We often think of technology as something that keeps us sitting — working, scrolling, or streaming for hours on end. But what if technology could help us do the opposite?
The brief, titled App 360, was to create an app under the premise of a design competition brief for a six-month internship at a leading design studio. The challenge was to design a smartphone app for a physical device commonly used by international students in the UK, demonstrating creativity, practicality, and emotional resonance.
University students, particularly international students balancing academics, part-time jobs, and new routines spend long hours sitting. Research shows that sitting for more than seven hours a day increases health risks, yet most students average between 8–10 hours of sedentary behaviour daily.
The aim was to create a product that not only monitors this pattern but also encourages healthy movement and mindful breaks throughout the day.
Up! works alongside a small sensor device attached to the bottom of a chair or bed. Together, they form a system that reminds users to get up, stretch, and move.
How it works:
The sensor monitors how long the user has been sitting.
After a set time (e.g., 30 minutes), it buzzes the chair and sends a notification through the app.
The app tracks daily sitting time, helping users visualize their habits.
It also provides simple desk exercises and posture tips for short, achievable movement breaks.
Users can customize their notification tones to find what motivates them best.
The goal: make standing up feel as natural — and rewarding — as sitting down.
To ground the concept in reality, I focused on international postgraduate students living in the UK — a group often juggling coursework, jobs, and cultural adjustment.
Meet Intira Kulap, 22, a Thai postgraduate student in Textile Design living in London.
Suffers from neck and back pain due to long hours sitting.
Struggles to balance productivity with self-care.
Misses her active lifestyle back home.
Her goals:
Manage discomfort and reduce sedentary time.
Find a simple, non-intrusive reminder to move.
Build healthier habits without losing focus on her studies.
These insights shaped Up’s tone: supportive, friendly, and realistic about student life.
The design process followed a clear UX flow — from research and ideation to prototyping and testing.
Key ideation takeaways:
Movement reminders must feel helpful, not disruptive.
Motivation works best when visualized (e.g., progress tracking).
Users respond positively to personalisation and reward mechanisms.
Features refined through testing:
Added quick links to exercise videos for neck and arm relief.
Introduced alarm and vibration options for stronger reminders.
Included a hydration prompt for overall well-being.
Added navigation at the bottom for better usability.
Proposed a reward system: earn credits for consistent activity, which could be used to customize a virtual pet.
Testing videos and walkthroughs can be viewed here.
For future iterations, Up! could expand by:
Integrating with smartwatches for more accurate activity tracking.
Allowing users to attach and move the sensor easily between chairs at home or university.
Offering deeper analytics on sitting vs. standing trends over time.
These enhancements would help the app grow from a student-focused prototype into a holistic tool for health and productivity.
App360 combines empathy with innovation — transforming a common issue among students into a simple, behavior-driven solution.
This project reminded me how UX design can bridge physical and digital experiences to promote healthier, more human habits. By focusing on how people use devices — and how those devices can gently improve behaviour — design becomes not just functional, but truly meaningful.