ACADEMIC PROJECT — 2025
Increment: Moving from half-empty to half-full
PROBLEM
Young adults are drowning in “shoulds”
Young adults navigating school, work, relationships, and personal growth simultaneously experience their progress as a series of deficits rather than achievements. They're sometimes unable to see the wins hidden in their routines. The irony? They're often accomplishing more than they realize. Without making their progress visible and celebrated, the narrate of "not enough" kind of becomes their reality.
SOLUTION
PROCESS
I'd started by researching how young adults currently track and celebrate progress…
What is the psychology behind achievement and recognition?
Synthesizing user interviews into two distinct design targets
Why current tools aren't enough (finding market-fit)
My main insight
Young adults don't need to be motivated to track wins (they already want to), but they do need better tools for recognition
USER TESTING
How does it resonate with my users?
Clinical expertise meets design: adding a Lessons tab
Finding
Sarah Simon (my psych professor with clinical experience at Mount Sinai) recommended applying Positive Affect Treatment (PAT) theory to the app. She suggested integrating lesson extraction specifically.
Impact
PAT research shows that narrative construction around experiences creates lasting positive affect (happiness!). By leveraging this, the app helps users build a personal reflection repository alongside momentary celebrations.
One-size-fits-all goal generation overwhelms already stressed users
Finding
One of my target personas (the Overwhelmed Olives) felt additional pressure from auto generated goals, viewing them as more "shoulds" added to their plate.
Impact
