Overview

WaterBreak helps individuals track and improve their daily water intake with reminders, consumption logging, and hydration insights. It also enables users to find nearby drinking fountains, rate them, and add drinking fountains.
My role
UX Designer, UX Researcher
Methods
Surveys, Comparative Audits, User Interviews, Personas, User Stories, Wire framing, Prototyping and Usability Testing
Design Toolkit
Pencil & Paper, Figma, Dovetail, Notion, Miro
Duration
July 2024 - August 2024
Project Type
Capstone Thesis Project / Solo
PROBLEM
How might we help individuals remember to drink water throughout their busy day, and support users in forming and maintaining consistent hydration habits?
dESIGN PROCESS
How did I address the problem?
DISCOVER
By conducting secondary research I determined the problem to test to solve. In the early stages, I sought to understand common barriers people face with daily hydration. The target users were busy professionals and athletics. 
RESEARCH
To gain a comprehensive understanding of user needs and market trends, I employed a mix of research methodologies. I researched hydration habits through market analysis, competitive review, and user testing. Insights revealed a mix of non-digital (timed water bottles, routines) and digital solutions (fitness trackers, smart bottles), highlighting gaps for a more intuitive tracking experience.
Comparative Analysis
Analyzing these charts helped me identify gaps in the current solutions, like the lack of drinking fountain maps, while understanding which features—such as gamification and detailed reports—are already meeting user expectations.
This gap inspired me to explore including more of a personalized hydration plan, a social element in the app where users can locate, rate, and add drinking fountains, and look into gamification.
research findings
Based on the research findings from user interviews I determined the research themes and insights.
Themes + Insights 
1. Forgetfulness and Habit Formation
2. Personalization and Flexibility in Tracking
3. Access to Nearby Water Sources
4. Social Motivation and Accountability
Target User: Busy Professionals & Athletics
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Main Paint Points
1. Forgetting to Drink Water Regularly
2. Difficulty Tracking Water Intake when doing a workout or activity
3. Limited Access to Nearby Water Sources
4. Lack of Personalization Options
I addressed users' pain points by designing key features like intuitive navigation, clear CTAs, and personalized content to streamline their experience.
Key Features 
1. Water Tracker: Water Intake, statistics, insights, log activities
2. Social Engagement: Drinking Buddies
3. Water Notifications & Reminders: Alerts for climate/temperature change
4. Personalized Recommendations
design
Mood Board 
To bridge the gap between initial sketches and mid-fidelity designs, I utilized a mood board to align visuals with user needs and project goals. The mood board served as a source of inspiration, guiding the incorporation of realistic elements such as content, buttons, and basic colors. This ensured that my designs remained user-focused while adding clarity and structure to the evolving concepts.
Style Guide
I created a style guide to ensure consistency, detailing typography, colors, and components. This streamlined the transition to high-fidelity designs while maintaining a cohesive user experience.
mid-fidelity designs
I transitioned to mid-fidelity designs in Figma, where I added detail and clarity to the initial sketches, giving them more structure and form. At this stage, I incorporated realistic elements like content, buttons, and basic colors, all informed by research and feedback from design reviews. These iterations laid the foundation for high-fidelity designs that effectively address the user’s need to seek and receive help within WaterBreak.
USABILITY TESTING
Based on various feedback from 4 participants I continually iterated my design over the span of 2 weeks - with 2 major improvements:
After multiple iterations and usability testing with four participants, I redesigned screens based on user feedback.
HIGH FIDELITY Design
I developed detailed mockups that presented the enhanced features in a refined, user-focused format.
Onboarding (Personalized Recommendations)
A central aspect of Waterbreak was designing an onboarding experience for new users. This process collects essential profile details to generate a tailored hydration plan and personalized recommendations.



Prototype
Gather profile information to provide a hydration plan and Personalized recommendations
Logging an Activity
Now, let’s dive into the second feature. The "Log Your Activity" button enables users to effortlessly add activities, ensuring they can easily find and track specific ones. These logged activities play a crucial role in personalizing the hydration plan, tailoring water intake recommendations to align with the user's lifestyle.




Prototype
Search and log Activities Quickly and efficiently
Drinking Buddies (Social Engagement)
Drinking Buddies is a social feature that makes staying hydrated more fun and engaging. Users can connect with friends, share progress, and encourage each other to meet their daily hydration goals. Whether it's celebrating milestones or sending a friendly nudge, Drinking Buddies turns hydration into a collaborative and motivating experience.




Prototype
Share progress with friends and family
FINAL SCREENS
Reflection
Lesson Learned + What I'd do differently next time.

1. Enhance early user testing for stronger feedback
2. Continuous adaptation
3. Iterative development

After completing the project, I learned the importance of enhancing early testing to gather more valuable feedback from the start, leading to more data-driven decisions. Continuous adaptation and iterative development throughout the project proved highly effective, resulting in strong overall outcomes.

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