THRIVE!
ROLE Main Designer
Thrive! is a mobile app designed to help young design students manage imposter syndrome and build creative confidence.
The app combines reflective tools, creative challenges, and personalised guidance to support users through self-doubt and foster a healthier relationship with their work.
THE PROBLEM
A lot do design students struggle with imposter syndrome. Especially in university... in a cohort of honours students. My classmates and I were constantly comparing our work to each other, people online and industry-level designers. This created a cycle of self-doubt.
One thing really stood out when speaking to my classmates:
Most people felt like they were the ONLY one feeling this way.
That isolation made everything worse.
THE GOAL
Help students feel less alone
Build creative confidence over time
Feel easy and supportive to use
Fit naturally into one’s routine
Instead of creating awareness, I focused on creating something people could actually use.
USER RESEARCH FINDINGS
Interviewed 9 design students about their imposter syndrome experiences, and a few patterns came up pretty clearly.
SITE-MAP
The user findings recorded that they usually feel overwhelmed by apps that try to do too much at once. So I grouped features into four clear areas: Reflect (journaling), Spark (creative challenges), Inspire (resources), and Profile.
This reduces cognitive load, and makes navigation feel predictable.
There is also an option to not force onboarding. Giving users the option to skip the personalised quiz was important to avoid creating pressure from the first interaction.
WIREFRAMES
I simplified the layout and prioritised quick actions so users can engage with the app in small, manageable ways rather than feeling overwhelmed.
The biggest challenge was the home screen. Initially, too many features were competing for attention, which conflicted with my goal of a low-pressure experience. I resolved this by simplifying it down to the most important actions a user would take; Reflect and Inspire action buttons.
BRANDING
The name Thrive! reflects growth over time, while the muscle-inspired logo - in a shape of a ‘V’, symbolises strength and resilience. I focused on creating a confident and encouraging tone with warm and bright colours.
FEATURE PREFERENCES
CREATIVE
CHALLENGES
JOURNALING/
REFLECTION TOOLS
DESIGN ADVICE
& RESOURCES
REMINDERS OF
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
BUILDOUTS
