momgo: The App to Get Moms Going
Many moms, especially new moms, have difficulty working out in the same ways that they did before they had children. Between naps, feedings, diaper changes, laundry, interrupted sleep, and the exhaustion from taking on the enormous new task of parenthood, there just isn’t time to spend an hour at the gym, make it to yoga class, or go for a 5 mile run.
Some moms find themselves giving up. Not only does that make it difficult to lose the weight from pregnancy, but it deprives them of the energy and endorphins that are gained from exercising.
But the truth is: there is time available. It’s just not predictable, it’s not for a long duration, and it’s certainly not at the same time that running group happens to meet. It’s 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, the baby might be sleeping so you can’t leave the house, and it could end at any moment.
Moms don’t have to give up on working out. They just have to shift their mindset. The changes that really make a difference in our lives aren’t the extreme New Year’s Resolutions, the crash diets, or the epic training programs. The changes that really make a difference in our lives are small things done consistently over time. That’s where momgo comes in.
momgo
Momgo is a concept for an app that was designed for moms to help them be more active. When moms are more active, they report feeling happier and healthier. They have more energy and more patience. Moms feel like better parents, professionals, and partners when they have a chance to be physically active.
Momgo starts small with one challenge a day to get moms outside to be active doing something that they can do with a child in tow. Like a friend asking if they want to take a walk when the weather is nice, momgo invites moms to get out. It suggests several route options and shows the route on a map when it’s time to go, so moms can make their own plan if they want to, but they don’t have to if they’re feeling too exhausted.
Momgo prompts users to invite friends to walk with them because having a friend to walk with can sometimes make the difference between actually getting out of the house or not. Then, the momentum that originates with the momgo app can be transferred to others.
If the walk isn’t going to happen today, momgo offers an easier challenge that could take less than 5 minutes and requires very little preparation.
If the easier challenge isn’t going to happen either, then momgo offers an encouraging quote and a simple breathing or thought exercise that can be done on the go.
Momgo syncs with weather apps, maps, calendars, and contacts to make appropriate suggestions and the right time.
Momgo has a space for users to track their own activities, celebrates accomplishments, and offers encouraging messages that are based on research to help them see the value in their small yet consistent efforts.
It tracks their progress and displays it in a graph that is easy to understand at a glance.
Momgo leaves plenty of opportunity for growth as moms change the settings to prompt more difficult challenges more often. It also has room for grace; if life gets crazy, moms can lower the settings so that they can be successful at whatever level is right for their place in life.
Design Decisions
Colors: momgo was intended to be fun, colorful, and exciting. But some users said that the colors in the first iteration were too much and they couldn’t take the app seriously, so the palette was gradually simplified. The boxes were also removed simply because they were unnecessary and cluttered the screen.
Icons: The icons changed over time. During the user testing phase, none of the users were able to identify the fireworks icon as a celebration. Some people thought it was a magic wand. So, the firework icon was redesigned to be more clear and a new graph icon was made.
Buttons: One user thought the title section with the question looked like a button, so she clicked on it to answer the question. After that, the gray box in the title section was removed so that it wouldn’t look like a button.
Features: Based on user suggestions, changes were made to add flexible time options, more celebrations, and more encouragement.
Logo: The name of the app and the logo went through several different iterations. The first few were distracting and didn’t fit in well with the rest of the app, so in the end, the logo turned out to be very simple.
Fonts: Several different fonts were tested throughout the design process with a final font decision that resulted in a clean, easy to read user interface.
Name: The name of the app was changed from GoMom to momgo after one person who saw the app said, “Go Mom yourself.” momgo seems more fun and is reminiscent of mango and mumbo, which both have positive connotations.
Designer
Cassie Atallah taught high school art for 10 years before deciding to temporarily become a full time mom. She is currently taking Interaction Design classes and working as a user experience designer.
