A behavioral

product to delay

caffeine and

turn hesitation

A behavioral product to delay
caffeine and turn hesitation into habit

into habit

Academic Project

16 weeks

Jan 2024

Role: Product Designer

Impact

Results from Usability Testing

Tasks per Test

Major Issues

Success Rate

91%

Context

Most people reach for coffee the moment they wake up but it's not giving them the energy they expect

Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy. Right after waking, adenosine levels are naturally low, which means coffee’s effects are minimal. Research shows that waiting about 90 minutes before your first cup can make caffeine noticeably more effective.

The challenge is that morning routines are deeply ingrained and hard to change.

Lock-Cup is my solution. It is a mobile app paired with a smart coffee machine that stays locked for 90 minutes after waking. The product focuses on support, not restriction. Through small nudges like personalized drink recipes, progress tracking, and gentle reminders, Lock-Cup helps users build a healthier morning rhythm while keeping coffee as a daily joy.

The challenge is that morning routines are deeply ingrained and hard to change.

Challenge

How might we help users delay their first cup of coffee without making it feel like a punishment?

The core concept was intentionally bold: lock the coffee machine for the first 90 minutes of the day. Instead of framing this as deprivation, Lock-Cup turns the wait into an opportunity. It offers energizing drink alternatives, visual progress tracking, and small daily wins. The aim was to transform a moment of hesitation into a moment of habit building.

Research

Understanding the science and behavior behind morning coffee habits

Scientifically, I confirmed that delaying caffeine allows adenosine levels to rise to a point where coffee can have a stronger effect.

This research shaped early design decisions, such as including progress tracking, recipe suggestions, and an onboarding moment that reframed the delay as a challenge instead
of a punishment.

Scientifically, I confirmed that delaying caffeine allows adenosine levels to rise to a point where coffee can have a stronger effect.

This research shaped early design decisions, such as including progress tracking, recipe suggestions, and an onboarding moment that reframed the delay as a challenge instead of a punishment.

Behaviorally, I focused on users who regularly drank coffee within 30 minutes of waking. I mapped their routines, identified moments of friction, and applied Nir Eyal’s Hooked model to explore how Lock-Cup could form a new habit loop:

Trigger: The Lock-Cup alarm wakes the user, and they see the coffee machine is locked.
Action: The app opens to a recipe page where they can like or shuffle suggestions to teach it their preferences.
Variable Reward: A new personalized recipe appears each morning.
Investment: Progress tracking builds a sense of accomplishment over time.

With these insights in place, I created a persona to represent my target user.

Trigger: The Lock-Cup alarm wakes the user, and they see the coffee machine is locked.
Action: The app opens to a recipe page where they can like or shuffle suggestions to teach it their preferences.
Variable Reward: A new personalized recipe appears each morning.
Investment: Progress tracking builds a sense of accomplishment over time.

With these insights in place, I created a persona to represent my target user.

User Persona

Meet Ryan, a coffee lover with great intentions, stuck in a suboptimal routine

Ryan is a software developer from Chicago. He drinks coffee as soon as he wakes up but often feels like it’s not helping as much as it should. He’s open to healthier habits but isn’t sure how to make the switch without disrupting his morning flow.

Key Challenges

Feels low on energy even after his first cup.
Wants healthier options but struggles with decision fatigue.
Operates on autopilot during the morning routine.

Feels low on energy even after his first cup.
Wants healthier options but struggles with decision fatigue.
Operates on autopilot during the morning routine.

He says

“I want to try healthier habits, but when I wake up, I’m not in the mood to think or decide anything.”

Storyboarding

A morning routine, redesigned using the Hooked model

I translated the Hooked model into a morning routine storyboard for Ryan, showing how each stage plays out in practice.

Trigger

Ryan wakes up to the Lock-Cup alarm and sees that his coffee machine is locked.

Action

After turning off the alarm, the app opens to the recipe page. He can like or shuffle recipes to teach it what he enjoys.

Variable Reward

He receives a new personalized recipe each day, tailored to his preferences.

Investment

He tracks his progress in the app, seeing how many days he delayed his coffee. This builds a sense of accomplishment over time.

Feature Prioritization

Clarity on what to build now, and what to save for later

To keep the MVP lean, I avoided feature bloat by combining the Kano model and the MoSCoW method. I evaluated 20 potential features based on functional value and emotional impact, then categorized them into must-have, should-have, could-have, and won’t-have.

Core features like alarms, personalized recipes, and progress tracking made the MVP. Lower-impact ideas like leaderboards and subscriptions were deferred for later iterations.

To avoid feature bloat and keep the MVP focused, I used the MoSCoW method to sort 20 potential features into four categories: must have, should have, could have, and won’t have (for now). I started by creating Kano model cards to evaluate each feature's functional value and emotional impact.
From there, I mapped them into the MoSCoW grid. This helped me prioritize core functionalities like alarms, personalized recipes, and progress tracking, while also deferring lower-impact ideas like subscriptions and leaderboards for a future phase.

Must Have

Should Have

Could Have

Won’t Have

Alarm Clock

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

Alarm clock functionality which the coffee machine will use in order to know when the user gets up

Progress Tracker

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A feature where the user can see the number of days they delayed their coffee, creating a sense of accomplishment.

Recipe Feedback

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

The user can either like or dislike recipes according to their liking

Personalized recipes

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

User will get new personalized recipes based on their likes and dislikes

User Dashboard

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A dashboard for the user containing liked recipes, progress tracker

pairing menu

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A pairing menu to pair the app with the coffee machine to avoid friction in user experience

Recipe Upload

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

Users can create and upload recipes for others to see. The most liked recipe for a month could get a reward

Onboarding Screens

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

Splash screens for users to understand how the app works

unlock feature

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

An unlock feature which the users can use in times of emergency

Referrals

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A referral feature to earn bonus rewards can be implemented

Subscription service

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A subscription based model for premium features

points system

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

The user can be given some points for completion of goals

Leaderboards

Description

Basic

Performance

Delighter

A leaderboard feature showing where the user stands among others

User Flow Map

Mapping every interaction across the Lock-Cup app

To understand how users would interact with the app, I mapped every interaction from waking up to unlocking the coffee machine, to create a seamless experience that aligned with the Hooked model and minimized friction at key moments.

Wireframing

Sketching out the core experience before diving into visual design

I began with low-fidelity sketches to quickly explore ideas, then translated the strongest concepts into digital wireframes. This stage helped refine layouts, navigation, and feature placement before visual design began.

Branding

Designing a brand that feels calm, supportive, and habit-focused

Lock-Cup is more than a utility. It is a morning companion. The brand needed to feel calm, supportive, and habit-focused.

Key choices:

Name: Clear yet curious, hinting at control but inviting exploration.
Typography: Rounded, friendly typefaces (Roobert, Be Vietnam) for approachability.
Color palette: Dark backgrounds for early mornings, paired with warm neutrals and soft highlights.
Tone of voice: Encouraging, celebrating progress rather than enforcing rules.

Key choices:

Name: Clear yet curious, hinting at control but inviting exploration.
Typography: Rounded, friendly typefaces (Roobert, Be Vietnam) for approachability.
Color palette: Dark backgrounds for early mornings, paired with warm neutrals and soft highlights.
Tone of voice: Encouraging, celebrating progress rather than enforcing rules.

UI Design

Designing an interface that makes progress feel easy
& rewarding

The interface follows the same philosophy: minimal, warm, and supportive. The goal was to avoid anything that felt clinical or restrictive. Every screen was designed to create a sense of calm and control while reinforcing progress.

Key design decisions included:

Dark mode by default to reduce early morning eye strain and promote a cozy, calm vibe.
Rounded UI elements to soften the experience and remove any perception of strictness.
Progress ring and calendar visuals to make delayed coffee feel like an accomplishment.
Subtle motion in key areas like the “New Recipe” button to improve discoverability.
Clear icon labeling to improve clarity and build user confidence.

Key design decisions included:

Dark mode by default to reduce early morning eye strain and promote a cozy, calm vibe.
Rounded UI elements to soften the experience and remove any perception of strictness.
Progress ring and calendar visuals to make delayed coffee feel like an accomplishment.
Subtle motion in key areas like the “New Recipe” button to improve discoverability.
Clear icon labeling to improve clarity and build user confidence.

The result is an app that guides users through a healthier routine without overwhelming them.

Usability Testing

Five users, real routines, and honest feedback that shaped the final design.

I conducted usability testing to evaluate how easily users could navigate the core flows, understand the features, and interact with key elements like the timer, recipe shuffle, and progress tracker.

Key Metrics

Participants

Testing Time

30m

Tasks / Test

Average Confidence

Avg Confidence

84%

Issues

Success Rate

91%

Participants were screened based on one primary behavior: drinking coffee within 30 minutes of waking up. This helped ensure relevance and focus when testing how Lock-Cup could influence their routines.

Findings & Insights

While the overall experience was well-received, a few usability issues surfaced:

Issues

Severity

Insight

Shuffle button unclear

High

Users were unsure what the icon did or if it would reset their progress

New recipe button was too subtle

Medium

Several users didn’t notice it without visual prompts

Timer icon lacked clarity

Medium

Users expected more guidance or text to explain its function

What Users Enjoyed Most

Small wins matter

Users responded more to streaks and subtle encouragement than rewards.

“I love that I can track my streak. It’s like I earned my coffee today” – Participant 2

“I love that I can track my streak. It’s like I earned my coffee today”
– Participant 2

The lock was loved

Participants described the lock as “satisfying” and “strangely fun.”

“It’s weird, but locking the machine kind of made it fun” – Participant 5

“It’s weird, but locking the machine kind of made it fun”
– Participant 5

Design Improvements

Turning feedback into thoughtful product decisions

After usability testing, I prioritized the feedback from participants and iterated on the UI to improve clarity, discoverability, and user confidence. Each change addressed a specific problem surfaced during testing, from unclear icons to missing affordances.

Here’s a breakdown of the key design improvements I made:

Improving Visibility of the New Recipe CTA

Issue

The CTA button was frequently overlooked

Users missed the “New Recipe” button, especially on first use, due to its static design and lack of visual prominence.

Solution

Added subtle motion to draw attention without clutter

A shine animation made the button more noticeable while maintaining the clean, minimal aesthetic—leading to higher engagement.

Clarifying Shuffle Functionality with Icon and Labels

Clarifying Shuffle Functionality with Icon
and Labels

Issue

The shuffle icon caused confusion

Users weren’t sure what it did—some thought it reset progress, while others didn’t connect it to switching recipes.

Solution

Improved clarity with new icon and labels

Replaced the icon with a clearer “randomize” symbol and added text labels for Shuffle and Like. This boosted user understanding and confidence when interacting with the card controls.

Future Improvements

Ideas to explore in the next iteration

While the MVP focused on habit-forming essentials, several opportunities emerged during testing and reflection to take Lock-Cup even further:

Onboarding Instructions

Quick, engaging splash screens could help new users understand the app’s purpose and avoid confusion in their first use.

Motivation Boost

Visualizing adenosine levels (low, moderate, optimal) could encourage users to wait for the ideal
brewing window.

Seamless Navigation

Swipe gestures on recipe cards could offer a more fluid, intuitive way to explore suggestions compared to the current shuffle button.

Emergency Brews

An “emergency unlock” feature would give users an out when they really need caffeine, with tradeoff like losing a streak to keep the habit loop intact.

Lessons Learned

What I took away from building Lock-Cup

Lock-Cup showed me that meaningful habit change is less about restriction and more about small, supportive moments that add up to real behavior shifts.

It was an awesome opportunity to grow my thinking around product behavior, user research, and designing for habits. Here’s what stuck with me:

Avoiding Bias

During tests, I realized how easy it is to accidentally influence users. I learned to ask neutral questions and let their behavior speak
for itself.

Users Will Surprise You

Even in a simple prototype, people interacted with things I didn’t expect. Like tapping, interpreting, or avoiding elements that felt "obvious" to me.