ZenFlow: A Productivity & Task Manager App

From qualitative research (observations, interviews, focus group) to a zen-like planner UI that supports focus, progress awareness and gentle guidance.

Role

UI/UX Designer

Industry

Education & Academy

Duration

5 months

Stage 1. Framing the Problem

Many university students struggle to maintain concentration amid constant digital and social distractions.  This project asks: “How can a daily planner, designed as a social robot, improve concentration of students?”

Stage 2. Design Strategy

I approached ZenFlow as a quiet study companion, not another noisy productivity tool. Based on our qualitative findings from observations, interviews and focus group work, I turned thematic codes into concrete requirements (focus awareness, simplicity, collaboration, AI support, calendar integration) and used MoSCoW prioritisation to scope a lean first version.

Design from real routines: Flows follow how students actually study, weekly planning, deadlines and group work.
Reduce cognitive load: One main action per screen, clear hierarchy and a calm pastel palette.
Make focus visible: Progress rings, a dedicated focus screen and a friendly AI entry point make concentration and time spent tangible without feeling intrusive.

Stage 1. Framing the Problem

Stage 2. Design Strategy

Design from real routines: Flows follow how students actually study, weekly planning, deadlines and group work.
Reduce cognitive load: One main action per screen, clear hierarchy and a calm pastel palette.
Make focus visible: Progress rings, a dedicated focus screen and a friendly AI entry point make concentration and time spent tangible without feeling intrusive.

Weekly Focus Overview

The home screen answers “Where do I start?” with a calm weekly snapshot.

Personal/Group cards, progress rings and the date row create clear visual hierarchy, while the Personal/Group toggle and short task list use progressive disclosure to reduce cognitive load and only reveal detailed tasks when needed.

Detailed Planning View

The Tasks screen turns calendar integration and progress awareness into a calm place to plan work.

The Connect button and date row act as clear signifiers for calendar sync, so students see what’s due each day without double-planning.
Search, the Personal/Group toggle and colour-coded status chips give simple affordances and low-cognitive-load feedback on priority and progress.

Detailed Planning View

The Tasks screen turns calendar integration and progress awareness into a calm place to plan work.

The Connect button and date row act as clear signifiers for calendar sync, so students see what’s due each day without double-planning.
Search, the Personal/Group toggle and colour-coded status chips give simple affordances and low-cognitive-load feedback on priority and progress.

Guided deep-work sessions

The Focus flow turns Pomodoro sessions into a calm ritual, not just another timer.

Each session is mapped to a specific task (“What are you focusing on?”) and research-based presets reduce choice overload, while the full-screen, single-dominant timer (Prägnanz) acts as a distraction shield for deep focus.

Social-robot style guidance

ZenBot turns the “daily planner as social robot” idea into a friendly AI layer that lowers effort instead of adding complexity.

Topic chips support recognition over recall, while voice, text and presets offer multiple affordances in one simple model. The chat confirms task details and suggests next steps (e.g. set Priority, start a 45-min focus), closing the loop between planning and focusing

Outcomes & Reflections

ZenFlow turned an academic research question into a calm planner that connects tasks, calendar, Pomodoro-style focus and a social-robot-like AI in one flow.

Research as a shortcut: 32.5 hours of observation, 15 interviews and a focus group gave me evidence for decisions, instead of guessing from my own habits.
End-to-end qualitative thinking: I used thematic analysis and MoSCoW prioritisation to turn codes like focusing / distracting into concrete interaction patterns.
Designing for cognitive load: Progressive disclosure, colour-coded labels and clear signifiers (toggles, chips, timers) helped students navigate without feeling overwhelmed.
AI as social robot, not gimmick: Positioning ZenBot as a gentle companion that links planning with focus sessions taught me how to integrate AI in a supportive, explainable way.

Other projects

Robot Fleet Operations Dashboard

Designing a clear, real-time dashboard to monitor and optimize a fleet of cleaning robots for Telmekom — winner of the NOI Hackathon SFSCON 2025.

Fashion Twin: A Virtual Try On

Designing Fashion Twin, a calm virtual try-on experience that turns body and colour data into personalised Stone Island outfit suggestions, developed at the School of Innovation.

Foodiebox: A Meal Box App

Foodiebox is designed for busy people who still want to cook at home, reducing the effort of choosing meals, buying ingredients and following recipes.