type:
role:
design tools:
figma, procreate, pen and paper
self-initiated
product designer, research,
product manager
noura
Health in your hands. Wellness
made simple — for thousands
and counting
How Noura was Created
In the early days of the pandemic, I found myself spending nearly every hour at the same desk
— attending virtual classes, working remote internships, and trying to maintain some sense of
routine within the four walls of my room. What began as a temporary shift slowly turned into a
lifestyle that blurred the lines between work and rest, productivity and well-being.
We were glued to our screens — for school, internships, binging YouTube, or simply trying to
keep ourselves entertained while the world outside kept changing. I noticed the toll it was taking:
skipped meals, days without movement, and a kind of mental fatigue that didn’t go away with
sleep. Friends and classmates echoed the same — we were online all the time, but
disconnected from ourselves. Structure was gone, and with it, the small daily habits that used to anchor us.
Noura was born out of that moment. It started as a personal need — a simple, intentional way to
bring balance back into the day. Over time, it evolved into a product designed to help others do
the same: move a little more, breathe a little deeper, and reclaim a sense of rhythm in a time
when everything felt off-beat.
What is Noura?
Noura is a minimalist, user-centric wellness web app designed to help remote workers
and students sustain healthy daily habits while managing the blurred lines between work, life, and
wellness. Built with intention during the peak of remote work culture, Noura empowers users to
create structure through personalized nudges, behavior-driven habit tracking, and a
Pomodoro-style productivity timer. The platform leverages human-centered design principles to
reduce friction and encourage consistent engagement.
Who is Noura For?
We identified two primary user personas through empathy mapping and early-stage discovery interviews:
Maya, 22, College Student
Bio: A senior majoring in psychology, Maya attends remote lectures, juggles
freelance work, and often forgets to eat until 3 PM. She’s optimistic but
overwhelmed, and wants structure without feeling boxed in.
"When I’m studying, I want to stay on track and take healthy breaks so I don’t burn out.”
Frustrations: Finds most wellness apps overwhelming or too “high effort.”
Needs: Simple UI, lightweight onboarding, high personalization.
Jason, 28, Remote Software Engineer
Bio: Jason works at a mid-sized tech startup from his apartment.
He’s health-conscious but constantly pulled into meetings. He has a standing desk but
still finds himself slouching or skipping breaks.
“I need quick nudges to stay balanced while juggling work demands.”
Frustrations: App fatigue from feature-bloated tools.
Needs: Fast load times, seamless UX, cross-platform consistency.
Figuring Out What to Build for Our Audience
We conducted lean user research, including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys,
with 500 users recruited from universities and Discord communities. Using affinity mapping and
persona validation, we surfaced high-priority pain points.
Top feature requests: customizable reminders, hydration tracking, Pomodoro timer, habit streaks,
reminders to stretch or walk, promote ways to get away from the desk
Common user pain points: low motivation, decision fatigue, screen burnout
We synthesized insights using a user journey map and opportunity solution tree to align user
needs with business goals. This shaped our MVP feature set and guided roadmap prioritization.
Problem Statement, Research, & Metrics
Remote work and online learning environments have significantly impacted health
and behavior. We validated this through mixed-method research:
"I always forget to drink water or stretch until my body starts to ache."
"I want to keep good habits, but work always takes priority and I lose track."
Key metrics from our survey of 500 users:
78% skip breaks during deep work
71% struggle with habit consistency
64% want automated nudges to stay on track
59% are unfamiliar with Pomodoro but open to trying it
We triangulated these findings with external data
(CompariTech, Harvard Health, National Health Survey) to strengthen our problem framing
and define our problem space.
Goal & Success Metrics
We defined clear north star metrics and supporting KPIs during the planning phase:
Engagement Proxy: % of users expressing intent to adopt daily habits (71%)
Reminder Receptivity: % who said habit nudges would help (64%)
Adoption Forecasting: % interested in structured timers (59%)
Feature Demand: % selecting top 3 habits (Water 82%, Stretching 66%, Breathing 58%)
These metrics informed our hypothesis-driven development and served as
benchmarks for product-market fit indicators.
Product Strategy & Prioritization
Our MVP was designed with an outcome-oriented approach.
We used the MoSCoW framework and a RICE scoring model to prioritize functionality based on
impact, confidence, and effort.
Pre-set Habits — High-impact baseline for onboarding users quickly.
Custom Habits — Enables flexibility and self-determined behavior loops.
Timers with Trackers — Supports feedback loops and behavior reinforcement.
Focus Timer — A cognitive scaffold that encourages deep work.
Prioritization framework:
Must-Have: Core habits, timers, notifications
Should-Have: Custom creation, Pomodoro logic
Could-Have: Analytics, streaks (backlogged)
Won’t-Have (yet): Mobile experience, social integrations
High-Fidelity Figma Wireframe
Execution & Collaboration
As the sole PM and product designer, I managed end-to-end delivery, from ideation to implementation:
Product stack: Figma, Notion, GitHub, Vercel, MongoDB, React
Agile delivery: Organized sprints and stand-ups with a lean dev team
Cross-functional alignment: Maintained backlog grooming, scoped user stories, and ran retrospectives
Iteration & Learnings
We applied usability testing and A/B micro-adjustments to iterate on core flows.
Key insights:
“Pomodoro” confused users → renamed to “Focus” (language simplification)
Too many break options → consolidated into a single duration input
CTA hierarchy unclear → reorganized button layout for cognitive clarity
Shipped a working MVP within 8 weeks. Emphasized scrappy execution, test-and-learn loops,
and user-centered iteration.
Next Steps
Our product roadmap is designed to maximize user retention, drive habit consistency, and expand channel reach:
Full Running Mobile App: Improve accessibility with React Native or Expo
Habit Dashboard: Insights + weekly behavior analytics
Gamification Layer: Visual progress, badges, streak incentives
Social Features: Peer challenges, shared goals, community uplift
Chrome Extension: In-browser integrations for real-time nudging
Account System: Onboarding funnel, saved preferences, and multi-device sync
Our vision is to evolve Noura into a behavioral design-driven platform that enhances daily life through
intentional design and lightweight habit-forming systems.
