Business Challenge: Structuring Access to Content

One of the biggest challenges was organizing the vast library of content in a way that felt intuitive and helpful for new meditators. To solve this, we introduced a three-tab navigation at the top of the screen:

Explore: A personalized landing space where users can track their progress, browse content via categories and filters, and receive suggestions based on their onboarding choices.
Learn: A curated section focused on deepening the practice, including post-course content series, refresher modules, and in-depth educational resources.
Guidance: A repository of ongoing support — tips, Q&As, and answers to frequently asked questions — designed for quick access whenever users need help with their practice.

This structure aimed to make the content more accessible, relevant, and supportive, depending on where users were in their post-TM journey.

Positive reinforcements and progress tracking

To encourage continued engagement, we introduced positive reinforcement screens after users completed a piece of content, celebrating their progress and prompting them to keep going. We also implemented progress tracking features, including visual progress bars and completion checkmarks, to provide a clear sense of achievement and momentum throughout the journey.

Progress tracking UI

This is an example of my conceptual approach to visual design, where aesthetics are grounded in meaning. I designed a custom UI overlay element to indicate progress and completion, inspired by the ocean wave — a metaphor that resonates deeply with the experience of Transcendental Meditation. Just as a wave moves from the surface into the depths of the ocean, the design symbolizes the shift from surface-level consciousness to deeper states during meditation. It also represents the progressive deepening of knowledge as users complete more content and advance in their understanding.

We conducted user testing on this visual treatment and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Users found the wave metaphor intuitive, calming, and closely aligned with their experience of TM, validating both its functional clarity and emotional resonance.

Iterating other app’s core features

Over several months, we continuously improved key features of the app based on user research and NPS feedback.
These iterative enhancements focused on increasing engagement, community connection, and habit formation:
For the Timer, we introduced a real-time count of how many people were meditating simultaneously — a simple but powerful way to reinforce a sense of shared practice and community.
In the Events tab, we redesigned the group meditation list with a new UI, adding clear time labels, a live countdown to each session, and a featured section to highlight the most recent or relevant online event.
In the Profile section, we added a meditation streak tracker and a calendar view to help users visualize their consistency — turning meditation into a tangible habit and motivating regular practice.

Bridging Brand and Product Through Visual Language

In addition to the core product design work, I had the opportunity to shape both the illustration style and UI system of the app — ensuring a cohesive visual experience that bridges branding and product.

The illustration style reflects the soft, pastel color palette of the brand, while maintaining a vibrant and uplifting tone. Conceptually, the illustrations were designed to evoke a sense of journey, using metaphors aligned with the principles of Transcendental Meditation.

The UI system was crafted to feel warm, approachable, and human. To achieve this, I softened sharp edges and corners, creating an inviting visual language that balances personality with clarity. At every stage, we ensured the interface remained accessible and easy to navigate, without compromising on visual identity.

Some of the custom components designed for the UI Kit

Outcomes & Impact

Within the first month of launch, engagement with the Library feature increased by 22.6%, highlighting the effectiveness of the redesign in making content more accessible and engaging. The regularity of meditation also improved, rising from 57% to over 60%, as users responded positively to the added structure and motivational features.

Over a six-month period, user retention rose from 54% to 56%, while app stickiness remained strong at around 46%, indicating a high level of sustained user engagement.

Additionally, the refreshed branding, vibrant color palette, and custom illustrations received consistent praise from users, contributing to the app’s rating increase from 4.7 to 4.9, and reinforcing the impact of a cohesive and emotionally resonant design system.

In 2021, during the pandemic, the world faced not only Covid-19 but also a significant issue with people's mental health. In the midst of this, I had the opportunity to start working for a meditation app focused on Transcendental Meditation, a practice with a long history.

Case Study: Library Feature Redesign

Business Challenge: Structuring Access to Content

One of the biggest challenges was organizing the vast library of content in a way that felt intuitive and helpful for new meditators. To solve this, we introduced a three-tab navigation at the top of the screen:

Explore: A personalized landing space where users can track their progress, browse content via categories and filters, and receive suggestions based on their onboarding choices.
Learn: A curated section focused on deepening the practice, including post-course content series, refresher modules, and in-depth educational resources.
Guidance: A repository of ongoing support — tips, Q&As, and answers to frequently asked questions — designed for quick access whenever users need help with their practice.

This structure aimed to make the content more accessible, relevant, and supportive, depending on where users were in their post-TM journey.

Positive reinforcements and progress tracking

To encourage continued engagement, we introduced positive reinforcement screens after users completed a piece of content, celebrating their progress and prompting them to keep going. We also implemented progress tracking features, including visual progress bars and completion checkmarks, to provide a clear sense of achievement and momentum throughout the journey.

Progress tracking UI

This is an example of my conceptual approach to visual design, where aesthetics are grounded in meaning. I designed a custom UI overlay element to indicate progress and completion, inspired by the ocean wave — a metaphor that resonates deeply with the experience of Transcendental Meditation. Just as a wave moves from the surface into the depths of the ocean, the design symbolizes the shift from surface-level consciousness to deeper states during meditation. It also represents the progressive deepening of knowledge as users complete more content and advance in their understanding.

We conducted user testing on this visual treatment and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Users found the wave metaphor intuitive, calming, and closely aligned with their experience of TM, validating both its functional clarity and emotional resonance.

Iterating other app’s core features

Over several months, we continuously improved key features of the app based on user research and NPS feedback.
These iterative enhancements focused on increasing engagement, community connection, and habit formation:
For the Timer, we introduced a real-time count of how many people were meditating simultaneously — a simple but powerful way to reinforce a sense of shared practice and community.
In the Events tab, we redesigned the group meditation list with a new UI, adding clear time labels, a live countdown to each session, and a featured section to highlight the most recent or relevant online event.
In the Profile section, we added a meditation streak tracker and a calendar view to help users visualize their consistency — turning meditation into a tangible habit and motivating regular practice.

Bridging Brand and Product Through Visual Language

In addition to the core product design work, I had the opportunity to shape both the illustration style and UI system of the app — ensuring a cohesive visual experience that bridges branding and product.

The illustration style reflects the soft, pastel color palette of the brand, while maintaining a vibrant and uplifting tone. Conceptually, the illustrations were designed to evoke a sense of journey, using metaphors aligned with the principles of Transcendental Meditation.

The UI system was crafted to feel warm, approachable, and human. To achieve this, I softened sharp edges and corners, creating an inviting visual language that balances personality with clarity. At every stage, we ensured the interface remained accessible and easy to navigate, without compromising on visual identity.

Some of the custom components designed for the UI Kit

Outcomes & Impact

Within the first month of launch, engagement with the Library feature increased by 22.6%, highlighting the effectiveness of the redesign in making content more accessible and engaging. The regularity of meditation also improved, rising from 57% to over 60%, as users responded positively to the added structure and motivational features.

Over a six-month period, user retention rose from 54% to 56%, while app stickiness remained strong at around 46%, indicating a high level of sustained user engagement.

Additionally, the refreshed branding, vibrant color palette, and custom illustrations received consistent praise from users, contributing to the app’s rating increase from 4.7 to 4.9, and reinforcing the impact of a cohesive and emotionally resonant design system.