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Progress Path
Clarity. Momentum. One smart step at a time.
About the App
Progress Path is a smart productivity app that helps overwhelmed high-achievers turn long-term goals into clear, doable daily steps — without burning out. Unlike generic to-do lists, it combines AI-driven suggestions with structure tailored to the user's real time, energy, and priorities. Born from personal need and refined through research, this solo project reflects my end-to-end UX thinking: from insight to interface
The Problem
In a world obsessed with goals, most tools fail at execution. They either expect users to plan like machines or vaguely “inspire” them — leaving real people overwhelmed, demotivated, and stuck. High-achieving young adults, especially those managing ADHD or burnout, need more than a checklist They need guidance — grounded, adaptive, and easy to act on.
Personal Context
I built Progress Path to solve a problem I’ve lived: as an ADHD-driven overachiever, I’ve tried every planner under the sun — and still felt paralyzed. This wasn’t just a UX exercise; it was a real attempt to fix something broken in how we approach goals. My experience gave me a lens into both the user mindset and the opportunity for better design.
Research
I conducted 1:1 interviews with 5 participants (ages 19–30) — students, freelancers, and early professionals — to understand how they pursue goals and where they fall off track. I also validated concepts with UX peers (ages 23–51), and ran informal usability tests with my partner — a CS student managing long-term projects under pressure.
I asked:
“Tell me about a personal goal or project you wanted to complete, but couldn’t stick with. What happened?”
Key patterns uncovered
Fear of failure leading to procrastination.
struggle to determine the right next step, leading to difficulty in prioritizing tasks
Lack of connection between tasks and purpose.
Motivation crashes after short bursts.
Getting stuck when tasks feel too vague or too large to tackle.
The Solution
From the outset, I defined Progress Path’s role not as a goal tracker, but as a momentum enabler. The mission was to bridge the gap between intention and action - to remove friction at the exact moment users decide what to do next. Every feature was evaluated against a single question:
Does this help the user take clear, confident action today?
That lens allowed me to strip away anything that slowed execution and focus on tools that transform vague aspirations into concrete, time-bound steps.
Core Features
AI Task Breakdown: Users often said they “don’t know where to start.” I designed an Ai-powered breakdown tool that takes vague goals and translates them into prioritized, actionable steps -both inside a To-Do list and chat format.
Smart Dashboard: Rather than a traditional list, I designed a contextual dashboard that surfaces today’s most relevant tasks, based on energy, time, and urgency - avoiding the “overwhelm paralysis” users described.
Homescreen- A central hub showing everything at a glance: AI-suggested next steps, progress toward upcoming deadlines, and a clear view of today’s plan.
Calendar- All your events in one place, plus AI-suggested ways to fill open time based on your energy levels.
Smart Aassistant- an Ai chat format for consulting any work related issue from task breakdown to motivation burnout.
A prototype of Ai powered task breakdown in a list format.
Homescreen- A central hub showing everything at a glance: AI-suggested next steps, progress toward upcoming deadlines, and a clear view of today’s plan.
Calendar- All your events in one place, plus AI-suggested ways to fill open time based on your energy levels.
Smart Aassistant- an Ai chat format for consulting any work related issue from task breakdown to motivation burnout.
A prototype of Ai powered task breakdown in a list format.
Evolution Through Critique
Early versions included emotional journaling, reflective prompts, and manual difficulty ratings for tasks - all intended to boost motivation and mindfulness, inspired by my own habits. However, user feedback revealed these features distracted rather than helped: they felt like “extra homework”, diluted focus, and added unnecessary planning work without clear payoff — creating what I call a “sushi-burger-pizza” product trying to serve too many needs at once, satisfying none fully.
This insight was a turning point. I removed anything that didn’t directly advance the core mission: helping users move forward with clarity and momentum. Cutting these features sharpened the product’s purpose, lightened the experience, and paved the way for AI-powered prioritization that highlights only the most relevant next steps.
Below are early version screenshots illustrating this evolution and how critique shaped Progress Path’s focus.
Add New Task window- gathers important information inefficiently, making the process feel like a burden instead of supporting the user.
Mindfulness main screen- intended to guide users through goal setting and time-framed reflection prompts to gain insights from past performance, but ultimately diluted the app’s focus and didn’t make the final cut.
Early Homescreen- On the right track, but not yet sharp enough to clearly guide the user’s next action.
Early Calendar- Functionally similar to other apps on the market, offering no guidance or added value.
Early ‘Smart Assistant’- heading in the right direction, but lacking the intelligence and efficiency needed to deliver real value.
Add New Task window- gathers important information inefficiently, making the process feel like a burden instead of supporting the user.
Mindfulness main screen- intended to guide users through goal setting and time-framed reflection prompts to gain insights from past performance, but ultimately diluted the app’s focus and didn’t make the final cut.
Early Homescreen- On the right track, but not yet sharp enough to clearly guide the user’s next action.
Early Calendar- Functionally similar to other apps on the market, offering no guidance or added value.
Early Calendar- Functionally similar to other apps on the market, offering no guidance or added value.
Early Homescreen- On the right track, but not yet sharp enough to clearly guide the user’s next action.
Early ‘Smart Assistant’- heading in the right direction, but lacking the intelligence and efficiency needed to deliver real value.
Outcome & Learnings
While Progress Path isn’t live yet, its potential impact can be inferred through early feedback and expected user behaviors. Key success metrics would include:
Activation Rate - The percentage of users who complete their first goal breakdown and begin taking action, indicating clarity of onboarding and core value.
Early Retention (Day 3 & 7) - How many users return to plan and follow through, reflecting engagement and product stickiness.
Goal Progress Completion - The share of long-term goals that are fully broken down and executed, serving as the clearest indicator of real-world impact.
This project taught me how to turn emotionally heavy, unstructured problems into clear, actionable UX decisions and how to design with empathy, clarity, and real constraints.
