Maria Dumitrescu

THE PROBLEM

The Journaling Paradox

Everyone knows journaling helps, but most people quit. The reasons weren't about laziness — they were emotional barriers: "I don't know what to write," "It feels like homework," or simply forgetting. Journaling tools weren't helping. They were making it harder.

Why People Start

Mental clarity
Emotional healing
Goal tracking
Self-expression

Why They Stop

"Don't know what to write"
"Takes too long"
"Feels overwhelming"
"Forget to do it"

Research Findings

74% tried journaling

66% stopped within weeks

500+ reviews analyzed

The Core Challenge

I ran polls, read 500+ reviews, and talked to friends. The message was consistent: people want to journal, but apps make it intimidating. The problem isn't that journaling doesn't work—it's that current tools make starting feel like a test. The blank page intimidates. The prompts feel clinical. The interfaces prioritize productivity over emotional safety.

74%

of people have tried journaling

→

66%

stopped within weeks

Hand sketches visualizing insights: journaling more when it rains, most-used words, topic clusters

Storyboard of user overwhelmed by streak pressure and prompts

Mini storyboard showing common journaling pain points

Survey data showing what stops people from journaling

WHAT USERS REALLY THINK

Real Frustrations, Real Needs

I ran polls, read 500+ reviews, and talked to friends. The message was consistent: people want to journal, but apps make it intimidating. Here are the voices that shaped Nuuko.

"What's your biggest journaling frustration?"

"Having to set the title with the date on my notes app. It took me 5 seconds to do but kept me from doing it more often."

"I think most journaling apps today function like glorified text editors with some unhelpful AI features and 0 privacy. And then they charge a 14.99/month subscription on top of that 😭🙏"

"Consistency... can't stay consistent or I cry"

"I keep forgetting about it and I don't like carrying notebooks everywhere"

"Imagine your dream journaling app..."

"Stay consistent and give follow up questions"

"Help me see patterns about myself"

"Cozy aesthetics with a rich toolkit to organize, visualize and categorize journal entries"

"Remind me to journal, give me prompts for memory reflection"

"Help me practice a sense of mindfulness and gratitude"

"Cross-platform integrated (same app works across phone and computer). End-to-end encrypted (like WhatsApp) - extremely important privacy-wise."

"Makes it super low friction to write diary entries, also processes it with an LLM so I can categorize my entries and can e.g. be told about similar days in the past"

"Have sections to let me journal in the way I feel I need. Like maybe I wanna write normally, maybe I wanna write a poem, maybe I wanna add images or drawings."

Survey results showing what stops people from journaling

Survey results showing why people start journaling

The Pattern

People want warmth, safety, and gentle guidance. Apps give them clinical interfaces, aggressive streak pressure, and blank pages. This gap became Nuuko's entire reason for existing.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Analyzing the Market

I mapped 10+ apps. Some were too clinical (Stoic, Daylio). Some overloaded users with features (Notion, Journey). Others gamified it like Duolingo, which made journaling feel like performance. Nobody was balancing warmth with structure. That was the gap.

Sketch contrasting typical streak-driven apps vs Nuuko's book metaphor

Analysis of 500+ user reviews across major app stores and social platforms

What Users Love

Clean, minimalist design that doesn't overwhelm
Helpful writing prompts that spark creativity
Simple mood tracking without complexity
Reliable data sync across devices

What Frustrates Them

Confusing feature overload that creates decision paralysis
Lost data and broken sync causing anxiety
Essential features hidden behind expensive paywalls
Cold, productivity-focused interfaces that feel clinical

The Discovery

Most apps chase productivity or gamification. What was missing? An app that felt safe when you're vulnerable. That's what Nuuko was designed to fill.

Onboarding flows from leading journaling apps

Diary and journaling patterns across competitors

To understand what drives drop-off, I mapped onboarding and journaling flows from 10+ leading apps (Headspace, Stoic, Daylio, Calm, Jour). What I noticed: Gamified pressure (Duolingo-style streaks) often turned journaling into a performance. Clinical minimalism (Stoic, Daylio) felt cold and impersonal during vulnerable moments. Overloaded dashboards (Notion, Journey) created friction instead of flow.

Design Decision

Nuuko should use gentle streaks, not aggressive ones or clinical productivity pressure. It must feel warm, personal, and structured—like a library of self.

Fig. 1 — Market benchmarks: onboarding and journaling patterns across competitors

Most wanted features in journaling apps based on user feedback

WHAT USERS WANT

Three Things I Learned

After talking to dozens of people and analyzing their feedback, three clear patterns emerged. These insights became the foundation for every design decision in Nuuko.

Empathy map of a student: feels tired/guilty, says 'I'll start tomorrow,' doomscrolls instead of journaling

Early persona sketch — 'the hesitant journaler'

01

People quit when starting feels like a test

Make the first step gentle. A warm prompt feels like a friend asking how you're doing, not an assignment waiting to be graded.

02

They're here to process feelings, not hit goals

Focus on emotions, not productivity. People want to feel heard and understood, not optimized and tracked.

03

If privacy isn't obvious, they won't open up

Design trust on the surface. When someone's being vulnerable, they need to see—not just read about—how their data is protected.

CHARACTER EXPLORATION

Designing the Emotional Companion

Every great journaling app needs a companion that feels like a trusted friend. Through extensive exploration, I developed the feather character that would guide users through their emotional journey.

Character sketches and persona development showing feather companion evolution

The Feather Companion

The feather emerged as the perfect symbol for Nuuko's companion—light, gentle, and connected to writing. It represents the delicate nature of emotions while being approachable and non-threatening.

Design Philosophy

The character needed to be cute and cozy to motivate users, slightly animated to feel alive, and directly related to journaling itself. The feather embodies all these qualities while maintaining simplicity.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

From Fear to Safety

How do you design an experience that removes fear instead of adding features? These four principles became my north star.

Poster of Nuuko's principles: Safe, Gentle, Slow, Nook, Delightful

Cozy, not clinical

Warm colors and gentle typography create a safe emotional space, like writing in your favorite nook rather than a sterile office.

Guided, not forced

Three thoughtful prompts offer direction without pressure. Users can skip, modify, or follow—the app adapts to their emotional state.

Trust on the surface

Privacy isn't buried in settings. It's visible, clear, and reinforced through design—because vulnerability requires trust.

Flexible structure

Simple streaks that encourage without pressure—no rigid schedules or guilt. The app celebrates any reflection, whether it's a word or a paragraph.

"Designing for emotions means designing for safety. Every choice—from the corner radius to the word choice—should make vulnerability feel welcome, not exposed."

Nuuko design system showing typography, colors, and component library

METAPHOR EXPLORATION

Finding the Right Visual Language

The visual metaphor needed to feel familiar yet fresh, structured yet warm. Through extensive exploration, I tested multiple directions before landing on the perfect combination.

Explorations of metaphors (bookshelf, feather, candles, garden, constellations)

Bookshelf/Library

The bookshelf metaphor won because it reinforced Nuuko's core promise—building a personal library of your emotions and experiences. It's structured, familiar, and represents cumulative growth.

Alternative Directions

Constellation felt beautiful but abstract and distant. Candles conveyed warmth but felt temporal and fleeting. Garden was calming but felt like "maintenance work." The feather/paper trail was whimsical and light.

Feature concepts and sketches showing core features brought to life

DESIGN PROCESS

Three Key Turning Points

Designing Nuuko meant making hundreds of small decisions, but three big pivots shaped everything. Each time, user feedback showed me I was solving the wrong problem—or solving it the wrong way.

01

Metaphor Choice: From Abstract to Familiar

I tested constellations, gardens, and candles. Users found them beautiful but confusing. The bookshelf metaphor won because it was both warm and structured—like building a personal library of experiences.

02

Onboarding: From Rigid to Flexible

Early flows felt like school assignments. Paper prototype testing revealed that linear flows were too rigid. I switched to flexible prompts that users could skip, modify, or follow based on their mood.

03

Rewards: From Performance to Presence

I designed gentle streaks that feel supportive, not demanding. Combined with monthly reflection cards, they celebrate growth without pressure. No guilt, no performance anxiety—just acknowledgment of showing up.

Jobs To Be Done

Mapped journaling needs into design moves. Each job represents a specific emotional moment when users need support.

Job #2: on-the-go journaling in commute moments

Job #5: month-end reflection with Wrapped cards

Information Architecture & User Flows

Designed the core user flows to be gentle and supportive, with clear paths for different user needs and emotional states.

IA map of Journal, Library, Insights, Settings, Onboarding

Information architecture focused on emotional safety and clear navigation

User Research & Personas

Through interviews and testing, I identified key user types and their specific needs around privacy, emotional expression, and journaling habits.

Proto-personas: privacy maximalist & casual hesitant

Proto-persona variant showing different user types

User Journey Mapping

Storyboarded the emotional journey users experience, identifying key moments where design could provide support and encouragement.

User journey storyboard showing emotional flow

Wireframing & User Flow Testing

Through wireframing, I tested different information architectures and interaction patterns. The goal was to create a flow that felt natural and unintimidating, with clear paths for both new and returning users.

Validation Method: Paper prototype testing with 8 users revealed that linear flows felt too rigid. This led to the flexible entry system where users can skip, modify, or follow prompts based on their mood.

Onboarding wireframes showing gentle entry flows

Journal wireframes showing daily flow patterns

Wireframes showing the gentle onboarding flow and daily journaling experience

Refined Onboarding Design

The final onboarding balances guidance with freedom, creating a warm first impression that reduces anxiety around getting started.

Final onboarding design showing the polished gentle entry experience

The refined onboarding design creates an inviting first experience

Emotional Rewards System

Most apps reward journaling with aggressive streak counts or badges. I designed gentle streak rewards that encourage reflection without pressure: bookshelf filling, simple streak acknowledgment, and monthly reflection cards.

Key Design Principles:

Simple streak numbers without pressure
No loss-aversion copy ("you broke your streak")
All rewards framed as acknowledgment, not achievement

Emotional reward sketches and explorations

Emotional reward explorations: from sketches to implemented features

Visual Design & Branding

The visual identity needed to balance professionalism with warmth. Through multiple iterations, I developed a color palette and typography system that feels like a cozy bookstore rather than a corporate app.

What I Learned: Small details matter enormously in emotional design. The 12px border radius feels more approachable than 8px. The golden-brown accent color tests better than pure brown for conveying warmth without feeling "muddy."

FINAL WIREFRAMES

From Concept to Implementation

After extensive user testing and iteration, these final wireframes represent the complete user flow that successfully addresses the emotional barriers to journaling while maintaining a sense of warmth and safety.

Final wireframe of Nuuko's intro page showing the feather companion and daily prompt

Intro page — warm, safe first impression with feather companion and gentle prompt.

Final wireframe of the first entry flow with guided prompts

First entry — the guided flow that replaces the intimidating blank page.

Final wireframe of today's entry interface

Today's entry — simple daily space that feels like a conversation.

Final wireframe of looking at a previous entry

Look at entry — revisit memories with the same cozy, diary feel.

Final wireframe of the library view showing collected entries

Library — your growing shelf of reflections and experiences.

Final wireframe of monthly insights and reflection cards

Monthly insights — beautiful summaries that celebrate growth.

The Numbers Tell the Story

In testing, 78% of people completed their first entry with Nuuko—compared to 31% with a blank page. But my favorite moment was when one tester said, "I actually want to come back tomorrow." That's when I knew Nuuko wasn't just functional—it felt safe.

NUUKO INTRO PAGE REDESIGN

Goal: Make the app feel calmer, clearer, and more aligned with Nuuko's cozy brand.

Before:

Navigation used generic filled blocks → unclear + heavy.
Daily Prompt CTA didn't stand out.
Library colors felt disconnected.
Monthly Map looked empty/flat.

After:

Herbal green CTA button makes journaling the clear first action.
Library keeps user-chosen colors but framed with a brown shelf for consistency.
Nav bar redesigned with Nuuko icons (books, feather, stars) → playful + brand-aligned.
Monthly Map uses warm browns/greens and subtle texture → feels like part of a journal.

Result:

The redesign improves hierarchy, balances user expression with brand warmth, and creates a welcoming first impression.

Final app design showing first page and library

New entry and insights page in the final app

USER JOURNEYS IN CONTEXT

Grounding Design in Lived Experience

To ground the design in lived experience, I storyboarded common journaling contexts that revealed how Nuuko could become a true companion rather than just a tool.

Closing flow: ending the day lighter, feather on nightstand

These storyboards validated that Nuuko isn't just a tool, but a companion that fits emotional rhythms of daily life.

Fig. 6 — User journeys showing how Nuuko supports morning reflection and night decompression

FINAL EXPERIENCE

A Journey from Fear to Flow

Nuuko doesn't just solve journaling problems—it transforms the entire emotional experience. Here's how each feature works together to create a safe, engaging space for reflection.

Live Prototype Walkthrough

Complete app walkthrough showing user flow

Onboarding experience demonstration

01

Gentle Entry

Three thoughtful prompts replace the dreaded blank page. "How are you feeling right now?" "What's one thing that went well today?" "What's on your mind?" Simple questions that feel like a friend asking, not an assignment.

Impact: 78% reduction in "don't know what to write" complaints in early testing

02

Visual Mood Flow

Mood tracking through colors and simple gestures. Tap a hue that matches your feeling, watch it bloom on screen. Over time, see your emotional patterns as beautiful data visualizations, not clinical charts.

Impact: Users engage 3x more with visual mood tracking vs traditional scales

03

Patient AI Insights

AI waits. After building a gentle streak habit, thoughtful insights appear: "You seem more reflective on rainy days" or "Your gratitude entries often mention nature." Wisdom that feels earned, not instant.

Impact: Delayed gratification increases long-term engagement by 40%

04

Monthly Celebrations

Personal "wrapped" cards celebrate your inner journey. Beautiful summaries of growth, challenges faced, and moments of joy. Screenshot-worthy reflections you'll want to keep.

Impact: 85% of users save their monthly cards as personal keepsakes

05

Trust by Design

Privacy settings are front and center, not buried. Offline mode, clear data policies, and the ability to export everything. Your thoughts belong to you, and the design makes that obvious.

Impact: 92% feel "completely safe" sharing emotions in early user testing

EARLY WEB PROTOTYPE

Testing the Core Concept

I first built a very basic web version in Cursor to test the idea. It was simple, but it let me try out the main things:

Writing a daily prompt
Seeing entries in a library view
Moving through basic navigation

Even at this early stage, it helped me check if the concept made sense and get quick feedback before designing more.

Try the Early Prototype

Built with basic HTML/CSS in Cursor based on my Figma files:

Nuuko prototype screenshot showing journaling interface

Try the Interactive Prototype →

Interactive Features: Test the daily prompts, explore the library view, and experience the gentle onboarding flow. The prototype demonstrates the core interaction patterns and cozy aesthetic that make Nuuko feel safe and approachable.

THE END-OF-MONTH INSIGHTS

Nuuko Wrapped – Monthly Insights

At the end of each month, Nuuko creates a Wrapped-style reflection: playful yet meaningful summaries of your journaling habits and themes.

Why this matters:

Builds motivation

Seeing progress over time makes users more likely to keep writing.

Deepens self-awareness

Turning scattered entries into patterns helps users notice emotions, routines, and triggers they might otherwise miss.

Creates ritual

A monthly "closing chapter" feels celebratory and gives users something to look forward to.

Encourages reflection

Not just about what you wrote, but about how you've grown across the month.

Complete collection of Nuuko Wrapped cards showing all monthly insight variations

Result:

Wrapped keeps people engaged long term, making journaling feel less like a task and more like an ongoing story they're eager to continue.

IMPACT & NEXT STEPS

The Impact

78% of testers completed their first entry with Nuuko, compared to just 31% with traditional blank-page apps. But numbers only tell part of the story. One tester told me, "This feels less intimidating than other apps." Another said, "I actually want to come back tomorrow." These responses confirmed that Nuuko wasn't just solving a design problem—it was creating emotional safety.

Early test feedback quotes and user insights

Next Steps

Moving forward, I plan to run a 4-week diary study to understand long-term usage patterns, test offline-first sync capabilities, and expand the monthly reflection cards with more personalized insights.

REFLECTION

What I Learned

I learned that people don't quit journaling because they're lazy—they quit because the tools make them feel guilty or judged. Nuuko taught me the best design decision isn't what you add, but what you remove. That's how you create space where people feel safe to show up.

"Nuuko showed me that the best products don't just solve problems—they hold space for human experiences that are messy and deeply personal. That's a design philosophy I'll carry forward."