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Designing breaks
for digital lives.
Mello

Designing breaks for digital lives.
Mello

I designed the UX for Mello, from research and ideation to

information architecture, wireframing, lo-fi and hi-fi UI.

Type: Academic Project
Industry: Healthcare & Wellness
Timeline: 6 weeks

My role: UX/UI designer

How things get built together

How things get
built together

01

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I explored how people interact with breaks in their daily routines through research and surveys, identifying a gap between awareness and action.

02

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Spending long hours on screens without taking proper breaks is quietly damaging people's physical and mental health.

03

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This problem is most commonly experienced by heavy screen users between the ages of 18 and 24 including students, young professionals and even freelancers.

04

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Users are aware of the need for breaks, but current tools lack motivation and follow through. As a result, breaks are skipped until exhaustion takes over.

Research

Research

To understand how people currently engage with breaks, I conducted a survey with 47 participants, primarily students and young professionals (18–24).

To understand how people currently engage with breaks, I conducted a survey with 47 participants, primarily students and young professionals (18–24).

What I found?

What I found?

• Most users spend 5–10 hours daily on screens, yet 91% don’t take structured breaks, they either delay them or skip them entirely.


• Over 70% reporting issues like headaches, eye strain, sleep disturbances, and many experiencing stress and reduced focus.


• While 46.8% haven’t tried any solution at all, those who did, found existing methods only moderately effective.

• Most users spend 5–10 hours daily on screens, yet 91% don’t take structured breaks, they either delay them or skip them entirely.


• Over 70% reporting issues like headaches, eye strain, sleep disturbances, and many experiencing stress and reduced focus.


• While 46.8% haven’t tried any solution at all, those who did, found existing methods only moderately effective.

Exploring screen time, break habits, and burnout through primary and secondary research. Reveals a critical gap between awareness and action.

Researching the Problem

Exploring screen time, break habits, and burnout through primary and secondary research. Reveals a critical gap between awareness and action.

Researching the Problem

Translating research into actionable design through affinity mapping, stakeholder insights, and empathy mapping, user personas, journey mapping, and wireframes to create systems that support habits and reduce friction.

From Research to UX

Pain points

Pain points

Lack of motivation or reward makes break taking feel optional.

Users skip or delay breaks despite knowing their importance.

No accountability or follow through after a reminder is dismissed.

How Might We?

How Might We?

How might we design a system that makes taking screen breaks feel easy and rewarding, so that people actually build the habit?

How might we design a system that makes taking screen breaks feel easy and rewarding, so that people actually build the habit?

Solution

Solution

Mello

Mello

It is a gamified break management app designed to help people pause intentionally.
It encourages timely, meaningful breaks that feel natural and encouraging to the user by giving the sense of personalisation.

It is a gamified break management app designed to help people pause intentionally.
It encourages timely, meaningful breaks that feel natural and encouraging to the user by giving the sense of personalisation.

Onboarding the User

Onboarding the User

Asking questions for personalised setup.

Asking questions for personalised setup.

• What should Mello call you?

• What should Mello call you?

• How old are you?

• How old are you?

• What’s your current profession or field?

• What’s your current profession or field?

• What are your working hours?

• What are your working hours?

• Are you familiar with any break management method?

• Are you familiar with any break management method?

Choosing a preset mode

Choosing a preset mode

Choose from predefined break modes to make the process faster.

Choose from predefined break modes to make the process faster.

Preset modes:

Preset modes:

• Balanced

• Balanced

• Pomodoro

• Pomodoro

• Deep focus

• Deep focus

Setting up a break manually

Setting up a break manually

For more flexibility, users can set up a break manually by choosing their own duration and preferences, which can be accessed later in the ‘Break’ section.

For more flexibility, users can set up a break manually by choosing their own duration and preferences, which can be accessed later in the ‘Break’ section.

Completing the Break

Completing the Break

Users are rewarded with tokens upon completing a break, building consistency and motivation.

These tokens then can be used to claim various prizes.

User also receive expert tips to make better use of their break time and recharge effectively.

Users are rewarded with tokens upon completing a break, building consistency and motivation.

These tokens then can be used to claim various prizes.

User also receive expert tips to make better use of their break time and recharge effectively.

Dismissing the Break

Dismissing the Break

Users can end a break early if needed, though it results in a deduction of tokens, gently discouraging incomplete breaks.

Users can end a break early if needed, though it results in a deduction of tokens, gently discouraging incomplete breaks.

Learnings & takeaways

Learnings & takeaways

  • I learned to translate research into behaviour-driven features rather than relying on assumptions.

  • I focused on designing for habit formation by combining UX with motivation and feedback systems.

  • I understood the importance of aligning UI decisions with users’ emotional experience.

  • I learned to translate research into behaviour-driven features rather than relying on assumptions.

  • I focused on designing for habit formation by combining UX with motivation and feedback systems.

  • I understood the importance of aligning UI decisions with users’ emotional experience.