Lotus

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Challenge

Create a mindfulness tracker that goes beyond streak numbers—one that visually reflects a user’s growth and encourages consistency without pressure or guilt.

Solution

The Lotus Tracker turns daily meditation into a calming visual journey, where each session helps a lotus flower bloom—gently guiding users toward mindful habits through soft gamification and emotional resonance.

Target Audience

Designed for people who want a gentle, aesthetic, and emotionally supportive way to build daily meditation or mindfulness habits.

DISCOVER

Understanding User Needs

Before jumping into visuals, I conducted surveys and scraped app reviews to understand how people track mindfulness habits. I reached out to students via Instagram and Telegram to ask how they stay consistent with goals and what keeps them motivated. I also used Python to scrape reviews from apps like Calm, Headspace, and popular habit trackers.

I found that most meditation apps focus more on content than habit tracking. There was a gap for a gentle, visual, and emotionally engaging progress tracker that reflects users’ efforts without pressure or clutter.

Key Takeaways:

- Users want simple trackers that visually represent their progress without relying on numbers or streaks.

- Subtle reminders and soft visuals increase engagement without overwhelming users.

- People feel more connected to their goals when progress is tied to meaningful metaphors (e.g., a growing lotus).

IDEATE

Creating a User-Centric Design

I started with quick sketches to explore how progress could be visualized in a meaningful, calming way. The main goal was to design a tracker that users would feel emotionally connected to—one that quietly celebrates daily mindfulness without overwhelming them.

The lotus flower became the central metaphor: each meditation adds a petal, and after 7 days, the lotus fully blooms. This symbolic growth aligns with the spirit of mindfulness and offers a sense of reward through calm, visual feedback.

Steps Taken:

- Sketched early concepts of visual progress indicators rooted in nature and symbolism.

- Designed low-fidelity prototypes in Figma to test tracker placement and user flow.

- Iterated based on feedback to simplify interactions and emphasize clarity, calmness, and delight.

REFINE

Enhancing the User Experience

After testing the tracker with users, I refined both the visuals and functionality to ensure it aligned with the calm, rewarding nature of mindfulness. The design was simplified to reduce cognitive load while enhancing emotional resonance.

Special attention was given to animations, color gradients, and interactions that subtly reinforce user progress and provide intrinsic motivation—without adding pressure or distractions.

Final Steps:

- Refined the visual identity with soft gradients and nature-inspired shapes to evoke calm and continuity.

- Added gentle animations and celebratory screens (e.g., the astronaut) to make progress feel joyful and worth sharing.

- Conducted final usability testing to validate tracker placement, engagement flow, and emotional impact.

SOLUTION

A Gentle Tracker for Mindful Progress

The Lotus Tracker offers a calming and intuitive way to build mindfulness habits. By visually representing progress through the growth of a lotus flower, it transforms daily meditation into a rewarding and emotionally engaging experience.

Key Features:

- A blooming lotus animation that grows with each meditation session.

- Subtle encouragement through soft visuals and gentle feedback — no streak pressure.

- Shareable celebration screens (like an astronaut surprise) after completing challenges.

- Home screen widget and downloadable animation to keep users connected to their goals.