DESIGNING 0 TO 1 FOR A WELLNESS APP UTILIZING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
OVERVIEW —
The seed for Kula was planted during a conversation I had with Ben Trenda (former CEO of GoodTalk) while I was immersed in my 200-hour meditation teacher training. As we discussed technology, meditation, and community, we uncovered a significant gap in the wellness space: a need for a platform that fosters authentic connections and supports like-minded communities. This idea resonated deeply, and after pitching it to Andrew Ng’s AI Fund, we secured our first round of funding in January 2023.
PROBLEM —
Despite the abundance of digital tools, wellness communities often struggle to maintain genuine in-person connections. Whether it’s existing groups needing better tools to organize or individuals seeking their tribe, there’s a disconnect. Kula was designed to bridge this gap, creating a platform that supports established communities while making it easy for people to find and join others in shared wellness practices.
MY ROLE —
As Co-Founder and Lead Product Designer, I shaped Kula’s design and user experience from the ground up. I worked closely with the CEO in daily standups and aligned with board members and the AI Fund. I led user interviews, synthesized research, and built a design system and prototypes in Figma. I also recruited and onboarded our lead engineer and four outsourced engineers, acting as a liaison to the product manager to guide engineering tasks. I managed outsourced website and visual designers, conducted QA on all design builds before release, and oversaw Kula’s successful launch.
PHASE ONE: RESEARCHComparative Analysis
I started by researching existing companies that obtained features we believed Kula could improve. I focused on platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Mindbody because they each offered unique strengths in areas such as community-building, messaging, and event management. Instagram's success with social engagement and content sharing, WhatsApp’s user-friendly communication tools, and Mindbody's robust event booking and scheduling capabilities all presented valuable insights. By analyzing these platforms, I identified key features that could be adapted to better serve the wellness community and enhance Kula's user experience.
Interviews
I reached out to teachers, students, and others within the wellness community to conduct in-depth interviews. To guide these conversations and uncover key insights, I developed a comprehensive interview framework aimed at understanding the gaps in the marketplace.
Personas
The interviews and comparative analysis provided a foundational understanding of the target users Kula was designed to serve. Using these insights, I crafted detailed personas to ensure a clear, user-centered vision before progressing to the design phase.
PHASE TWO: USER EXPERIENCEApp Architecture
With a deep understanding of the problem at hand, I proceeded to define the app’s architecture, carefully mapping out the user flow and interactions. This process was instrumental in identifying and prioritizing the features that would require design, ensuring that each element aligned with the core user needs and business objectives.
Low Fidelity Designs
After establishing the app architecture, I transitioned to Figma to develop low-fidelity wireframes. These prototypes were used in user interviews to validate our concepts. Once finalized, I leveraged them to collaborate with the engineering team, ensuring alignment on the product's scope and technical requirements.
PHASE THREE: INTERACTION DESIGNBranding Ideation
Once the low-fidelity wireframes were finalized, I developed a color palette to enhance the app’s visual appeal. I chose a dark background to draw the user’s focus to the content, creating a more immersive and visually streamlined experience.
High FidelityVersion One
I applied the color palette to the screens and developed high-fidelity mocks for the app's build. Collaborating closely with the engineering team, we implemented the app in phases, with each feature undergoing rigorous design QA to ensure quality before preparing for the app store release.
PHASE FOUR: ITERATIONComponent Library
After shipping MVP1, I gathered valuable user feedback through interviews, which revealed that the app felt impersonal and lacked warmth. In response, I overhauled our branding guidelines and redesigned the visual elements to better reflect our mission. I also built out an extensive component library to ensure consistency across the app’s UI and streamline future iterations. This update helped create a more approachable, engaging experience that resonated with users.
High FidelityVersion Two
I implemented the updated branding guidelines into the designs, and we successfully shipped these visual changes in MVP2. Additionally, I refined existing features and introduced new ones based on user feedback. This transition from MVP1 to MVP2 resulted in a threefold increase in user retention.
User Validation
The updated user experience and interaction design were validated through a significant increase in user traction, as evidenced by the data we collected. This improvement reflected not only the effectiveness of the design changes but also a stronger alignment with user needs and preferences, reinforcing the impact of our iterative approach. The enhanced engagement highlighted how well the design resonated with our target audience.
