[Case 04]
Health Tech
Breathe: A Mobile App to Reduce and Quit Vaping
Designing a behavior-change experience for young adults using real-time health feedback.
Project Overview
Youth and young adults have the highest prevalence of e-cigarette use, with over a quarter of current users vaping daily. Despite serious neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular risks, vaping is widely perceived as a “safer” alternative and remains highly habitual.
Key challenges we identified:
Vaping is automatic and hard to notice in the moment
Health consequences feel distant and abstract
Existing tools lack real-time, personalized feedback
This created a gap between behavior and awareness that made quitting extremely difficult.
Problem Statement
How might we help young adults become aware of their automatic vaping habits and support them with timely, personalized interventions that make behavior change sustainable?
3. Usage Dashboard
A daily snapshot shows:
• Puffs taken • Pickups • Money saved • Progress toward goals
This avoided shaming while still communicating severity.
4. Goal Setting System
We designed a tiered goal system: • Short-term goals for quick wins • Medium-term goals for momentum • Long-term goals for commitment
Goals auto-populate based on onboarding and adapt as behavior changes.
Design intent: Reduce decision fatigue while preserving user autonomy.
5. Vape Alternatives
When cravings hit, users can instantly access low-effort alternatives such as:
• Breathing exercises • Physical movement • Distraction activities
These are designed for speed and simplicity when willpower is lowest.
6. Smart Notifications & Performance Indicators
The app sends timely, context-aware notifications based on usage patterns, time of day, and health signals. Notifications prompt users to pause, reflect, try an alternative, or review a relevant health insight. A lock-screen widget shows real-time puff counts and progress toward daily goals.
Design intent:
Interrupt automatic habits at the right moment, reduce notification fatigue through relevance, and guide users directly to meaningful actions.
Behavior-Change Strategy
We grounded the design in:
• Self-regulation theory through continuous feedback • Self-determination theory through autonomy and competence • Goal-setting theory through progressive milestones
Interrupt automatic habits at the right moment, reduce notification fatigue through relevance, and guide users directly to meaningful actions.
Behavior-Change Strategy
Because this was a course prototype:
• The vape attachment was conceptual only • Notification logic was not behavior-triggered • Adaptive interventions were not technically implemented
This helped clarify feasibility constraints and future engineering needs.
High Fidelity Prototype
Increased Awareness of Automatic Habits
In-the-Moment Support During Cravings
Sustained Motivation for Long-Term Change
Behavior Change Requires Systems, Not Features
Designing for habit change taught me that no single feature drives impact. Real progress comes from orchestrating data, feedback, goals, and interventions into a cohesive system that supports users over time.
Timely Feedback Matters More Than Perfect Information
I learned that in-the-moment, relevant feedback is more effective than detailed long-term insights. Intervening at the right moment with simple guidance can interrupt habits more effectively than complex dashboards alone.
Motivation Is Built Through Progress, Not Pressure
This project showed me that sustainable change comes from reinforcing small wins and autonomy rather than using fear or guilt. Designing non-judgmental, motivating feedback was critical to keeping users engaged.