Fortune is a mobile scheduling app for university students with ADHD, designed through generative and evaluative research (Nov–Dec 2025) by Kanishka Balaji, Jimmy Huang, Madeleine Iribarren, and Clarisse Pelayo Sicat.
It offers two event creation paths – a manual form for control, and an AI voice assistant for natural language – paired with notifications that tell you what you'll have time for, not what you're running out of.
5 UW students (ages 21–36) identifying with ADHD, across generative and evaluative rounds
My role
UX Research · Interaction Design · Prototyping
Timeline
Generative: November 2025 Evaluative: December 2025
Problem & Context
Students with ADHD aren't disorganized – they're underserved
We assumed students with ADHD would be disorganized and want more structure. Our participants challenged every one of those ideas.
All 5 were deeply self-aware. The problem wasn't awareness – tools didn't adapt to how they lived. Some defined "productive" as dance class or a nap, not just finishing assignments.
We'd assumed struggles stem from individual failure, not structural factors like sensory overload or social anxiety. Some already had tools they didn't use because they caused guilt. The risk: designing another app that adds pressure instead of relief.
Core insight · Generative research
"Students don't need to be fixed. They need tools that meet them where they are."
Generative Research · Nov 2025
What we found about ADHD & productivity
5/5
Study environment matters more than willpower
Every participant raised environment unprompted. Sensory comfort and social accountability mattered more than solo vs. public settings.
"Loudness and light sensitivity is like, two big things for me..." – P1
5/5
Users are the expert, full stop
We expected disorganization. We found deep self-knowledge. Participants navigated academics with ADHD, not around it.
"Since I've understood that I'm most productive closer to the nighttime..." – P2
5/5
Deadlines dominate schedules
Students structured lives around deadlines. Some used last-minute pressure as a focusing mechanism, a coping strategy, not a deficit.
"For the last day, it usually ramps up quite a bit because I'm pressured..." – P3
4/5
Balance matters, productivity is broader than schoolwork
Participants defined productivity as social time, hobbies, and rest, but schedules were dominated by academic obligations.
"I try to give myself a lot of just... empty brain space..." – P4
Organic
Medication wasn't the variable we expected
We didn't ask about medication. Several brought it up, most said it didn't significantly affect routines but helped with specific focus-demanding tasks.
"I haven't taken my Adderall in a long time... I don't think I'm feeling the difference as much." – P5
How Might We
Reframing the design challenge
Three questions shaped the design phase:
1
How might we help students access sensory-friendly, focus-supportive environments – wherever they are?
2
How might we design systems that adapt to students' natural rhythms instead of forcing rigid expectations?
3
How might we support productivity that values wellbeing and rest as much as academic output?
System Design · User Flows
How Fortune works
We mapped two core flows before prototyping: page capabilities (onboarding through alarm management) and notification/task management (how reminders behave after event creation).
Flow 01User flow of page capabilities
From homepage
Multi-view calendar Day / Week / Month / Year
Tap event → view/edit details or mark complete
Search → find specific events
Alarm manager → presets & settings
Account settings & details
Alarm manager capabilities
Custom alarm templates (Morning Motivation, Study Grind, etc.)
AI-suggested reminder messages
Snooze duration, pre-alarm, auto-dismiss settings
Notification type (sound, vibration, banner)
Preview motivational messages
Screens & Interactions
Log In · Homepage
Add event → confirm
Tap event → view/edit/mark complete
Calendar → search → toggle view
Alarm manager → presets & settings
Widget view · Notification pop-up
Flow 02Alarm notification / task management
Event detail actions
Starting now – opens event, begins timerSnooze 5 min – re-notifies after delayTask complete – marks done, shows reward
Design System
Components
Core UI components and interaction patterns designed for Fortune, from navigation and scheduling views to notification states and the AI voice interface.
Paper Prototype · Task 01
Adding a new event
We designed two distinct paths: a manual form for precision and an AI voice assistant for speed. The AI path was our key design bet – instead of structured fields, you speak naturally and Fortune handles the rest.
Task prompt: "Open the homepage. Show how you would create a new task or event. View the new event on the app homepage."
Entry flowSplash → Home → Schedule → Add
Splash
Brand entryThe orb and wordmark signal this isn't a traditional calendar. Voice and AI are central.
Loading
Loading stateA second orb variant – the app is thinking. Anticipation over a generic spinner.
Homepage
Ambient intelligenceGreets by name, states context ("in class"), gives remaining items, and references tonight's plans. The app already knows your day.
Schedule
Color-coded time blocksRed = class, yellow = meetings, green = personal, blue = schoolwork. Read your day in under 2 seconds.
Press +
Two paths, one gesturePressing + reveals "Speak to Fortune" or "Add an event" – accessible from anywhere.
Path A – Manual Input
Event form
Structured inputFull form – title, time, category, alarm, duration, color, and details with voice input. For users who want control.
Form filled
A complete event"Work on Assignment #5 for Intro to CS Class" – 5:30–7:30PM, School category, 10-min reminder. Voice dictation available for notes.
On schedule
Confirmed and placedSchedule shows the new event – blue CS block at 5:30PM, yellow Get Together at 8PM. Evening structure at a glance.
Path B – AI Voice Dictation
AI assistant
Conversational interface"How can I help you today?" – a blank canvas with press-and-hold voice. No fields, just natural speech.
Listening…
Active listening"Listening..." with a stop icon. Interface clears completely – nothing competes for attention.
Events created
One sentence → two eventsUser spoke naturally about their assignment and friend hangout. Fortune parsed it into two confirmed event cards with correct times and reminders.
Paper Prototype · Task 02
Responding to a reminder
At 5:29PM the lock screen widget shows the assignment starting soon. At 5:30PM Fortune fires a contextual notification – not a generic alert, but a specific message: "If you start now, you'll be all set by 7:30 – with 30 minutes to breathe before your 8PM event."
Task prompt: "The app shows you a notification about an assignment. Show how you would respond: open it, snooze it, ignore it, or mark complete."
Reminder flowWidget → Notification → Action
Lock screen
Always-on widget"Assignment #5 – STARTING SOON" and "Friends Get Together – NEXT." Know what's coming without unlocking.
Home screen
Pre-notificationHome screen at 5:30PM before Fortune fires. Context before the reminder.
Notification
Context-aware copy"Start now, done by 7:30 – 30 minutes to breathe before your 8PM event." Three inline actions.
Event detail
Full event contextTapping opens full details – title, time, category, and contextual guidance. Same three actions available.
After snooze
Follow-up nudgeAfter snooze: "Let's get you moving so you don't run behind." Encouraging, never punishing.
Paper Prototype · Task 03
Completing a task
Completing a task triggers celebration – confetti, congratulations, and redirection: "Now you have 35 minutes before your Friend's Get Together!" The reward isn't just acknowledgment – it's pointing toward something enjoyable.
Task prompt: "Imagine you finished the assignment. Show how you would mark the task complete. Notice the feedback or 'reward' screen."
Completion flowTask → Mark Complete → Celebrate
Schedule
Task in progressCS assignment still active, Friends Get Together coming up. Time indicator shows exactly where you are.
Mark complete
Single tap action"Mark as complete" at the bottom. One tap, no confirmation dialog.
Congratulations!
First celebrationFull-screen congratulations – Fortune orb front and center. A breath before the bigger moment.
Celebration 🎉
Dopamine momentConfetti fills the screen. Every participant mentioned this unprompted. The emotional payoff is real – a core feature, not decoration.
What's next
Redirection"Now you have 35 minutes before your Friend's Get Together!" Addresses the post-focus crash ADHD students experience. Points toward joy, not just completion.
Evaluative Research · Dec 2025
What usability testing revealed
Think-aloud sessions with 5 UW graduate students with ADHD. Post-test interviews surfaced emotional responses beyond observed behavior.
Clear instructions lead to more intuitive experiences
All 5 completed Task 1, but one couldn't find the AI. Teaching needs to be built in from the first session.
"Wanted an onboarding screen to explain what was happening." – P2
02
Tools need to work with habits, not against them
Automatic notification updates – recalculating based on real behavior – made participants feel understood, not judged.
"It calculates when she'll be done. It's not stressing her out." – P2
03
Productivity is emotional, not just functional
Tools that reduced shame were rated most helpful, validating the completion reward as a core feature.
"Made me feel like I had accomplished something." – P4
04
AI task creation beat manual input
Natural language felt significantly lower friction than structured fields. Participants preferred the AI for flexibility.
"The easiest part was the AI task creation feature." – P4
05
Tone matters as much as functionality
Telling users what time they have – not what they've lost – drove stronger engagement. It felt like a friend, not a judge.
"Feels positive without being pushy." – P5
Next Steps & Recommendations
Where we go from here
01
Introduce onboarding
A splash-screen overview will help users find the AI – especially important for ADHD users who may not explore unfamiliar interfaces organically.
02
Clarify text and visual cues
Homepage text and notifications need greater clarity. Visual cues should be formally defined in the design system.
03
Strengthen interruption design
Explore haptics and other modalities. For students with time blindness, notifications must break through the current activity.
04
Add shared calendars
Social accountability was a key motivator. One participant requested shared calendars – reinforcing the social dimension of productivity.
05
Connect email for auto-events
Auto-creating events from syllabi and emails would reduce manual overhead keeping schedules current.
06
Move to hi-fidelity and retest
Iterate to hi-fidelity, apply feedback, and retest with ADHD-identifying students at UW.
Reflection
What I learned
Research assumptions are dangerous
Every assumption we brought into generative research was wrong. The participants taught us that ADHD students are deeply self-aware, and the real gap is tools that refuse to adapt to them.
Tone is a design material
The biggest differentiator in usability testing wasn't a feature. It was how Fortune spoke to users. Telling people what time they have, not what they've lost, changed the entire emotional experience.
Paper prototyping still works
Running think-alouds on paper prototypes surfaced interaction issues we never would have caught in a static mockup. The fidelity forced participants to focus on flow, not polish.
Celebration is a feature, not decoration
Every participant mentioned the confetti screen unprompted. For users who experience chronic guilt around productivity, a moment of genuine acknowledgment is functional, not cosmetic.
