The Brief
Brainpoints is an app that helps users generate habits to improve their wellbeing and productivity, so they can feel better and be more efficiente at work. They needed to narrow the scope of their project and create a tangible, user-friendly prototype to test..
The challenge
Turn a complex idea into a tangible, user-friendly app
Gabriela, neuropsychologist and founder of Brainpoints, needed to validate her idea for an app that helps people harness their strengths through habit formation.
Brainpoints asks users to complete simple, daily tasks explained in the app, so they can improve certain “points” of themselves (like creativity, leadership, teamwork, and lots more). The idea was for users to use the app at work, build habits of wellness and productivity, and grow into the best versions of themselves.
Their goal is to sell the app to big businesses who want to invest in the well-being and productivity of their employees. But how could they convince users, and investors, that the app was simple and worth using?
First, they needed a product to test. After talking to our friends at Litebox and Indicius, the Brainpoints team already knew that a Design Sprint was the way to go. They brought in Purple Bunny to help facilitate the Sprint, dream up solutions, and design a prototype that could help users become their most productive selves.
The solution
Narrow down the big idea and validate the product with a Design Sprint
A Design Sprint was the perfect way to start tackling this challenge. We made a plan for a two-week process that would allow for discovery, coming up with new ideas, and testing solutions. Here’s an overview of the Brainpoints Design Sprint process.
Week 1
Research and preparation
With discovery calls, expert interviews, and a UI Style Tile, we got as prepared as possible for next week's Sprint.
Discovery Calls and Expert Interviews
We met with the Founder and Head of Sales from Brainpoints, and with a potential client from a multinational company to get a better idea of how the app could help its users and their employers.
UI Style Tile
Brainpoints already had a basic brand manual with a logo, typography, and illustrations. We reviewed the brand with our fellow designers at Indicius, and decided to adjust Brainpoints' style. We filled a UI style tile with colors that transmit a sense of calm, icons that look less techie and more life-like, and illustrations that felt more human and relate better to users.
Week 2
Design Sprint
A Design Sprint has three basic stages. First, we agree on a problem worth solving. Then, we decide on a solution to try. And finally, we build a simple test to see if that solution will solve our problem. All that magic happens in just 4 days. Here's what it looked like for Brainpoints.
We started with a series of exercises to be able to find the key challenges of the project and take them on during the sprint. With these challenges in mind, we voted on a 2-year goal — our North Star throughout the week.
We also voted on the 3 Sprint questions: the key problems for which we wanted to find solutions by the end of the week. With those defined, every sprinter imagined a possible solution, and drew up a detailed sketch of how it would work
We started with a series of exercises to be able to find the key challenges of the project and take them on during the sprint. With these challenges in mind, we voted on a 2-year goal — our North Star throughout the week.
We also voted on the 3 Sprint questions: the key problems for which we wanted to find solutions by the end of the week. With those defined, every sprinter imagined a possible solution, and drew up a detailed sketch of how it would work.
Tuesday was all about deciding. Everybody voted on their favorite solutions, and the idea with the most votes was protoyped.
Our design and illustration team made their magic. In just 8 hours, we teamed up with Esmile's illustrators to create a high fidelity prototype of the Brainpoints app, ready to test the next day.
We tested the prototype with 6 potential users, and each one gave us really valuable feedback. Overall, users were excited about the prospect of using the app at work, but confused and overwhelmed by the amount of information provided in the prototype.
The result
Brainpoints validated their big idea, and got to kick off their project with user-tested data
At the end of this process, the Brainpoints team took home:
1 comprehensive Design Sprint Report with recommendations for next steps.
1 UI Style Tile with assets ready to be prototyped and developed.
Branding updates, including new icons and illustrations.
During the Design Sprint, we designed Brainpoints'’ new style, and kicked off their project with a tangible prototype. The user tests proved that there was real interest in the app, and pointed out the main issues with the prototype.
The Design Sprint Report gave a summary of each day, and organized all the data from the user tests so that it can be used to inform the app's future design. We also analyzed the data and provided recommendations for next steps, like reducing the list of "points," shortening task explanations, adding visual aids, and complementing the app with in-person wellness consulting services.
Best of all, we had a great time, and learned a lot about how harnessing our strengths through habit-building can help us lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. We hope the Brainpoints team can continue with their project soon!
