Product Design Case Study
Momentum had 500K downloads but users were abandoning it within days. I led a ground-up redesign that turned it into a daily ritual for 200,000+ people.
Role
Lead Designer
Timeline
12 weeks
Platform
iOS & Android
Good morning
Alex 👋
12-day streak
Best ever. Keep going!
Drink 8 glasses
Read 10 pages
Meditate
Walk 8k steps
🌱 My Streak Garden
Retention
+34%
Rating
4.7 ★
01 — Overview
Momentum is a habit tracking app with over 500K downloads on iOS and Android. Users loved the concept — but the numbers told a painful story.
77% of new users abandoned the app within the first week. The onboarding was clunky, the data screens felt like a spreadsheet, and there was zero emotional payoff for showing up every day.
I was brought in as the lead product designer to rebuild the experience from the ground up. Not just a new coat of paint — a fundamental rethink of what a habit tracker should feel like.
The problem & goal
Users didn't understand the core loop, felt no emotional connection, and the data visualization made progress feel like a chore. They came, they tried, they left.
Create an experience that turns habit tracking from a duty into a daily ritual — and measurably improve 30-day retention, onboarding completion, and app store ratings.
02 — Process
A 12-week journey through research, synthesis, iterative design, and close collaboration with engineering.
14 user interviews, 1,200+ app store reviews analyzed, 8 competitor apps audited. I went deep to understand why people quit.
Synthesized findings into 3 design principles: Make it emotional, Reduce friction, Celebrate the small.
40+ wireframes, 3 design sprints, 12 usability tests. Iterated rapidly on paper, then moved into high-fidelity Figma prototypes.
Built a design system with engineering, documented motion specs, and shipped the redesign in 2 releases with zero regressions.
03 — Craft & Decisions
Every change was backed by research and validated with users. These are the three that made the biggest difference.
The original onboarding was a 5-screen tutorial that asked users to set up complex habit schedules before they'd even experienced the value. I cut it down to 2 screens with a "Quick Start" option that lets users track their first habit in under 15 seconds.
📊 Impact
Onboarding completion jumped from 61% to 89% — and users who quick-started were 2.3× more likely to still be active after 30 days.
Before — 5 screens
After — 2 screens
The Streak Garden
Day 1
Day 5
Day 14
Day 30
Replaced cold bar charts with a living visual garden. Each habit is a plant that grows, blooms, and thrives as users stay consistent. Miss a day? The plant wilts — but it can be revived with a "3-day rescue" mercy rule.
📊 Impact
43% of daily active users visit their garden first when opening the app — making it the most-loved feature in user interviews.
Habit tracking shouldn't feel like filing taxes. I introduced confetti bursts, streak flame animations, and a weekly "wins" recap that celebrates every completed habit — no matter how small.
📊 Impact
In follow-up interviews, users used phrases like "a sense of pride" and "I don't want to break the chain."
12-day streak unlocked!
You meditated 12 days in a row. Incredible.
04 — Results
Six months after the redesign shipped, the metrics had moved in every direction that mattered.
+34%
30-day retention
up from 12.1% to 16.2%
89%
Onboarding completion
up from 61%
4.7 ★
App Store rating
up from 3.9
200K+
Monthly active users
grew 2.5× post-launch
The best habit tracker isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that makes users feel good about showing up. That insight applies to every product, in every industry.
I'm currently available for freelance projects, design partnerships, and full-time roles. Let's build something people love.
hello@alexrivera.designor find me on LinkedIn / Dribbble / X