Impulse
December 2024 | Problem Identification, Feature Scoping, Prototyping
My Role
UI / UX Designer — Problem identification, Feature Scoping, Research, UI Design, Prototyping
Timeline
Design handed off November 15, 2024.
Launched on December 2, 2024.
Overview
Impulse, a social accountability app, helps users achieve personal goals by sharing progress with friends and competing in weekly goal-achievement competitions.
Although I joined Impulse when it was still in its Beta (TestFlight), we had 30 daily active users (DAU) on the platform, which gave me a valuable opportunity to investigate and understand how users were interacting with the app's core features.
I owned the design strategy for Impulse's goal setting feature, and collaborated cross-functionally within a team of 5 to prototype and implement a new daily goal setting feature.
Impulse launched officially on the iOS and Android store on December 15, 2024, reaching over 300 downloads and 80 monthly active users (MAU).
Context
Impulse's Mission: Shared Goals, Shared Success
Transform Goal Setting — A Solitary Struggle to a Shared Journey
People often struggle to maintain motivation and momentum when working towards personal goals due to the lack of consistent support and accountability.
Impulse simplifies this process by connecting users with others who share similar aspirations, fostering a supportive community and increasing goal achievement rates.
Impulse Prepares for Public Launch: December 15, 2024
When I joined the team as a UI/UX Designer Intern, Impulse had already been in Beta for six months, iterating on its vision to transform goal-setting into a social and competitive experience.
With a target launch date of December 15, 2024, strategically aligned with investor milestones and the anticipated surge of New Year’s resolution users, I advocated for a deep audit of user behavior to ensure launch readiness.
Leveraging Google Analytics, I aimed to pinpoint friction points and refine the experience, ensuring Impulse’s core feature resonated with its audience.
Problem Statement
Only 10 of our 30 daily active users (DAU) interacted with the Goal Setting feature, with 60% abandoning it immediately, indicating significant user confusion and a critical problem that must be addressed before the app's official launch to ensure user adoption and overall success.
Problem Space (Goal Setting)
Beta Users Ignored Impulse's Core Feature — Here's How I Fixed It
How Google Analytics Revealed a Critical User Engagement Gap
User engagement is critical for a successful launch. My Google Analytics analysis of Impulse's Beta revealed a core problem
only 10 of our 30 daily active users (DAU) engaged with the Goal Setting feature
60% abandoned it immediately — signaling friction.
To understand why, I conducted user interviews and discovered:
The feature required too many steps to set up goals, frustrating users
1.0 User Flow for the Daily Activity Goal Setting Feature (Prior to Changes)
The Goal of Revitalizing Impulse's Goal Setting Feature
Drive user engagement and retention
Increase goal setting feature usage: boost DAU engagement with Goal Setting by 20% before official app launch.
Reduce goal creation abandonment: decrease the percentage of users who view the goal setting UI but do not create a goal from 60% to 40%.
Be user's best friend - improve user experience (UX)
Simplify Goal Creation: Reduce the number of steps required to set up a goal. This removes friction and make the process more user friendly.
Improve Feature Discvoerability: Make the Goal Setting feature more easily discoverable within the app.
Increase User Satisfaction: Achieve 4.5 out of 5 user satisfaction rating for the Goal Setting feature based on user interviews before the official launch date.
Emerging opportunities
What if simplifying goal creation could turn casual users into daily advocates?
By reducing setup steps, we could encourage habitual use and retention. Higher DAU/MAU could lead to stronger investor confidence.
What is social accountability could drive viral growth?
Integrating shareable progress updates might turn users into recruiters, lower customer acquisition costs (CAC).
From Friction to Flow: A Glimpse of the Fix
While the final design evolved through iteration, this side-by-side comparison highlights how I cut this lengthy process from 7 steps to 3.
2.0 Before/After Daily Activity User Flow
Research
Understanding the "Why" Behind the Data
From Analytics to Empathy: Uncovering Beta Users' Frustrations
It was critical to understand the why behind the low engagement with the Goal Setting feature. While Google Analytics revealed a clear problem (low adoption and high abandonment rate for the Goal Setting feature), it coudln't explain why users were disengaging. To bridge this gap, I led a mixed-methods research initiative:
Auditing Existing Feedback
Reviewed 30+ Beta user comments and interview notes, categorizing recurring themes like "too many steps" and "confusing process."
Targeted User interviews
Conducted 1:1 interviews with 5 active Beta users, focusing on their goal setting workflows and motivations.
Competitor Benchmarking:
Analyzed engagement strategies in apps like GoalsWon, Coach.me, to identify UX patterns that drive adoption.
Guided by this research, I developed design solutions that prioritized user needs and aimed to create a more intuitive and engaging Goal Setting experience."
Design Process
Design for Business Impact
Design Iteration Approach, Agile Process
I made design decisions based on direct user feedback, estimated conversion rates, and considerations for design scalability. I iterated fast with rapid feedback.
Guided by research insights, I focused on two design priorities to address the core friction points:
Simplifying the Goal Creation user flow
Nudging users to engage with the Goal Creation feature without friction
Guided by these principles, I began sketching solutions that balanced visibility with flexibility. Early concepts ranged in-app reminders to gamified prompts—but one idea stood out: a non-intrusive pop-up that gently encouraged users to set a daily goal upon opening the app.
The pop-up’s design intentionally avoided interrupting active workflows. Users could dismiss it, but it would reappear at their next session, ensuring persistent yet respectful encouragement. This approach aligned with Beta user feedback:
‘I need reminders, but I hate feeling nagged.’
— Beta User #3
3.0 User Flow for the Daily Activity Goal Setting Feature V1
Iterating Based on User Feedback
Initial testing of the pop-up revealed that the simplified flow still required too many steps, frustrating users. During follow-up usability sessions that I conducted, Beta users noted:
"Why do I need to pick a goal first, and then after input details from another screen?"
— Beta User #5
This insight drove a final iteration.
The pop-up’s design intentionally avoided interrupting active workflows. Users could dismiss it, but it would reappear at their next session, ensuring persistent yet respectful encouragement.
‘I need reminders, but I hate feeling nagged.’
— Beta User #3
3.1 User Flow for the Daily Activity Goal Setting Feature V2
Impact & Learnings
Key Outcomes:
Streamlined User Flows
Simplified the Goal Creation process by reducing redundant steps, resulting in a 35% increase in user adoption and faster task completion.
User-Centered Iterations
Challenged assumptions that users preferred staggered input with daily reminders; testing revealed the opposite. Consolidated steps based on feedback cutting the flow from 7 to 3 steps and reducing frustration by 30%.
Strategic Insights:
Agile Adaption
Prioritized iterative design based on user feedback ensured solutions stayed relevant.
Balancing Flexibility and User Feedback
While most users preferred entering required activity details upfront, the design maintains flexibility by allowing edits to activity details at any time.
Lessons Learned:
Clarity Over Complexity
Over-designed workflows (i.e.: multi-screen input processes) were a key pain point for beta users. Simplifying interactions are critical for gaining user trust.