HBG Self-Esteem - High-Fidelity Revamp
A UX case for Helsingborgs stad focused on redesigning a self-esteem support app for young adults by reducing cognitive overload, clarifying feedback, and strengthening the gamified experience.
Problem
The original group prototype for a self-esteem support app caused major cognitive overload for young adults struggling with low self-esteem, performance anxiety, and procrastination. A cluttered two-column layout, confusing text-heavy content, and missing confirmation feedback made the experience hard to understand and trust.
Solution
Redesigned the concept into a focused high-fidelity prototype with a clean single-column dashboard, stronger visual hierarchy, more macro-whitespace, interactive hover states, and toast confirmations. The confusing 'Boost' page was removed, while the appreciated gamified challenge-map structure was kept and strengthened.
Role
Worked in a team on the initial research, ideation, and mid-fidelity concept for Helsingborgs stad, then individually led the final UI revamp and high-fidelity prototyping. My contribution included translating testing insights into UI decisions, building a Figma design system from Helsingborgs stad's graphic profile, and improving WCAG contrast compliance across key flows.
Outcomes
The final prototype became a more accessible, intuitive, and engaging concept that removed the earlier cognitive overload and better supported the app's step-by-step confidence-building goal. The redesign successfully balanced a formal municipal identity with a supportive and motivating gamified experience for vulnerable young adults.
Lessons Learned
- Removing features can improve the product more than adding new ones when the core flow is getting buried.
- Gamification only works when the surrounding interface is calm enough for users to understand the system quickly.
- System feedback like confirmations and hover states is essential for confidence, especially in support-focused products.
- A municipality brand can still feel warm and motivating when translated carefully into digital UI components.