Good habits are difficult to start and difficult to keep. Even the most diligent among us struggle to maintain healthy habits. According to James Clear's book, Atomic Habits, the most effective ways to start a new habit is to anchor it to an activity you do on a regular basis, an interest you're passionate about, or even another person who can keep you accountable, which he lays out in detail through four laws: make it obvious, make it easy, make it attractive, and make it satisfying.
Rooted in these ideas, our mobile app, HabitBuddy, is a visionary project made to help you start a new habit. By matching you to someone with similar goals and interests, HabitBuddy sets you both up for success and reward by giving you the means to create accountability and encourage each other as you work towards your goals. HabitBuddy makes it easy and fun to start and maintain a habit by following Clear’s four laws:
- Make it obvious. Small reminders in your routine can lead to the larger changes you want to see in your lifestyle. HabitBuddy makes your habit obvious by sending you app notifications. It also gives you the chance to contact a Buddy, who you can set up accountability with.
- Make it easy. It's always easier to do things you enjoy than things you don't. HabitBuddy makes your habit easy by helping you anchor your new habit with something you already do and enjoy. You’ll choose an activity that you enjoy doing (i.e. drinking coffee at 8am) and commit to practicing your new habit afterward (i.e. doing yoga for 30 minutes). This process of "Habit Stacking" easily embeds your new habit into your regular routine.
- Make it attractive. We tend to be drawn to community and are excited by the common interests we find with others. HabitBuddy makes your habit attractive by giving you access to a culture where your habit goals will be celebrated and encouraged. Your culture will be built on a common habit category, which matches you with a Buddy who shares your goals and interests or even already maintains your desired habit.
- Make it satisfying. We're much more eager to work hard at things that are satisfying and rewarding. HabitBuddy makes your habit satisfying by tracking your daily progress through a streak counter and showing your progress on a Habit Tracker you update. You'll also see your Buddy's progress that will encourage and inspire you both in practicing a new habit.
While other habit-tracking apps boast motivating reminders and cool scheduling features, HabitBuddy strives to help you form a personal connection, not only with an encouraging community of Buddies, but with the habit you desire to have in your life.
- Andrew Baker (andrewJamesBaker)
- Dawson Buist (Bongo9911)
- Joseph Pastuha (JoePastucha)
- Belina Sainju (zeph01)
- Nathaniel Strain (nstrain)
- Kelsey Yen (kny4)
- Design Models: Domain Model, UI Model, Deployment Model
- Presentation Materials: Design Presentation, Final Design Presentation
- Other Documentation: User Test Results
- Other Repos: Client, Service
