Helping users take control of their drinking with support, data, and compassion.

Helping users take control of their drinking with support, data, and compassion.

✅ The Challenge

Young people struggling with alcohol addiction often find themselves stuck not because they’re unaware of the risks, but because stigma, lack of tailored support, and access barriers keep them from getting help.

While apps existed for sobriety tracking or drink logging, none provided a complete, safe, and empowering experience that combined education, support, therapy access, and personalised progress tracking especially for users managing coexisting mental health issues or disabilities.

We saw an opportunity to create a solution that did more than monitor intake, it could support personal growth and emotional healing too.

Young people struggling with alcohol addiction often find themselves stuck not because they’re unaware of the risks, but because stigma, lack of tailored support, and access barriers keep them from getting help.

While apps existed for sobriety tracking or drink logging, none provided a complete, safe, and empowering experience that combined education, support, therapy access, and personalised progress tracking especially for users managing coexisting mental health issues or disabilities.

We saw an opportunity to create a solution that did more than monitor intake, it could support personal growth and emotional healing too.

My Role

UI/UX designer

Interaction designer

Visual designer

Prototype

Platforms

iOS

Android

Web

Year

2024

👩‍💻 My responsibilities

As a UI/UX designer amongst other designers on the team, I was responsible for:


  1. Researching user behaviour, barriers, and emotional triggers.

  2. Designing the mobile app experience (lo-fi to hi-fi)

  3. Mapping architecture, personas, empathy, and user journeys

  4. Validating concepts through competitive analysis and user testing

As a product designer on the Paysmosmo team, I collaborated with stakeholders to:


  1. Identify and address usability issues within the existing product.


  2. Redesign the user interface for both web and mobile platforms.


  3. Integrate savings and investment features into the new design.


  4. Conduct user testing throughout the development process to ensure a seamless user experience.

🛠️ Problem Statement

How might we develop a digital solution for young people who are at risk of addiction and who want to control their alcohol consumption in order to cut back or stop using it altogether?

How might we develop a digital solution for young people who are at risk of addiction and who want to control their alcohol consumption in order to cut back or stop using it altogether?

👩‍💻 My responsibilities

As a UI/UX designer amongst other designers on the team, I was responsible for:


  1. Researching user behaviour, barriers, and emotional triggers.

  2. Designing the mobile app experience (lo-fi to hi-fi)

  3. Mapping architecture, personas, empathy, and user journeys

  4. Validating concepts through competitive analysis and user testing

As a product designer on the Paysmosmo team, I collaborated with stakeholders to:


  1. Identify and address usability issues within the existing product.


  2. Redesign the user interface for both web and mobile platforms.


  3. Integrate savings and investment features into the new design.


  4. Conduct user testing throughout the development process to ensure a seamless user experience.

🧠 Design Thinking Process

🖥️ Responsive Design

  1. Empathize:
    We conducted surveys and interviews, including with people struggling with addiction, mental health challenges, and physical disabilities. We mapped frustrations like shame, inconsistency, and lack of motivation, especially for people who had tried other apps before.


  2. Define:
    How might we help people reduce or quit alcohol in a way that feels private, supportive, and personalised without pressure or judgment?


  3. Ideate:
    We explored features like conversational AI, anonymous communities, integrated health tips, sobriety tracking, and connection to therapists and wearables.

  4. Prototype:
    We created both low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity UI mockups of the app experience, from onboarding to digital diary tracking, reminders, community features, and access to therapists.


  5. Test:
    We used scenario-based user journeys and empathy maps to simulate real challenges and validate our design decisions especially around privacy, accessibility, and emotional motivation.

🔍 Key Insights from Research

🖥️ Responsive Design

  • 82% of UK dependent drinkers weren’t receiving treatment (Public Health England, 2019).

  • Alcohol and mental health are tightly linked; many users drink to self-medicate stress, depression, or anxiety.

  • Users feared judgment, privacy breaches, or the app being “just another static tracker.”

  • There was a clear gap in solutions built for visually impaired, paraplegic, or neurodiverse users.

🧩 Solution Highlights

  1. 🧠 Conversational AI

Friendly, judgment-free support through a chatbot interface. Prompts and reminders help users reflect, log feelings, and stay motivated on their own terms.

  1. 📊 Personalised Dashboard

Users can track their sobriety journey through daily and weekly logs, set goals, and monitor improvements over time visually and privately.

  1. 🫂 Anonymous Support Community

A safe space to share struggles, victories, and questions. Anonymous profiles protect identity while encouraging real connection.

  1. 🧑‍⚕️ Therapist Access

Direct in-app access to licensed therapists for users needing more structured help,no referrals or paperwork needed.

  1. ♿ Inclusive UX for Users with Disabilities

Designed for screen readers, voice input, and cognitive ease. Empathy maps and personas helped us build a product accessible to people with physical or sensory limitations.

📊 The Results

Working prototype tested with 4 diverse personas
Working prototype tested with 4 diverse personas
Positive feedback on community feature and digital diary
Positive feedback on community feature and digital diary
Strong validation for accessibility-first design decisions
Strong validation for accessibility-first design decisions
Ready for further iteration and MVP development
Ready for further iteration and MVP development
Working prototype tested with 4 diverse personas
Positive feedback on community feature and digital diary
Strong validation for accessibility-first design decisions
Ready for further iteration and MVP development

💡 What I Learned

  • People recovering from addiction don’t just need tools, they need safety, empathy, and autonomy.

  • Building for inclusivity pushes you to design better for everyone.

  • Sobriety is personal. Apps should support, not dictate the journey.

  1. Improved Usability: Users reported a more intuitive and seamless experience, particularly with the BNPL process.


  2. Enhanced Accessibility: The responsive design allowed users to interact with the platform effectively across various devices.


  3. Increased Engagement: Integration of financial tools led to higher user engagement and satisfaction.