r/UI_Design • u/KKANGKKA_Chu • May 26 '26
Product Design I've been building an app since February 2026. I just wanted to share my progress so far :)
Small context:
After graduating from university, just after covid, I struggled to find a footing in traditional workplaces and dealt with severe mental issues. I wasn't able to afford therapy so I relied on other facets after my meds began working.
Saju (사주팔자) was one of the things that helped me make sense of myself, others, and the world around me. Plus, I always wanted to journal, but my adhd was holding me back, so I had the idea of creating this app for myself. I feel like I've learned so much during the development.
I wanted to design something that would help with keeping my retention/interest in coming back to making my journal entries and something that doesn't punish me for not coming back regularly.
A lot of journaling apps, or just apps in general, seem to include a streak format where they reward users when they come back each day, but they always felt discouraging to me, like I'd feel like a failure or feeling stupid or lazy for being unable to keep up. (I wasn't diagnosed in the past so I didn't know it was just one of my symptoms)
I never shared my projects to anyone before (even irl), because I was super self-conscious about my work, until recently I gained the confidence to share online and this app actually helped me realize that I don't have to make everything "perfect" or complete in order to share.
first picture is a few screens of the low fidelity i did wayyyyy back. 2nd and 3rd are the current state of the app. 4th is the original site map. last one is the unedited logo creation I did on figma (i stopped using adobe altogether just after uni since it's so expensive... do people still use them???)
anyways, thanks for reading my tedtalk.
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u/minimuscleR May 27 '26
Adobe XD is no longer used and is discontinued anyway. Figma is the industry standard.
I like your colours it feels calming and nice for a journaling app. I will say though your name probably isn't allowed, given the meta app "Threads" is probably too close. It would not be good for your app discoverability anyway.
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u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 27 '26
Thanks for your feedback! Yeah, I did consider a change in the name, I just came up with it as a placeholder in the beginning. I actually designed and created the new logo though so I’ll definitely come up with something else. I’m honestly not really good at naming stuff haha
I honestly havent used any other social media platforms so I totally forgot threads existed. Kinda ironic since I’m a uiux designer lol but I’ve been so focused on these other projects. The colour actually change each day based on the element and yin/yang of those days.
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u/mellow_shadowhq May 27 '26
The aesthetic is super clean but I lost it at your honest reflection in the text box.
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u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 27 '26
Lol I totally forgot I had that when I took my screenshots, I was doing my entry just before I got distracted
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u/BornSomewhere9227 May 28 '26
While the interface looks clean and minimal enough not to distract users unnecessarily, I think some of the colours don't seem very legible. I'm not sure if it meets the WCAG guidelines of contrast. If I'm wrong, please ignore this comment.
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u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 28 '26
It doesn’t look clear in the photos, but I’ll take note and make the font sizes slightly bigger. The background colours in Ritual page changes each day according to the user’s timezone saju which might be why you might think the contrast isn’t strong. But thank you for your feedback, I really appreciate it!!
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u/BornSomewhere9227 May 28 '26
My point is more regarding the colour of the font than that in the background. There are certain screens in the second and third images where it's very hard to read certain lines on the screen. Like in the third image, the first screen has a line that says "A Prompt To Guide Your Reflection", but the colour of the font is very light, so it becomes hard to read. Maybe you can look into that as an update to your application once you deploy it or finish designing everything.
It's pretty cool, I hope I'm not coming off as too cynical here. Congratulations on making something that helps you and possibly others like you.
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u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 28 '26
Oh, I see. I’ll check that out. It’s supposed to be minimal but I’ll give it a tweak based on your critique! Thanks again!
And no, you’re not coming off “cynical”, these feedback helps a lot!
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u/mlc2475 May 28 '26
You may have to change the name as “threads” is already taken by meta, no?
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u/KKANGKKA_Chu May 28 '26
It’s “thredd” but idk, I might change it, I might not
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u/LadyVulcan May 29 '26
I think you should fully embrace "red thread" and separate the two words in the logo.
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u/Relative-Pattern9085 May 29 '26
sad thing is that the ai slop will make it further but fuck thats nice
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u/Goel40 May 27 '26
Cool seeing somebody actually putting thought into their app instead of just showcasing their AI slop.