ShiftFocus, End-to-End Mobile App

Case Study

Overview

An end-to-end mobile app offering Pomodoro-inspired productivity hacks tailored specifically to the needs of people with ADHD and executive functioning challenges

Role

UX/UI Designer

Timeline

3 weeks

User Research

Logo Design

Branding

Prototyping

Wireframing

Problem

As someone with ADHD, I’ve personally experienced how difficult it can be to manage time, initiate tasks, and maintain focus. While tools like the Pomodoro method have helped me in small ways, I often find them rigid, unengaging, or hard to stick with consistently. Existing productivity apps tend to prioritize structure over flexibility, and few are built with neurodivergent users in mind.

This project aims to design an inclusive, Pomodoro-inspired productivity app tailored to people with ADHD and executive functioning challenges. By incorporating features like gentle reminders, white noise, and progress tracking, the app encourages sustained focus while reducing overwhelm. At its core, the goal is to explore how intentional, user-centered UX design can empower neurodivergent users to build focus habits, feel in control of their time, and celebrate progress along the way.

Research

The goal of my research was to understand the current market of productivity and Pomodoro-based apps—what they do well, where they fall short, and whether there was space to introduce something more tailored for neurodivergent users. While I recognized early on that the market is saturated with focus timers, I wanted to explore how this app could meaningfully differentiate itself.

Key research questions included:

  • What features do existing apps offer, and how user-friendly are they for neurodivergent individuals?

  • Where do users still struggle when it comes to staying focused or completing tasks?

  • What emotional or functional needs are going unmet?

To answer these questions, I used the following research methods:

  • Competitive Analysis – to identify gaps and opportunities in the current market

  • User Interviews – to gather real-world insights from individuals with ADHD

  • User Personas – to synthesize themes and behaviors into visual design references

  • POV & HMW Statements – to reframe user needs into design opportunities

Competitive Analysis

To better understand the current landscape, I analyzed three apps in the productivity and wellness space: Pomofocus, Flocus, and Headspace. Each app was selected to reflect a different angle—functionality, aesthetics, and emotional support—that could inform the direction of this project.

Pomofocus

Strengths: Pomofocus ranks highly in search results and is often a first stop for users seeking a basic timer. Its distraction-free interface is its greatest strength.

Weakness: It lacks personalization, accessibility options, and any wellness-oriented features, which can make it feel impersonal or mechanical for neurodivergent users.

Strengths: Flocus offers an aesthetically-pleasing experience, with calming UI design, built-in to-do lists, and motivational quotes.

Weakness: Despite scratching the surface of self-care, the app can feel rigid in its layout and lacks deeper customization options or accessibility features.

Flocus

Headspace

Strengths: While not a direct competitor, Headspace plays an important role in the wellness space. It makes meditation practices accessible, and offers a grounding experience for its users through its tone, and celebration of small wins.

Weakness: The app lacks strong incentives for daily engagement—making it easy for users to forget about it rather than becoming a consistent part of their routine.

Key Insights

By analyzing these three apps, I identified a clear opportunity to create a more emotionally supportive, customizable, and ADHD-friendly productivity tool—one that bridges focus, flexibility, and self-compassion. This app will fill this gap by offering a highly customizable focus system tailored to neurodivergent users, integrating features like progress tracking, gentle encouragement, and wellness tools—all within a calming, low-pressure interface that supports both task completion and emotional well-being.

User Interviews

To better understand how neurodivergent users approach productivity, I interviewed 6 individuals—primarily remote workers between the ages of 25–35—with ADHD or similar executive functioning challenges. The goal of the interviews was to see how they manage task prioritization, what tools they use, what pain points they face, and also identify any emotional or motivational barriers to productivity.

“Starting is the hardest part. I’ll literally sit on the couch thinking about doing the task instead of doing it.”

Key Insights

Task Prioritization is Inconsistent

Most users reacted to immediate stimuli (e.g., Slack, email) rather than proactive planning and many created to-do lists but rarely followed them through.

Focus Strategies Are Unreliable

Users tried changing environments, exercising, or body doubling, but these weren't always sustainable or consistent.

Distractions Are Constant

Phone notifications and social media were common culprits and some users said boredom or anxiety from difficult tasks also led them to disengage.

Emotional Toll of Disorganization

Many expressed guilt or shame about not being productive enough, especially when comparing themselves to coworkers.

Ideal Support System

A few users suggested a system that could adapt to their energy levels, while others emphasized the need for apps that celebrate small wins and offer encouragement throughout the day.

User Personas

After conducting user interviews, I developed user personas that reflected common patterns in behavior, needs, and challenges among individuals with ADHD. These personas gave a face to the motivations, frustrations, and goals this app aims to address. By referring back to these personas throughout the project, I was able to design with greater empathy and intentionality. One example is explored below:

Meet Nathan

Nathan (25) is an engineer with ADHD who often struggles to start tasks that feel open-ended or lack clear structure. He needs tools that help him stay motivated during long stretches of independent work.

A productivity app that blocks distractions, tracks deadlines, and provides small dopamine boosts—like visual progress indicators or satisfying check-off moments—would help Nathan stay focused and reduce procrastination.

Research Synthesis

After conducting and analyzing user interviews, key patterns emerged around difficulty initiating tasks, frequent distractions, and feelings of guilt tied to perceived lack of productivity. Many users shared that they struggle with unclear priorities, often procrastinate due to overwhelm, and crave more structure and positive reinforcement.

These insights were used in the creation of Point of View (POV) and How Might We (HMW) statements, and helped to reframe user challenges into actionable design opportunities.

POV

As someone with executive dysfunction, I need help starting tasks because I often feel overwhelmed or uncertain where to begin.

HMW

Motivate and support users through task initiation?

POV

As a remote worker, I need structure because I tend to procrastinate or get easily distracted without a clear workflow.

HMW

Provide a distraction-free system that encourages focus?

POV

As someone with ADHD, I need organizational support because my disorganization creates additional stress and feelings of shame.

HMW

Offer judgement-free support and organizational assistance to reduce cognitive load? 

Design

The design phase centered around a core question:

How might we help users with ADHD gain clarity and focus—without feeling overwhelmed?

This guided every step—from imagining how a user might start their day with a simple to-do list, to designing wireframes that made that experience feel effortless and focused. Each screen was intentionally stripped of distraction, offering just enough structure to support momentum without pressure. Branding followed suit, with calm tones and gentle messaging designed to feel like a breath of fresh air.

As the wireframes evolved into high-fidelity screens, usability testing brought the experience to life—highlighting what felt intuitive and what needed refining. In the end, this wasn’t just about building a productivity app; it was about creating a space that felt empowering, forgiving, and grounded—something users could return to without shame or stress.

Feature Prioritization

Each feature in ShiftFocus was selected to reduce cognitive overload and support executive functioning challenges, particularly for users with ADHD. The features are organized by priority level, reflecting both core functionality and opportunities to surprise and delight.

Must Have

These features form the foundation of the app, supporting productivity, task initiation, and emotional regulation.

  • Pomodoro Timer — To break work into focused time with built-in rest periods to support scalable productivity and sustained attention.

  • To-Do List — To set task intentions clearly, and provide a serotonin boost when checking off completed tasks.

  • Mute Notifications — Built-in “Do Not Disturb” mode to block distractions from phone calls, texts, and other apps.

Nice to Have

These features enhance personalization and help users structure their day more holistically.

  • Progress Bar — A visual representation of task completion to boost motivation and a sense of accomplishment.

  • Alarm Clock — A morning trigger that encourages users to open the app, set intentions, and begin the day with structure.

  • Calendar Integration — Sync tasks and reminders with external calendars for a more cohesive planning experience.

Surprise & Delight

These emotionally supportive touches enhance the user experience by helping users self-regulate and recover from moments of overwhelm.

  • White Noise — Optional background audio to support focus and relaxation.

  • Breathing Exercises — Guided breathwork to regulate nervous system activity during breaks or stressful moments.

  • "I’m Stuck" / "Quit Early" Button — A safety valve for when users hit a wall—offering options to shorten or revise the task list without guilt.

User Flows

People with ADHD often struggle with memory recall, prioritization, and task initiation. This user flow was designed to ease that friction. A morning alarm prompts users to open the ShiftFocus app and review, edit, or reorder their daily tasks. Once the to-do list feels right, the app offers a gentle nudge to begin a focus session, helping users move from intention to action with less resistance and more confidence.

Mapping out this experience meant turning insights from user interviews into intentional design choices. Many users described starting their day feeling scattered, guilty, or already behind—so the goal became creating a gentle morning ritual that offered clarity instead of chaos.

This flow helped define which screens needed to be wireframed, ensuring that each one worked together to transform overwhelm into structure and support.

Branding

The branding process for Shift Focus was grounded in empathy and intentionality, designed to resonate with users who experience ADHD and executive functioning challenges.

Brand Name

The name Shift Focus reflects a common ADHD experience: frequent shifts in attention. Instead of viewing this as a flaw, the name reframes it as an opportunity—to gently redirect focus with intention.

The name begins with an italicized ‘Shift,’ to symbolize forward movement and a bolded ‘Focus,’ for attention.

Shift Focus emphasizes a compassionate approach to productivity: helping users move away from frustration and self-judgment, and toward clarity, self-acceptance, and progress. The goal is to support users in working with their brains, not against them.

Logo Design

The logo was inspired by an arrow and forward direction. The arrow symbolizes a pathway to progress. It also resembles a chevron or play button, which commonly suggest a new screen or piece of information will appear. In this instance, this symbol signals that the user is ready to tackle the next task on their to-do list, whilst having the support of Shift Focus to guide them.

Mood Board

This mood board presents a calming, nature-inspired color scheme designed to reflect the values and emotional goals of the app. The palette is dominated by rich and varied greens, which evoke growth, calmness, and organic flow.

The mood is tranquil yet energizing—perfect for users who need support managing ADHD and executive functioning challenges. The photos inspired the color scheme which was designed to reduce overwhelm and invite users into a space that feels both structured and gentle.

Typography

To support users with ADHD and executive functioning challenges, Shift Focus prioritizes clarity, accessibility, and visual comfort. I chose Atkinson Hyperlegible for headlines and UI elements due to its high readability, which supports fast scanning. For body text, I paired it with Montserrat, which also ensures legibility without visual clutter. Together, these fonts balance function and form—enhancing user focus, reducing cognitive load, and making the app feel both friendly and easy to navigate.

Low Fidelity Wireframes

The wireframes include a Task list, Pomodoro timer, and built-in breathing exercise tool.

These screens were chosen because they represent the most essential features of the app—task management, time-blocked focus, and emotional regulation—all core needs identified during user research.

Prioritizing these helped ensure the foundation of the app addressed the primary challenges users with ADHD face: getting started, staying focused, and managing overwhelm. Designing these key flows early on helped clarify how different features would interact, and allowed for more targeted feedback during usability testing.

The decision to design a mobile app was also intentional. Its portability allows users to stay anchored throughout the day, whether they’re transitioning between tasks or recovering from a moment of distraction. Incorporating an alarm also ensures the app can integrate into a user’s morning routine, reinforcing structure from the very start of their day.

High Fidelity Wireframes

The wireframes shown are the core features of the ShiftFocus app:

  • A customizable task list

  • Pomodoro timer

  • Breathing tool

In addition, there is a mantra generator, profile, and wellness page.

These screens were chosen because they represent the heart of ShiftFocus—tools that directly address the daily challenges faced by users with ADHD.

The task list, Pomodoro timer, and breathing tool form the foundation for productivity, focus, and self-regulation, while the mantra generator, profile, and wellness page support emotional wellbeing and motivation.

Together, they reflect a balance of structure and compassion. Designing these core features first helped validate the overall tone, functionality, and accessibility of the app, ensuring the experience was both intuitive and genuinely supportive.

Usability Testing

To see how ShiftFocus performed in the real world, I ran usability testing with five participants. Each person interacted with the app’s core features—offering a glimpse into what felt intuitive, and what needed refinement. Their feedback gave rich insight into how to better support users with ADHD in moments of decision-making, overwhelm, and focus.

  • Visuals felt calming and approachable
    Users consistently described the layout as “clear,” “easy to follow,” and “not overwhelming”—a critical win for users prone to cognitive overload.

  • Focus timer was well-received
    Users found the Pomodoro-style timer straightforward and liked the clear start/stop interaction.

  • Profile page and navigation were intuitive
    Most users found their way around the app with little or no guidance.

What Worked

  • Adding and saving tasks was unclear
    Several suggested including a prominent plus (+) button to make adding new tasks more intuitive. Others recommended clearly highlighting or labeling recently added tasks to provide better feedback and confirmation.

  • “I’m Stuck” button caused confusion
    While the intent resonated, users didn’t know what to expect when they tapped it, “Will the timer stop?” and the prototyping presented some issues with the screen being cut off.

    Breathing exercise felt abrupt
    Though helpful, users said the transition into the breathing tool was too sudden.

What Didn’t

  • Navigation was smooth, with minimal confusion across key screens

  • User satisfaction averaged 4.4/5, signaling strong alignment with needs

  • Feedback from these tests directly shaped the next iteration, turning rough edges into moments of reassurance and clarity

Overall Outcome

Revisions

One thing I learned in this process is that the longer you sit with a design, the more you start to notice what needs refining. After conducting usability testing, I revisited my designs with fresh eyes—carefully considering user feedback and my own instincts.

Although users described the layout as “clear” and “easy to follow,” the color scheme felt dark and uninspiring upon further review. This lack of vibrancy risked making the app feel stale, potentially reducing stickiness and lowering the motivation to engage consistently.

To address this, I refreshed the UI to feel more fluid, vibrant, and dynamic—moving away from the flat, muted aesthetic of the original. The brand color still features a linear gradient, but now incorporates blue tones to evoke water, motion, and calm energy.

Select Call-Outs

To reduce confusion and streamline task interactions, I replaced the small ‘Edit’ button with distinct plus (+) and pencil (edit) icons. This change prompted me to think more deeply about the implications of an edit button and clarify its intended behavior. Naturally, users might expect that tapping it would allow them to either remove a task or mark it as complete, therefore I added this step to my design.

To address the confusion when clicking the 'Im stuck button’ I added a calming dialogue box instead of abruptly directing the user to the Wellnes page without context. The dialogue lets users know the timer has paused, offers reassurance, and clearly guides them to the next step: a short breathing exercise to reset and refocus.

The original breathing tool felt abrupt and visually incomplete, which disrupted the calming experience it was meant to provide. I redesigned the screen with a more polished layout (right) and introduced smoother animations to create a gentler, more immersive transition that better supported moments of rest and reset.

Final Thoughts

One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of focus—not just for users, but for me as a designer. It was tempting to include every possible feature, but narrowing the scope helped me deliver something more cohesive and meaningful. I learned to trust that small, intentional details often make the biggest impact. Additionally, by designing with empathy and staying grounded in real user feedback, my designs felt like something that could be not just useful, but also supportive.

Looking ahead, I’d love to:

  • Expand the prototype to support different task types and focus modes, to reflect the many ways people work.

  • Revisit the Wellness page and dig deeper into what emotional support tools are most helpful.