VapeEscape: Designing an app to help people quit vaping
Overview
Vaping has surged among New Zealand’s youth, with many non-smokers, particularly aged 15-24, becoming addicted to nicotine. Despite initiatives to curb smoking, there is a clear gap in tailored support for quitting vaping, which often contains higher nicotine levels than cigarettes.
I designed VapeEscape, a mobile app aimed at helping young people quit vaping. Using the Design Thinking methodology, I iteratively refined the app’s features through user feedback. The app offers personalised progress tracking, community support, educational resources, and motivational rewards to assist users through their quitting journey.
Each iteration of VapeEscape focused on improving user engagement, addressing both mental and physical challenges during nicotine withdrawal. By blending practical tools with a user-friendly interface, VapeEscape provides a comprehensive and supportive solution to help New Zealand’s youth quit vaping for good.
Please note that this product is not in the market.
Project breakdown
Product Vision
VapeEscape is designed to help young New Zealanders aged 15-24 break free from nicotine addiction caused by vaping.
With personalised tracking, community support, and educational resources, the app empowers users on their journey to quit for good.
By filling the gap in tailored solutions for vaping cessation, VapeEscape offers an accessible, comprehensive tool to promote long-term health and well-being.
Scope
Goal: Design a mobile app prototype to help 15-24-year-olds quit vaping.
Key Features: Educational resources, community forums, progress tracking, motivational rewards, and a quitting process hub.
Timeline: 3-week sprint.
Limitations: Limited user testing due to time constraints. Post-release, I would continue testing and iteration.
Role
Product Designer
UX design
UI design
User research
Copy writer
Project timeline
Project timeline
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Understanding & research
Problem & solution definition
Ideation
User testing
Design & Prototyping
Ideation (pt.2)
Research to empathise and understand
Personal Journey: My experience quitting vaping revealed a lack of support compared to quitting smoking. Vaping’s higher nicotine content made withdrawal mentally and physically challenging.
Research Insights: Through research, I found that vaping addiction is rising, particularly among New Zealand’s youth. Users struggle with health concerns, high costs, and breaking societal pressures.
Interviews: I interviewed others struggling with nicotine addiction, uncovering shared challenges such as withdrawal and mental health impacts.
Defining the problem and solution
Core problem: Many young New Zealanders (ages 15-24) struggle to quit vaping, despite recognising its harmful effects.
Challenge: Vaping’s higher nicotine content creates strong dependence and withdrawal challenges, with few effective support options available.
Gap in Solutions: Existing apps lack comprehensive features to help users quit vaping successfully.
Solution: My app will offer a tailored approach with personalised tracking and support to provide the necessary tools for long-term success in quitting.
Strategy and design ideation
Inspiration: I drew inspiration from health apps, exploring user dashboards, and journeys, and engaging UI elements to guide ideation for quitting vaping.
Key Features: Brainstorming led to two essential features—personalised trackers and support/resources, influenced by proven quitting methods.
User Journey: I mapped the user flow, focusing on personalisation during onboarding to embed engagement from the start of the journey.
Design Style: Keywords like “freedom” and “health” inspired the clean, fresh design, with a colour palette grounded in colour theory.
Prototyping features and testing
To focus on the app’s core functionality, I started by designing the most critical page—the user dashboard. Once I refined the design style and ensured it aligned with user needs, I extended this cohesive style across the rest of the app, ensuring consistency and a smooth user experience.
Testing and iteration
What I did:
As part of the design process, I interviewed people with nicotine addiction and conducted initial usability tests with peers struggling with vaping addiction.
This feedback played a role in refining the user experience. Rather than focusing solely on detailed test results, the process involved multiple iterations based on key insights:
Visual Friendliness: Early tests highlighted a need for more engaging visuals. I introduced character graphics and refined the typography for improved readability.
Information Hierarchy: Users preferred to see key tracking data immediately upon opening the app, so I restructured the dashboard to prioritise critical metrics like progress tracking.
Tracker Clarity: To align more closely with user habits, I adjusted the tracking system from “liquid avoided” to “vapes avoided,” creating a clearer, more relatable metric.
Dark Mode: Feedback from younger users led to the implementation of a dark mode, enhancing accessibility for nighttime usage.
What next:
While these tests provided valuable insights, further steps are necessary to ensure comprehensive usability and continued development of the product:
Extensive Usability Testing: To conduct broader tests with a diverse group of 15 users from the target demographic (ages 15-24) to capture a range of experiences.
Rapid Iteration: After gathering feedback, I’d implement swift adjustments to optimise the app’s user experience.
Data-Driven Refinements: A combination of qualitative insights and quantitative data, gathered through A/B testing, will inform future improvements.
This iterative approach ensures that the final product is functional and fully aligned with user needs, reinforcing a user-centric design process.
