curaJOY
AI-Driven Mental Health Platform
curaJOY
AI-Driven Mental Health Platform
Reducing onboarding time by 56% through flow optimization
Reducing onboarding time by 56% through flow optimization
Context
Context
curaJOY is a nonprofit tech organization that provides mental health support via gamification and AI.
This project aimed to streamline curaJOY’s onboarding process, making it faster, clearer, and more engaging for new users. By analyzing friction points and simplifying key steps, I redesigned the flow to help users connect with their AI coach more seamlessly, resulting in a 56% reduction in onboarding time.
curaJOY is a nonprofit tech organization that provides mental health support via gamification and AI.
The rewards system is designed to motivate users to complete structured plans, called quests, that encourage building positive behaviors and replacing negative ones.
Successful completion earns users tokens with monetary value, redeemable for gift cards. This system makes behavior tracking both engaging and rewarding, supporting users in achieving their personal growth goals.
Problem | Overly Long, Visually Inconsistent, and Repetitive Onboarding Flow
Problem | Overly Long, Visually Inconsistent, and Repetitive Onboarding Flow
curaJOY’s onboarding flow faced several usability and visual design challenges that caused confusion and user drop-off. I identified the following key problems:
The onboarding process included too many steps and repetitive screens, leading to cognitive overload and disengagement.
Users had no sense of progress; there was no step indicator showing how many stages were left to complete.
When users clicked “Next,” multiple screens overlapped, making the flow feel confusing and unstructured.
The interface design was inconsistent with curaJOY’s rebrand, still using the old green primary color.
The visuals relied on childish avatars (like a fairy godmother) that didn’t align with curaJOY’s modern, professional identity.
I saw this as an opportunity to modernize the experience, improve clarity, and integrate the AI coach directly into the onboarding process.
Below you can see the previous onboarding:
curaJOY’s onboarding flow faced several usability and visual design challenges that caused confusion and user drop-off. I identified the following key problems:
The onboarding process included too many steps and repetitive screens, leading to cognitive overload and disengagement.
Users had no sense of progress; there was no step indicator showing how many stages were left to complete.
When users clicked “Next,” multiple screens overlapped, making the flow feel confusing and unstructured.
The interface design was inconsistent with curaJOY’s rebrand, still using the old green primary color.
The visuals relied on childish avatars (like a fairy godmother) that didn’t align with curaJOY’s modern, professional identity.
I saw this as an opportunity to modernize the experience, improve clarity, and integrate the AI coach directly into the onboarding process.
Below you can see the previous onboarding:
curaJOY’s onboarding flow faced several usability and visual design challenges that caused confusion and user drop-off. I identified the following key problems:
The onboarding process included too many steps and repetitive screens, leading to cognitive overload and disengagement.
Users had no sense of progress; there was no step indicator showing how many stages were left to complete.
When users clicked “Next,” multiple screens overlapped, making the flow feel confusing and unstructured.
The interface design was inconsistent with curaJOY’s rebrand, still using the old green primary color.
The visuals relied on childish avatars (like a fairy godmother) that didn’t align with curaJOY’s modern, professional identity.
I saw this as an opportunity to modernize the experience, improve clarity, and integrate the AI coach directly into the onboarding process. Below you can see the previous onboarding:
Project Overview
Project Overview
Timeline
2-week Design Sprint
Timeline
2-week Design Sprint
Timeline
2-week Design Sprint
Team
2 UX Designer
Team
2 UX Designer
Team
2 UX Designer
Tools
Figma
Tools
Figma
Tools
Figma
↓ Keep Scrolling to See the Design Process ↓
↓ Keep Scrolling to See the Design Process ↓
Discover
Discover
Research - Competitive analysis
Research - Competitive analysis
To understand how other wellness and mental health platforms onboard new users, I conducted a competitive analysis of apps such as Calm, Headspace, and Woebot. My goal was to identify best practices in onboarding flow, visual hierarchy, and tone of communication.
Key insights included:
Progress visibility: Leading apps clearly display how many steps remain, helping users feel oriented and motivated to complete onboarding.
Personalization: Many apps ask brief, purposeful questions early on to tailor the experience without overwhelming users.
Visual consistency: Successful products maintain brand coherence from the first screen, using a cohesive color palette and illustration style that builds trust.
Friendly guidance: A calm tone, micro-interactions, and subtle animations help create a welcoming first impression and reduce cognitive load.
These insights guided my redesign decisions, ensuring curaJOY’s onboarding flow felt structured, on-brand, and emotionally engaging while helping users reach their AI coach faster.
To understand how other wellness and mental health platforms onboard new users, I conducted a competitive analysis of apps such as Calm, Headspace, and Woebot. My goal was to identify best practices in onboarding flow, visual hierarchy, and tone of communication.
Key insights included:
Progress visibility: Leading apps clearly display how many steps remain, helping users feel oriented and motivated to complete onboarding.
Personalization: Many apps ask brief, purposeful questions early on to tailor the experience without overwhelming users.
Visual consistency: Successful products maintain brand coherence from the first screen, using a cohesive color palette and illustration style that builds trust.
Friendly guidance: A calm tone, micro-interactions, and subtle animations help create a welcoming first impression and reduce cognitive load.
These insights guided my redesign decisions, ensuring curaJOY’s onboarding flow felt structured, on-brand, and emotionally engaging while helping users reach their AI coach faster.
Design Decisions
Design Decisions
- Integrating Coach Ryan (curaJOY's AI Agent) In The Onboarding
- Integrating Coach Ryan (curaJOY's AI Agent) In The Onboarding
I integrated Coach Ryan, curaJOY’s AI agent, into the onboarding flow so users meet and interact with it from the start. For example, when signing up with Google, the user’s name is prefilled and editable, leaving only fields like date of birth to complete. Coach Ryan guides users via speech bubbles, providing context and encouragement at each step, making the onboarding more conversational and personalized.
I integrated Coach Ryan, curaJOY’s AI agent, into the onboarding flow so users meet and interact with it from the start. For example, when signing up with Google, the user’s name is prefilled and editable, leaving only fields like date of birth to complete. Coach Ryan guides users via speech bubbles, providing context and encouragement at each step, making the onboarding more conversational and personalized.
Regular Sign Up
Regular Sign Up
Sign Up With Google
Sign Up With Google
- Key Actions: User Info, Goals, and Avatar Creation
- Key Actions: User Info, Goals, and Avatar Creation
I decided to focus the onboarding flow on three key steps:
1- Filling out user information
2- Understanding the user’s goals
3- Creating a personalized avatar (with an optional skip).
I added a progress indicator to show the three onboarding steps and guide users through the process. By reducing onboarding to three core actions, the process becomes fast and focused, while creating an avatar adds a fun, engaging element that encourages users to personalize their experience.
I decided to focus the onboarding flow on three key steps:
1- Filling out user information
2- Understanding the user’s goals
3- Creating a personalized avatar (with an optional skip).
I added a progress indicator to show the three onboarding steps and guide users through the process. By reducing onboarding to three core actions, the process becomes fast and focused, while creating an avatar adds a fun, engaging element that encourages users to personalize their experience.
- Parental Consent for Under-13 Users
- Parental Consent for Under-13 Users
To comply with safety and privacy requirements, the onboarding flow adapts when users select their birthdate. If a user is under 13, the information section automatically expands to collect a parent or guardian’s details. This ensures that under-13 users cannot complete onboarding or access the platform without parental approval, keeping the experience safe while maintaining a seamless flow for all users.
To comply with safety and privacy requirements, the onboarding flow adapts when users select their birthdate. If a user is under 13, the information section automatically expands to collect a parent or guardian’s details. This ensures that under-13 users cannot complete onboarding or access the platform without parental approval, keeping the experience safe while maintaining a seamless flow for all users.
Results
Results
Faster, Engaging Onboarding
Faster, Engaging Onboarding
The redesigned onboarding flow significantly improved efficiency and engagement. By reducing the process to three core actions, adding a progress indicator, and integrating Coach Ryan as a conversational guide, we achieved a 56% reduction in onboarding time. Users were able to complete onboarding faster, felt more informed throughout the process, and engaged more with the platform, especially during avatar creation. The new flow also aligned with curaJOY’s rebrand and AI-driven experience, creating a seamless, visually consistent, and user-friendly introduction to the platform.
The redesigned onboarding flow significantly improved efficiency and engagement. By reducing the process to three core actions, adding a progress indicator, and integrating Coach Ryan as a conversational guide, we achieved a 56% reduction in onboarding time. Users were able to complete onboarding faster, felt more informed throughout the process, and engaged more with the platform, especially during avatar creation. The new flow also aligned with curaJOY’s rebrand and AI-driven experience, creating a seamless, visually consistent, and user-friendly introduction to the platform.
Reflection & Takeaways
Reflection & Takeaways
Redesigning curaJOY’s onboarding showed me how focusing on just three core actions can make an experience feel fast and purposeful. Integrating Coach Ryan made me realize that AI can feel friendly and engaging when introduced thoughtfully. I loved adding the avatar; it reminded me how small playful touches can create a connection with users from the very first screen. This project reinforced that UX is about solving problems efficiently while creating moments that delight and engage users.
Redesigning curaJOY’s onboarding showed me how focusing on just three core actions can make an experience feel fast and purposeful. Integrating Coach Ryan made me realize that AI can feel friendly and engaging when introduced thoughtfully. I loved adding the avatar; it reminded me how small playful touches can create a connection with users from the very first screen. This project reinforced that UX is about solving problems efficiently while creating moments that delight and engage users.
Thank You for Reading My Case Study!
Thank You for Reading My Case Study!
Want to work with me? Feel free to contact me!
Email: faranak.vn@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faranak-vn/
Want to work with me? Feel free to contact me!
Email: faranak.vn@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faranak-vn/
