UX Case Study

Buddy

A study companion that helps anxious students take real breaks with a character that grows when they do.

Role: UX Research, Design & Illustration
Type: Wellness app concept (AR)
Methods: Research, persona, usability testing

Buddy screens: activities, start study session, a take-a-pause prompt, and a growing plant character

01 — Overview

Studying harder isn’t the problem. Never stopping is.

Buddy is a concept app that helps students study in healthy stretches and actually rest between them. Instead of nagging, it uses a friendly character and light AR to make breaks feel like progress.

02 — Research

Listening before designing.

We asked students how they study, when they stop, and what makes a break feel earned rather than lazy. Clustering those notes into an affinity map surfaced one theme stronger than the rest: gamification. Students didn’t want another timer they wanted something to show for the pause.

Affinity map of research notes, grouped into themes — gamification came out strongest — Research notes, clustered into themes — gamification came out strongest.

03 — Key insight

Breaks have a sweet spot.

We also asked students how long they study in one stretch. The answers revealed that student normally take between 30 minutes and 2 hours until they need a break. That range became the backbone of Buddy’s time tracker. It nudges a pause before fatigue sets in, not after.

Key statistic: 30 minutes minimum and 2 hours maximum recommended study duration before a break — The study-duration window that drives the time tracker.

04 — Persona

Meet Kerstin, the anxious perfectionist.

Those findings converged on one person. Kerstin is the student Buddy is built for: driven, hard on herself, and quick to skip breaks when exams loom. She wants to do well, but pushing without pause leaves her stressed and burnt out.

Persona: Kerstin Wolf, the anxious perfectionist — goals, frustrations, and behaviours — Kerstin Wolf: the student behind every design decision.

I don’t preplan, so it piles up and I always forget to take a break.

05 — Challenges

Four problems worth designing around.

The brief had real tension in it: help students manage exam related anxiety, make an AR experience that’s genuinely friendly to use, create a character people connect with emotionally, and hardest of all convince users to break the habit of pushing through without rest.

Four challenges: user awareness, technology integration, content creation, and existing habits — The four challenges that shaped the design.

06 — Technical components

Two systems the whole experience leans on.

One of our biggest challenges was integrating the two main technical components, as they were essential to shaping the overall user experience. We also had to ensure that users could trust the app, enabling them to build a consistent routine and structure around it

The two technical components behind Buddy: the study-time tracker and the AR character — The two technical components behind the study loop.

07 — The design

Make resting feel like growing.

Through a series of simple, illustrated instructions, users are guided through the app's core concept and main functions. The onboarding process proposes a way to create a study routine, choosing stress relieving activities, and having a personal growth chart through an AR plant.

Buddy screen: choosing a plant from a shelf of four, with a note that pauses help it grow — Choose your plant — the habit gets a face.

Buddy screen: swiping through break activity cards — walk, stretch, dance, yoga — Break activities — pick the pause that suits you.

AR mode: the grown plant placed on the floor through the phone camera — AR mode — growth you can walk around.

08 — Testing

What students actually felt.

Participants explored the BUDdy app and provided insights into their overall experience, including their reactions to the AR feature characters this feedback helped us identify strengths and areas for improvement.

15

Uni students
Face to face / online
5

Days

“Interactions feel lifeless without any haptic feedback.”

User testing quotes about illustrations, haptic feedback, and intuitive layout — Testing feedback — the good, and the clear next step.

09 — Takeaway

Through this project I learned a lot about the UX process. I really enjoyed researching and getting the chance to interview people and create an experience based on real user feedback. Along with learning more in depth about the UX process, I also gained new experience managing a team and coworking with programmers. Also, since we were a small team with a limited skill set I learned new skills as we needed. Such as 3D modeling, but our small skillset prevented us from creating more of a unique experience. I wish we could’ve made a better AR experience.