My Role
Product Designer - Interaction Design, Systems Thinking, Design System, Problem Validation, Usability Testing
Team
Product Founder
Product Manager
3 Front-end Developers
2 Back-end Developers
Timeline & Status
16 weeks
Overview
LeadMeNot is an accountability-driven digital wellness app designed to empower users struggling with behavioral addictions like pornography, gambling, and shopping.
Problem Statement
Users struggled to find suitable accountability options within the app, resulting in many uninstalling it in favor of alternatives. Without an accountability partner or preferring less intrusive guardrails, they felt unsupported, leading to high abandonment rates.
Outcome
The launch of this feature met with an outstanding public sentiment from the community and led to increase in view-to-install rate by 21%. Moreover, the app experienced a decrease in uninstallation rate by 31% and saw a 39% rise in its Subscriptions.
Additionally, This feature also played a major role in securing US$2000,000 in funding to support the product's mission.
HIGHLIGHTS
Fostering healthier relationships with technology with comprehensive tool that meets user's unique needs.
CONTEXT - PRODUCT
The product and its potential
New player in a $17.3B industry helping users create personalized boundaries
The global digital addiction and accountability industry is valued at $17.3 billion, with a Serviceable Available Market (SAM) of $4.3 billion dedicated to addressing pornography addictions.
LeadMeNot is a new entrant aiming to provide holistic tools to help users achieve their personal goals. My initial step was to map out the current user journey for LeadMeNot users.
Existing User Journey
Diagram
DISCOVERY
Uncovering User Challenges and Opportunities
Discovery - Opportunity Identified
Diagram
Accountability partner gaps leading to uninstalls
Feedback from users frequently highlighted the lack of an accountability partner as a primary reason for uninstalling the app, resulting in loss of potential revenue for the product.
User feedback reveals diverse recovery stages
Numerous user feedbacks and interviews revealed that individuals join the app at various stages of their recovery journey. However, the existing tools primarily catered to specific needs, such as those requiring strict oversight or those preferring gentle reminders for behavior correction.
Broadening user base with autonomous accountability
Introducing human-independent accountability was identified as a significant business opportunity, enhancing the product's appeal and effectiveness for a broader user base.
PROBLEM
Defining the problem
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Users without an accountability partner or preferring less intrusive guardrails feel unsupported and struggle to find suitable accountability options within the app.
So how do we improve our key metrics?
Decrease in Uninstallation Rate
Increase in number of Subscriptions
Signification Feature Adoption Rate
CURRENT STATE ANALYSIS
Investigating product structure and capabilities
Challenges in IA and discoverability issues
Through a comprehensive analysis of the existing Information Architecture (IA), I identified significant rigidity that hindered scalability. A critical issue was the placement of the Trigger List, a highly utilized feature allowing users to create their own triggers. This essential feature was buried under the 'You' section, resulting in low discoverability.
Additionally, the product’s accountability options were limited to human accountability, requiring users to add a partner to monitor their progress. This singular approach did not cater to users who might benefit from automated or different types of accountability mechanisms.
Existing Product Information Architecture
Diagram
Existing Product Experience
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cOMPETITIVE aNALYSIS
Scoping out the landscape
Comprehensive accountability and personalization gaps
Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of over 10 competitor and parallel products revealed a significant insight:
The majority of these products only focused on one type of accountability, whether it be self-accountability, human accountability, or automated accountability.
This narrow focus highlighted a gap in the market for a more comprehensive approach that integrates multiple accountability methods.
Great onboarding experience, helping users quickly get familiar with functionalities, and understand terminology, enabling a smooth start.
Features like an intensity slider allow users to effortlessly select varying levels of automated accountability, ensuring a quick setup.
Incomplete solutions force users to rely on multiple applications to find a combination that works, resulting in a fragmented experience.
Most products lack personalized protection, creating barriers for users who need to tailor the tool to their specific needs.
Screenshots of Competitor Products
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rESEARCH
Unpacking addiction psychology and stages of change
Recognizing unique recovery journeys and individual needs
To address the identified gap and learn about our target users' journey, I delved into various research papers, journals, and articles to understand Impulse Control Disorders (ICD), along with substance and behavioral addictions.
This comprehensive study aimed to analyze how our product fits into the recovery journey and the nuances between substance and behavioral addictions.
By learning about behavioral addictions, the distinctions between substance and behavioral addictions, and effective strategies for quitting addictions, we identified opportunities to expand the system with additional use cases.
Steps to Quit an Addiction & Common Behavioral Addictions
Diagram
VISION & GOAL
Defining the bull’s eye
VISION & GOAL
We aim to help our users overcome destructive habits by providing a comprehensive tool that meets their unique needs.
Key principles to keep in mind
Measures for Moments of Weakness
Our goal is to implement effective safeguards that keep users on track and prevent relapse during moments of vulnerability.
Human-Independent Accountability
Our primary goal is to provide human-independent accountability solution, enabling users to manage their habits without the need for a partner.
Building Lasting Change
We aim to support our users in creating and maintaining positive, lasting changes in their behaviors.
DESIGN
Imagining automated accountability v1.0
Blocker
Addressing accountability gaps
Users without an accountability partner often require stricter restrictions to avoid relapses and improve their habits. The lack of accountability can lead to frequent setbacks.
The Blocker addresses this need by providing enhanced protection, stopping users in their tracks whenever they attempt to cross their digital boundaries. This ensures they use their devices more responsibly and stay on the path to recovery.
v1.0 Designs for Blocker
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Interventions
Steering towards healthier distractions
Replacing destructive habits with healthier distractions is crucial for helping users achieve lasting change. Interventions addresses this need by redirecting users whenever they cross their digital boundaries or enter suspicious domains. This diversion guides them back to their chosen, healthier path.
For example, if a user aims to reduce frequent pornography watching and attempts to access adult content, they are redirected to a healthier alternative, such as the Bible App, helping them manage their urges more effectively.
v1.0 Designs for Interventions
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Deactivation Protection
Preventing relapses for sustained progress
The urge to revert to destructive habits is common, making it crucial to establish a robust safety net. Conversations with the founder and active users provided valuable insights into current user relapse behaviors and the safety workarounds they have discovered in the product.
The Deactivation Protection feature addresses these challenges by adding friction to the process of deactivating the Blocker. For users without an accountability partner, it introduces a cooldown period. For those with accountability partners, it implements an approval process. This dual approach ensures users are less likely to bypass protective measures and more likely to stay on track.
v1.0 Designs for Deactivation Protection
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Fail Safe
Managing false positives with emergency window and reporting for system optimization
Technology isn't always perfect, so it is crucial to consider potential false positives that might arise, preventing users from accessing their devices when needed.
For instance, a user might receive a text from their spouse about an article on sexual wellness might contain keywords that trigger the Blocker, rendering the user unable to access the article or the messaging app.
The Emergency Window feature allows users to pause the Blocker for a specific period, granting access to critical or falsely flagged content.
Additionally, the 'Report as False Positive' option on the interventions screen helps optimize the system, minimizing such occurrences.
v1.0 Designs for Emergency Window
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FEEDBACK
Collecting user and stakeholder feedback
10 usability testing sessions later
In order to get some user feedback, we arranged moderated usability testing sessions with current and target users at varying points in their recovery journey.
Triggers are hard to find
Users struggled to locate the triggers for the Blocker, making it difficult to activate default triggers or add custom triggers. A quick and easy access to the trigger list is essential for user convenience.
Preference for lower guardrails
Some users expressed a preference for less restrictive guidance. They wanted lower guardrails to help them navigate their journey without feeling completely restricted.
Ambiguity about Monitor and Blocker
Users had difficulty managing the Monitor and Blocker features effectively, with many unsure of what the Monitor entailed and how it differed from the Blocker.
Complex structure of the app
Users found the app difficult to navigate and increasingly complex, making it challenging to use effectively.
Learning from feedback
Ensuring scalability through systems thinking
Inspired by Notion's concept of building block systems, I employed systems thinking to design a scalable framework that supports future expansions.
By reconfiguring existing capabilities into new umbrella features and integrating Monitor and Blocker into a single, unified interface, this approach provided enhanced protection and streamlined, centralized control.
For instance, users can now utilize Safe Wall (formerly Deactivation Protection) not only for adjustments to their blocker settings but also for heightened protection over critical aspects like updates to Accountability Partner and Monitoring Exclusion settings.
New Scalable System Framework
Diagram
Refining visual language for enhanced accessibility and consistency
Work on the design system and the overall visual language of the product, with a focus on accessibility, was carried out in parallel with other requirements. This effort addressed accessibility issues such as small-sized buttons and poor color contrast.
This approach brought the brand’s caring and optimistic tone of voice to life through a new visual library of colorful icons, adding delightful personality and enthusiasm to the user experience. I retained the brand's essence by using primary colors similar to those in the system and implementing gradients in a more subtle manner.
Additionally, I introduced a new modular design components library to meet the needs of the rapidly growing product, allowing for personalization and variable interfaces tailored to individual users.
New Design System & Visual Library
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Enhancing clarity through simplified terms and frequent learning opportunities
To address user confusion over complex terms, I simplified the terminology, such as changing 'Triggers' to 'Rules.' Additionally, I updated the onboarding process to introduce these terms with comprehensive explanations.
This approach helped users become familiar with the terminology and functionalities from the outset, reducing confusion and enhancing their overall experience with the app.
Onboarding Updates
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Streamlining management with a central control center
'Block & Monitor' serves as a central control center that enables users to effectively manage their Blocker and Monitor features.
The new system structure allows users to create a single rule that can be applied to both blocking and monitoring, eliminating redundancy and streamlining the user experience.
New Block & Monitor
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Easing user transition into the new structure
Testing feedback prompted us to rethink feature onboarding. I implemented an introductory screen to familiarize users with new capabilities, followed by a walkthrough of the new Block & Monitor section.
This approach provides users with an overview of all key aspects of the Blocker while also acquainting them with the updated structure.
Feature Onboarding
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Simplifying access with timely and contextual enhancement
Furthermore, I streamlined the Interventions experience by switching to a list view, creating a more cohesive and seamless product experience.
Additionally, I provided quick access to Intervention configurations through a Floating Action Button (FAB) on the Block & Monitor screen. This ensures users can easily find the feature in the right context and location, helping them create healthy distractions.
Interventions
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Expanding Deactivation Protection for comprehensive protection
The enthusiastic response to Deactivation Protection during usability testing led to its expansion into a global feature called Safe Wall. This feature now protects not only the Blocker but also several other crucial components necessary for a successful journey.
Further feedback from usability testing highlighted opportunities to cater to users with lower guardrail requirements. To address this, I advocated for the introduction of another level of accountability, resulting in a more comprehensive solution.
Safe Wall
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IMPACT & LEARNINGS
Notable learnings and business outcomes
Significant impact on engagement, adoption, and funding
"Block & Monitor" feature received an exceptional response from the both active and new users.
It not only facilitated progress in key business metrics but also played a major role in securing US$200,000 in funding to support the product's mission.
4% to 25%
Increase in View-to-Install Rate
31%
Decrease in Product Abandonment
39%
Increase in Subscriptions
42%
Feature Adoption Rate
Feature Adoption Funnel over 3 months
Diagram
Balancing rapid innovation with ethical design
Immersed in a high-growth, fast-paced setting, I gained invaluable experience in driving rapid product innovation and transforming initial concepts into fully realized products.
Embracing Uncertainty
The design process often involves ambiguity and uncertainty. Being comfortable with this and maintaining flexibility allows for creative solutions to emerge from unexpected challenges.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical design practices are essential in building user trust and responsibility. Considering the ethical implications of design decisions ensures that the product aligns with moral and societal values.
