Company:
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Year:
2023
Duration:
3 Months
Overview
The Dutch Brain Foundation (Hersenstichting) developed Ommetje, an app designed to encourage daily walking as a way to support mental health. The concept—walking 20 minutes a day—proved highly successful, attracting 1.5 million users, with 400,000 engaging daily.
At Amblify, my role focused on deeply understanding the target audience’s needs and pain points by creating a detailed persona. I conducted a main flow analysis of Ommetje to identify the purpose behind each screen and ensure the app’s core health principles were preserved. Using the Lean UX Canvas framework, I prioritized a user-centric design process. Additionally, I applied Kukkonen’s design philosophy to craft purposeful and visually engaging screens. This process culminated in the development of a low-fidelity prototype, which was iteratively refined into a high-fidelity version featuring micro-interactions to enhance user engagement and experience.
Problem
While the app has a high overall user base, daily engagement is declining. The majority of active users are over 40, and we see an opportunity to increase usage among younger audiences. The goal is to explore new concepts that appeal to users aged 16 to 30 and help drive daily activity within this demographic.
Solution
To address this, I designed a user-centric experience that motivates daily walking. The app incorporates engagement techniques such as social leaderboards, streaks, gamification, health statistics, motivational facts, badges, and personalized music discovery optimized for walks—fostering a socially competitive environment. To appeal to a younger audience, the interface is clean and modern, enhanced with micro-interactions and interactive features that encourage ongoing user engagement and connection.
