BevBuddy: Supporting College Student Soberity
Project Type
Mobile App Design
End-to-End Project
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Team
1 Project Manager
2 Researcher
2 Designer
My Role
UX/UI Designer
UX Researcher
Duration
10.2024 - 12.2024
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This project supports college student sobriety by transforming the recovery journey into an engaging personalized experience. It introduces a mobile platform that combines goal tracking mocktail alternatives and flexible learning tools tailored to student life. Built through UX strategy behavioral insights and iterative testing the solution reduces stigma improves accessibility and empowers users to build healthier habits at their own pace.
CONTEXT
When Sobriety Meets a Culture of Drinking
Drinking often feels like a normal part of college life. But for students trying to stay sober, weekends bring pressure and isolation. Support is hard to find, and most tools feel out of touch with student reality. What starts as a personal choice quickly turns into a daily struggle. And this isn’t rare. Alcohol is a serious issue on campus, and too many face it without the help they need.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Why Current Tools Fail Student Realities
Most sobriety tools are not designed with students in mind. They feel clinical outdated or disconnected from campus life. Without relevant support students often feel alone in their journey making it harder to stay committed and more likely to give up.
How might we help college students (18-22) in overcoming
alcohol addiction and building healthier drinking habits?
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
01. Supportive Onboarding
02. Personalized Goal Tracking HomePage
Helps users set weekly drink limits, track alcohol-free days, and view progress through clear visual summaries. Celebrates milestones with personalized reports to keep motivation high.
03. Alternative Solution
Quitting alcohol all at once can be difficult. ZeroSip encourages gradual change by offering mocktails as an enjoyable alcohol-free option to help students build healthier habits over time.
04. Educational Resources
Educational content is offered in multiple formats including videos articles and podcasts to support different learning styles and attention spans. Key resources like crisis lines and local support are surfaced for immediate help to make information both engaging and actionable.
PROCESS
PROCESS
01.RESEARCH
Uncovering What Others Missed
02.RESEARCH
Empathizing with the Needs of College Students
To uncover the real challenges students face in staying sober, surveys were conducted with 26 college students. The findings revealed that sobriety is not just a matter of personal willpower. It is shaped by external forces students encounter every day, from peer pressure to limited access to support. Understanding these barriers was essential to designing a solution that fits naturally into student life.
IDEATION
Redesign User Flow
Through internal ideation sessions, we synthesized research findings and brainstormed potential features. Using a prioritization matrix, we evaluated ideas based on user impact and feasibility. This approach helped us focus on the most relevant solutions and align the team around clear design priorities.
BevBuddy Key Features
PROTOTYPE
Wireframe To Final Solution
USER TESTING
Perfecting the User Journey
Conducted two rounds of usability testing with 10 college students to validate app flow, clarity, and accessibility.
Methods: Task-based testing, think-aloud protocol, A/B testing.
Round 1: Users successfully navigated key features but suggested clearer layout for "Support resources" on resource page.
Round 2: Focused on visual hierarchy and accessibility. 90% found the updated design clear and easy to use.
Prototype 1.0
Prototype 2.0
IMPACT
IMPACT
