GoalRewards
A personal celebration tool designed to reclaim the joy of achieving goals.
Role
Full-stack Product Designer (MVP Build)
Industry
Personal Wellness & Productivity
Duration
1 week (Rapid Prototype)
The Challenge
We often wait for external validation—a performance review, a gold star, or a "good job" from someone else—before we allow ourselves to feel accomplished. My wife, Jen, like many high-achievers, would often overlook her daily progress while waiting for major milestones. I wanted to build something that removed the need for "permission" to feel successful.
My Role and Approach
The Inspiration: Created specifically for my wife to help her track and celebrate her daily habits and personal growth.
The Build: Developed as a lean, AI-assisted MVP focused on a "Reward-First" UX, where the celebration is just as important as the task itself.
Personal Touch: Focused on a warm, encouraging interface that feels like a supportive partner rather than a cold productivity app.
The Solution (The Challenge-Reward Framework)
Unlike standard task managers, GoalRewards is built on a locked commitment model:
Locked Desires: A reward (Desire) must be linked to a goal (Journey) before it can start. Once the journey begins, the reward is locked and cannot be edited or cheated.
AI-Proportionate Goals: Using Gemini 1.5 Flash, the app analyzes a reward (e.g., a specific pair of shoes) and suggests a challenge that is proportionate in effort (e.g., "Complete 15 morning yoga sessions").
Feminine Aesthetic: Moving away from the "hustle culture" look of most trackers, I used a warm palette of Linen, Espresso, and Cocoa to create a "sanctuary" feel.
Technical Implementation
Cloud Sync: Replaced local storage with Netlify Blobs and serverless functions to ensure cross-device persistence.
AI Context: Integrated Gemini 1.5 Flash to provide smart suggestions, helping users calibrate the difficulty of a goal relative to the value of the reward.
Impact & Future
Impact: The goal was immediate emotional resonance. My wife was excited to try it, and it successfully shifted her mindset from "checking off chores" to "earning treats."
Next Steps: Exploring a "Couple's Co-op" mode where partners can set challenges for each other to unlock shared rewards.
Status
This is a personal side project and a continuous exploration into how AI can help us be kinder to ourselves.