Designing motivation: transforming Eargym into a habit‑building hearing health experience
Designing motivation: transforming Eargym into a habit‑building hearing health experience
Product design
Product design
End-to-end experience
End-to-end experience
Team & my role
I led UX research, behavioural design, and UX/UI design, partnering with the CPO, PM, and two developers to identify engagement pain points, test motivational design concepts, and deliver a more personalised, habit‑forming experience.
I led UX research, behavioural design, and UX/UI design, partnering with the CPO, PM, and two developers to identify engagement pain points, test motivational design concepts, and deliver a more personalised, habit‑forming experience.
Challenges
After initial use, users felt the training games became repetitive and less challenging. They also lacked visibility into their progress, leaving them uncertain about improvement and reducing motivation to continue regular training. As a result, engagement and retention after the first week remained lower than expected.
After initial use, users felt the training games became repetitive and less challenging. They also lacked visibility into their progress, leaving them uncertain about improvement and reducing motivation to continue regular training. As a result, engagement and retention after the first week remained lower than expected.
Impact
7‑day retention rate improved significantly following the introduction of personalised experiences and progress tracking.
Enhanced motivation through adaptive difficulty and performance feedback encouraged consistent use and deeper engagement.
Users reported feeling more accomplished and motivated to maintain their hearing training routines.
7‑day retention rate improved significantly following the introduction of personalised experiences and progress tracking.
Enhanced motivation through adaptive difficulty and performance feedback encouraged consistent use and deeper engagement.
Users reported feeling more accomplished and motivated to maintain their hearing training routines.
7‑day retention rate improved significantly following the introduction of personalised experiences and progress tracking.
Enhanced motivation through adaptive difficulty and performance feedback encouraged consistent use and deeper engagement.
Users reported feeling more accomplished and motivated to maintain their hearing training routines.
7‑day retention rate improved significantly following the introduction of personalised experiences and progress tracking.
Enhanced motivation through adaptive difficulty and performance feedback encouraged consistent use and deeper engagement.
Users reported feeling more accomplished and motivated to maintain their hearing training routines.
User feedback
"Now I open the app knowing exactly what to do next and can see my progress, it feels like my personal hearing coach!"
"Now I open the app knowing exactly what to do next and can see my progress, it feels like my personal hearing coach!"
Research insights
01 Users want to see their progress tracking
01 Users want to see their progress tracking
Situation: User interviews revealed frustration with repetitive games and a lack of visibility into progress; users felt stuck and unsure how they were progressing.
Action: We mapped routines and expectations, surfacing five core needs: seamless session resumption, game performance tracking, challenges, visual progress graphs, and personalised motivation.
Result: These insights directly informed a redesign that made progress tangible and rewarding, transforming uncertainty into sustained engagement.
Situation: User interviews revealed frustration with repetitive games and a lack of visibility into progress; users felt stuck and unsure how they were progressing.
Action: We mapped routines and expectations, surfacing five core needs: seamless session resumption, game performance tracking, challenges, visual progress graphs, and personalised motivation.
Result: These insights directly informed a redesign that made progress tangible and rewarding, transforming uncertainty into sustained engagement.
Situation: User interviews revealed frustration with repetitive games and a lack of visibility into progress; users felt stuck and unsure how they were progressing.
Action: We mapped routines and expectations, surfacing five core needs: seamless session resumption, game performance tracking, challenges, visual progress graphs, and personalised motivation.
Result: These insights directly informed a redesign that made progress tangible and rewarding, transforming uncertainty into sustained engagement.
Situation: User interviews revealed frustration with repetitive games and a lack of visibility into progress; users felt stuck and unsure how they were progressing.
Action: We mapped routines and expectations, surfacing five core needs: seamless session resumption, game performance tracking, challenges, visual progress graphs, and personalised motivation.
Result: These insights directly informed a redesign that made progress tangible and rewarding, transforming uncertainty into sustained engagement.
02 Users need clear instructions for tasks
02 Users need clear instructions for tasks
Open resource : unDraw
Situation: During usability sessions, users hesitated and waited for prompts, struggling to identify next steps without clear direction.
Action: Observations revealed a pattern; they actively scanned for visual cues but abandoned tasks when guidance was ambiguous or missing.
Result: This validated the need for explicit onboarding nudges and progressive disclosure, reducing hesitation and boosting first-session completion.
Situation: During usability sessions, users hesitated and waited for prompts, struggling to identify next steps without clear direction.
Action: Observations revealed a pattern; they actively scanned for visual cues but abandoned tasks when guidance was ambiguous or missing.
Result: This validated the need for explicit onboarding nudges and progressive disclosure, reducing hesitation and boosting first-session completion.
Situation: During usability sessions, users hesitated and waited for prompts, struggling to identify next steps without clear direction.
Action: Observations revealed a pattern; they actively scanned for visual cues but abandoned tasks when guidance was ambiguous or missing.
Result: This validated the need for explicit onboarding nudges and progressive disclosure, reducing hesitation and boosting first-session completion.
Situation: During usability sessions, users hesitated and waited for prompts, struggling to identify next steps without clear direction.
Action: Observations revealed a pattern; they actively scanned for visual cues but abandoned tasks when guidance was ambiguous or missing.
Result: This validated the need for explicit onboarding nudges and progressive disclosure, reducing hesitation and boosting first-session completion.
03 Inclusive design validated by A/B testing
03 Inclusive design validated by A/B testing
Situation: Eargym's diverse hearing health users needed accessible visuals, but preferences for text length, button size, simple language, and colours varied widely.
Action: I created high-fidelity mockups and ran A/B tests, measuring cross-demographic preferences to ensure universal accessibility.
Result: Data-driven choices made the app inclusive for all users, from those with visual impairments to casual first-timers, boosting adoption across the board.
Situation: Eargym's diverse hearing health users needed accessible visuals, but preferences for text length, button size, simple language, and colours varied widely.
Action: I created high-fidelity mockups and ran A/B tests, measuring cross-demographic preferences to ensure universal accessibility.
Result: Data-driven choices made the app inclusive for all users, from those with visual impairments to casual first-timers, boosting adoption across the board.
Situation: Eargym's diverse hearing health users needed accessible visuals, but preferences for text length, button size, simple language, and colours varied widely.
Action: I created high-fidelity mockups and ran A/B tests, measuring cross-demographic preferences to ensure universal accessibility.
Result: Data-driven choices made the app inclusive for all users, from those with visual impairments to casual first-timers, boosting adoption across the board.
Situation: Eargym's diverse hearing health users needed accessible visuals, but preferences for text length, button size, simple language, and colours varied widely.
Action: I created high-fidelity mockups and ran A/B tests, measuring cross-demographic preferences to ensure universal accessibility.
Result: Data-driven choices made the app inclusive for all users, from those with visual impairments to casual first-timers, boosting adoption across the board.
Learning
Learning
💡 Guidance reduces cognitive load
💡 Guidance reduces cognitive load
Users thrive with explicit next-step prompts, turning hearing training into an effortless habit rather than mental overhead—clear sequences prevent drop-off from decision fatigue.
Users thrive with explicit next-step prompts, turning hearing training into an effortless habit rather than mental overhead—clear sequences prevent drop-off from decision fatigue.
💡 Progress drives sustained engagement
💡 Progress drives sustained engagement
Visual progress tracking and achievement history serve as powerful motivators, providing users with tangible evidence of improvement and ownership of their hearing health journey.
Visual progress tracking and achievement history serve as powerful motivators, providing users with tangible evidence of improvement and ownership of their hearing health journey.
💡 Personalisation beats competition
💡 Personalisation beats competition
While data visualisation appeals universally, competitive leaderboards fall flat, personalised feedback creates deeper, individual motivation than public rankings ever could.
While data visualisation appeals universally, competitive leaderboards fall flat, personalised feedback creates deeper, individual motivation than public rankings ever could.
Strategy
GET Eargym users WHO start training games TO build consistent habits and stay motivated BY redesigning the dashboard with adaptive gamification, visual weekly progress, daily task nudges, clear next steps, and a personal 'Progression' tab to replace the unengaging Leaderboard.
GET Eargym users WHO start training games TO build consistent habits and stay motivated BY redesigning the dashboard with adaptive gamification, visual weekly progress, daily task nudges, clear next steps, and a personal 'Progression' tab to replace the unengaging Leaderboard.
So I …
So I …
Redesigned the dashboard to deliver three behavioural nudges that turn motivation into habit:
01 Immediate wins : Small, easy achievements build early momentum.
02 Behaviour loop : Daily task reminders create a consistent personal cycle.
03 Psychological rewards : Personal milestones and progress tracking foster accomplishment.
Replaced the ineffective Leaderboard with a 'Progression' tab showing weekly gains and next steps, making every session feel purposeful.
Redesigned the dashboard to deliver three behavioural nudges that turn motivation into habit:
01 Immediate wins : Small, easy achievements build early momentum.
02 Behaviour loop : Daily task reminders create a consistent personal cycle.
03 Psychological rewards : Personal milestones and progress tracking foster accomplishment.
Replaced the ineffective Leaderboard with a 'Progression' tab showing weekly gains and next steps, making every session feel purposeful.
Redesigned the dashboard to deliver three behavioural nudges that turn motivation into habit:
01 Immediate wins : Small, easy achievements build early momentum.
02 Behaviour loop : Daily task reminders create a consistent personal cycle.
03 Psychological rewards : Personal milestones and progress tracking foster accomplishment.
Replaced the ineffective Leaderboard with a 'Progression' tab showing weekly gains and next steps, making every session feel purposeful.
Redesigned the dashboard to deliver three behavioural nudges that turn motivation into habit:
01 Immediate wins : Small, easy achievements build early momentum.
02 Behaviour loop : Daily task reminders create a consistent personal cycle.
03 Psychological rewards : Personal milestones and progress tracking foster accomplishment.
Replaced the ineffective Leaderboard with a 'Progression' tab showing weekly gains and next steps, making every session feel purposeful.
Redesigned the dashboard to deliver three behavioural nudges that turn motivation into habit:
01 Immediate wins : Small, easy achievements build early momentum.
02 Behaviour loop : Daily task reminders create a consistent personal cycle.
03 Psychological rewards : Personal milestones and progress tracking foster accomplishment.
Replaced the ineffective Leaderboard with a 'Progression' tab showing weekly gains and next steps, making every session feel purposeful.
How
Digital hearing gym concept
Digital hearing gym concept
My thinking
Transform Eargym into a "digital gym" for hearing health—always-ready workouts (Check → Train → Track cycle) that feel motivating and fulfilling, inspired by Strava, Headspace, and Lumosity's habit loops + Atomic Habits principles.
Transform Eargym into a "digital gym" for hearing health—always-ready workouts (Check → Train → Track cycle) that feel motivating and fulfilling, inspired by Strava, Headspace, and Lumosity's habit loops + Atomic Habits principles.
Core innovations
Rule of 3s : Daily tasks limited to 3 (check, train, track) to eliminate overload.
Weekly scoring : Games earn max points; tests unlock bonuses for consistency.
Personalised paths : Onboarding survey assigns Tester/Trainer/Buyer journeys.
Gamified progression : Streaks, badges, and personal challenges replace Leaderboard.
This creates continuous momentum through small wins and clear next steps.
Rule of 3s : Daily tasks limited to 3 (check, train, track) to eliminate overload.
Weekly scoring : Games earn max points; tests unlock bonuses for consistency.
Personalised paths : Onboarding survey assigns Tester/Trainer/Buyer journeys.
Gamified progression : Streaks, badges, and personal challenges replace Leaderboard.
This creates continuous momentum through small wins and clear next steps.
Rule of 3s : Daily tasks limited to 3 (check, train, track) to eliminate overload.
Weekly scoring : Games earn max points; tests unlock bonuses for consistency.
Personalised paths : Onboarding survey assigns Tester/Trainer/Buyer journeys.
Gamified progression : Streaks, badges, and personal challenges replace Leaderboard.
This creates continuous momentum through small wins and clear next steps.
Rule of 3s : Daily tasks limited to 3 (check, train, track) to eliminate overload.
Weekly scoring : Games earn max points; tests unlock bonuses for consistency.
Personalised paths : Onboarding survey assigns Tester/Trainer/Buyer journeys.
Gamified progression : Streaks, badges, and personal challenges replace Leaderboard.
This creates continuous momentum through small wins and clear next steps.
Direct impact
😄
Personalised experience drives engagement
📈
7‑day retention improved significantly
📈
7‑day retention improved significantly
Distinct Tester/Trainer/Buyer journeys created tailored motivation, boosting completion rates and providing rich, segment‑specific data for future research and iteration.
GA shows 31% more users start free trial, with improved engagement and retention in the first five days. Usage time nearly triples.
Learnings
Learnings
Key Takeaways
Go deeper than just surface feedback
Go deeper than just surface feedback
Users fixate on visuals; guide interviews to uncover deeper experience needs and mental models.
Users fixate on visuals; guide interviews to uncover deeper experience needs and mental models.
Leaderboards don't motivate everyone
Leaderboards don't motivate everyone
Mixed responses highlight the need for personalised progression over competition.
Mixed responses highlight the need for personalised progression over competition.
Younger users (18‑35) embrace hearing health
Younger users (18‑35) embrace hearing health
Unexpected opportunity to build long‑term engagement with this demographic.
Unexpected opportunity to build long‑term engagement with this demographic.
Next: Build gamification strategy
Next: Build gamification strategy
Personal milestones and rewards can drive sustained motivation and habit formation.
Personal milestones and rewards can drive sustained motivation and habit formation.
Read more
Read more
Lego-style online CV editor
Product Development
MVP Launch
User Research (B2C)
Boosted the app's start free trial conversion rate by 31% in 4 months
Onboarding
Conversion rate
User Journey
The digital hearing health gym boosts motivation and encourages habit-forming
The digital hearing health gym boosts motivation and encourages habit-forming
Information Architecture
Information Architecture
User Research (B2C)
User Research (B2C)
UX Design
UX Design