Fitbit's features, with a focus on changing users' behavior.

Duration

Jan 2022 - Feb 2022

Team

4 graduate students

My Role

Product designer

The Problem

Much of the stress we feel is created in our own minds.

Stress affects mood, energy, relationships, and work performance, and it can cause or worsen a wide range of health conditions. We worry when we perceive a threat — losing a job, a fight with a partner, a missed deadline — so we set out to help people deal with stress and manage it.

The Solution

Gamification helps people see stress the right way.

Users “Build Cities” to set goals, while activities like exercise and meditation help them relieve stress and keep it at a healthy level.

Fitbit stress management screens

How did we get there?

Help people face stress and accept it as a normal human response.

Double diamond process

Conducting Research

Understanding how people experience stress

Research findings 1Research findings 2

Concept Development

From insights to concepts

Concept development 1Concept development 2Concept development 3Concept development 4Concept development 5Concept development 6
Butler
ButlerGives detailed advice based on your score.
Square
SquareAn open space for connecting and stress-relief activities.
Alarm
AlarmSteps in only when stress crosses a critical level.
Library
LibraryBrowse and choose your own stress tools.

Concept Relay

Fitbit as a quiet companion

We chose a supportive companion over a lecturing mentor or a cold alarm — Fitbit quietly helps in the background whenever you need it.

Concept relay

Final Design

Wireframing and iteration

What changed

  1. Six sections: Home, Collection, Daily Mood, Daily Score, Find Activity, and Popular.
  2. Onboarding added: a cognitive walkthrough showed newcomers needed more guidance, so onboarding became a core flow.
Wireframes

High Fidelity Prototype

Onboarding, collection, and activities

Onboarding experience

  1. Welcome new users and set up their first city.
Onboarding screens

Explore your city collection

  1. See every building you've earned in one place.
City collection screens

Pick an activity

  1. Choose a stress-relief activity to start building.
Pick an activity flow

Key Features

Stress score, buildings, and quick picks

Stress score

  1. The EDA sensor measures daily stress, and the app highlights key insights instead of raw data.
Stress score screens
2–3blocks a day when the stress score is above baseline

Construct a building

  1. Complete one building each month.
Construct a building screens

Start building

  1. Start new building projects tied to periodic goals, and see finished buildings as a City, Diary (timeline), or Gallery.
Start building screens
3clicks to find a stress-relief activity

Quick pick activities

  1. Swipe to choose an activity, Tinder-style.
Quick pick activity screens

Usability Testing

Testing with real users

4participants in a usability test and heuristic evaluation

Tasks

  1. Create My City.
  2. Pick an activity to start building.
  3. Tell us whether the charts make sense.
Testing feedback 1Testing feedback 2Testing feedback 3

Future Iteration

What we'd improve next

Based on feedback

  1. Optimize the process: the last step lacked feedback, so we'll show the city after an activity is finished.
  2. Simplify buttons: buttons overlapped, so we'll offer clearer ways to reach activities.
  3. Shorten steps: one user lost patience, so we'll streamline moving between tasks.