NuVio _ Trove your Goals and Flow your Peace
From Planning to Well-Being: A Companion that Truly Understands You
A UX case Study- Written, Designed and Structured by Harshini Saravanan
Note: I tried writing this case study in the framework of StoryBrand suggested by Donald Miller in his book "Building a Story-Brand" to make it more readable and scannable to the audience
The Story Begins
Meet our hero: You, the ambitious individual juggling tasks, deadlines, and personal goals. But there's a problem—you feel overwhelmed, burnt out, and disconnected from your mental well-being.
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You needed a guide, and that's where NuVio steps in.
Problems
External
Endless to-do lists, productivity tools, and mental health apps that don’t talk to each other.
Internal
The constant feeling of burnout despite ticking off tasks.
Psychological
Productivity shouldn’t come at the cost of your mental health.
NuVio: Your Guide with Plan to Plan
We understand the struggle. NuVio isn’t just another planner—it’s your smart productivity and lifestyle companion that integrates task management with mental health insights.
Life Wheel tracking with gamified motivation
Frequent mood check-ins and Energy check-ins after every task
Tailored guidance based on how you feel
Now, Emotional Management is a tap away from You
Before using NuVio
Juggling tasks & emotions separately.
Myth of work-life balance as two chunks.
No time for self or hobbies.
Juggling tasks one after the other.
Holding sad emotions for longer.
After using NuVio
More emotionally aware in a week.
Became aware of the wheel of life, learnt to balance smarter.
Increased satisfaction with a balanced day.
Efficiently completing tasks as per the energy level.
Mindful about emotions and better management.
Research Journey
Week 1&2
- Competitor Analysis
- Trend Analysis
- Thematic Preferences
- Popular Feature
Secondary Research
Week 3&4
- Recruiting
- User Interviews
- Cultural Probes
- A day in life
Primary Research
Week 5&6
_ User Personas
- User Journey
- Affinity Mapping
- POV & HMW
Define
Week 7&8
- Brain storming
- Feature Mapping
- Dot Voting
Ideate
Week 9&10
- User Flows
- Brand Guidelines
- Low Fidelity wireframes
- Early Testing
Build
Week 11&12
- High Fidelity Prototypes
- Usability Testing
- Iterations
Design & Test
Again another Productivity app
Nope!
Started with usual competitor analysis. Analysed the competitors and got familiar with the existing productivity and mental well-being app, their merits and demerits and user reviews.
Besides all these standard procedures, I noticed something interesting​
Pattern Decoded
But one pattern stood out: Most apps focus on either productivity or mental health, rarely both.
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Productivity apps are all about structure, tasks, and deadlines—but they ignore how you feel while managing them.
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Mental health apps offer mood tracking and meditation—but they don’t help you actually get things done.
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Some have just have mood logging with productivity
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Users love them for their sleek UI or hate them for selling subscriptions.
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Ultimately, what most of them do is divert our concentration on the symptoms, leaving the causes neglected forever.
Attention Towards Our Heroes
I only realise I’m stressed when I’m already overwhelmed.
Mood tracking apps are separate from my task manager, so it’s hard to connect how my feelings impact my productivity
I don’t know whether to push through or take a step back
hit all my goals last month and still felt completely drained.
I used to love painting and journaling, but now I don’t even have time for those because my to-do list keeps screaming at me
I'm mother of 2, and have 9-6 job, Where and how to do self-care!
hit all my goals last month and still felt completely drained.
I’m juggling work deadlines, personal goals, and my mental health—but none of these apps talk to each other.
From Listening to Connecting Dots
Fragmentation Frustation
72%
Multiple apps for task management, habits and mental health
Emotion and Motivation
Mental Health Neglect
65%
Traditional productivity tools ignored their mental well-being, leading to burnout.
58%
Managing emotions mainly during stressful moments and mood swings
Hobbies & Self-care neglect
81%
Hobbies and Self-care are often sacrificed in the pursuit of productivity
Meet one of our Heroes
Persona: Yamini
Age: 39
Location: Singapore
Occupation: Senior Cyber Security Officer
Family: Mother of 2 kids
Yamini is detail-oriented, analytical, and proactive. She thrives in structured environments but values flexibility when balancing her professional and personal life. Despite her demanding job, she strives to be present for her family and maintain personal well-being.
"It's hard to find time for myself without feeling like I'm neglecting something else."
Goals
- Streamline task management to juggle work and family effectively.
- Incorporate mental wellness into daily routines.
- Foster hobbies and self-care without feeling guilty.
- Prevent burnout while maintaining high productivity levels
- Using multiple apps for task management, habit tracking, and mental health monitoring feels overwhelming.
- Traditional productivity tools often neglect emotional well-being, leading to burnout.
- Difficulty managing emotions, especially during stressful periods and mood swings.
- Sacrifices hobbies and self-care in pursuit of productivity, leading to dissatisfaction
Pain Points
- Tools that simplify and integrate multiple aspects of her life.
- Features that respect her time and offer quick, actionable insights.
- Emotional and mental health support that feels personalised and non-intrusive.
- Motivational nudges that help her stay consistent without adding pressure.
- Customizable reminders for self-care, family time, and work tasks
- Overly complicated interfaces that require too much setup
Apps that focus solely on productivity without considering mental well-being.
- Rigid tools that don’t accommodate her fluctuating schedule.
- Lack of integration between personal and professional management tools
- Notifications that feel generic or impersonal
What works well?
What didn't work well?
How they spend maximum time
Office
Chores
Fittness
Positive Affirmation
Responsibilities
Their Motivation
Paper, Pen and Pain Collaborated with musing mind
Started with brainstorming and converting it causal loop diagram to find inter-connected issues to detangle the actual causes
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Img src.: Self Clicked
Continued with ideating concepts and solutions and also conducted Dot Voting with heroes​
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Img src.: Self Clicked
Got all the feedback, concern and main pain points from heroes and did as much as ideation to solve maximum issues​
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Img src.: Self Clicked
Then moved with Wireframing
From Crazy Ideas to Fanatical Concept
This is not another digital planner, task management, or productivity app. It is an attempt to build a companion who can support and help our heroes grow, motivate, and self-connect.
Launching Screen
NuVio’s logo creatively integrates the letters "N" and "V" while symbolizing its core mission—a "New Way" to balance productivity and emotional well-being. The harmonious blend of coral and teal represents energy and calmness, reinforcing NuVio’s focus on emotional intelligence and holistic self-management.
Get started Quickly, Personalise your Experience.
More than a Mode Tracker: Your Smart Emotional & Productivity Companion
Unlike other apps that just log moods, NuVio helps you become emotionally intelligent by guiding you to understand why you feel a certain way. Through deep self-awareness tools, NuVio empowers you to:
Identify precise emotions beyond just "happy" or "sad"
Uncover the met & unmet needs behind your feelings
Link emotions with productivity & energy levels
Receive personalised action steps for emotional balance
Emotion-Driven Smart Planning
Most apps track mood, But NuVio responds to them. NuVio connects emotions, energy levels, and task efficiency over time.
Adjusts task priorities dynamically
Suggest breaks, focus modes, or alternative tasks
Predicts burnout risks and warns users in advance
Not just Productivity Adaptive Gamified Life Balance
NuVio is designed to redefine work-life balance. Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, it fosters holistic growth and harmony in daily life.
Ensures equal focus on work, hobbies, health, self-care, and relationships.
Uses visual nudges like color shifts or animations when areas are neglected
Rewards users for balanced progress, not just completing tasks
Family & Social Circles
Health
Wealth
Future and reams
Self- learning
Hobbies
Career
Self- care
Rewards
Personalised AI Productivity Coach
Instead of passive reflection, NuVio acts like a personalised AI assistant for well-being and productivity, fed with empathy data and user's patterns of feelings.
Conversational AI Check-Ins to suggest next steps based on past behaviours
Smart Nudges & Motivation based on historical patterns
Efficient & Empathetic Task Manager
NuVio offers flexible task tracking and energy-based categorization, ensuring productivity aligns with your natural flow.
Tasks are categorized based on length and energy levels, helping users align productivity with their energy cycles.
Users can choose between a checkbox (for simple completion tracking) and a dragbox (for progress updates), offering flexibility in task management.
Tasks are mapped to different life aspects, promoting a holistic planning approach beyond just work and productivity.
Engaging visuals and celebratory elements make tracking energy fun, reinforcing positive habits, reducing cognitive load
Smart Routine Builder: Craft your perfect day effortlessly
A flexible tool that lets users create personalized routines using structured activity chunks or predefined templates for productivity, wellness, and more.
Customise routines with guided or freeform activity chunks.
Ready-made routines for productivity, relaxation, and wellness.
djust and modify routines in real time.
Conclusion
NuVio isn’t just a planner—it’s a personal productivity companion that transforms chaos into clarity. By understanding the Hero’s journey and needs, we designed an app that empowers users to achieve more while feeling their best.
What did I do well?
- Identified key pain points through research.
- Designed intuitive, user-friendly interactions.
- Balanced aesthetics with functionality.
What could I improve?
- Optimise micro-interactions for a more seamless experience.
- Strengthen content hierarchy to improve readability and engagement.
- Further streamline navigation for quicker user actions.