Happy Body! an End-to-End Application for Body Positivity
Happy Body empowers female college students to reshape body image and health through interactive avatars, self-validation, and myth-busting games.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
SERVICE
Application design
DURATION
4 months | 2023
iOS Application
Under development
In One Glance
CHALLENGE
University environments have become spaces where young women experience heightened body anxiety and comparison, with 90% of women worldwide expressing desire to change their appearance. Traditional health apps often exacerbate these issues by focusing on metrics and unrealistic standards
SOLUTION
A digital companion that combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and mirror exposure therapy with engaging interactions to help users build a healthier relationship with their bodies. Through customizable avatars, guided self-validation exercises, reflective journaling, and myth-busting games.
OVERVIEW
Happy Body emerged from a deeply personal understanding of the struggle with beauty standards and evolved into a mission to transform how Gen Z approaches body image and wellness. In an era where social media exposure has contributed to alarming rates of depression among young women, this project reimagines digital wellness tools to foster genuine self-acceptance rather than perpetuating harmful standards.
RESULT
The app achieved 80% user satisfaction after the final test.
The Journey
How might we create digital tools that heal rather than harm young women's relationships with their bodies?
What began as a personal reflection on beauty standards evolved into a critical examination of how digital spaces shape Gen Z's relationship with their bodies. My own journey of discovering that true wellness comes from self-acceptance rather than comparison led me to question:
Secondary Research
Conducted white paper research on societal influence and current approach and strategies.
Observation
Observed female students in dining halls and recreation centers at Ball State University.
Primary Research
Conducted in-depth interviews with 6 Gan Z female students of various body types.
Detective Working: Understanding The Landscape
To validate this need beyond personal experience, I conducted a multi-faceted research approach in university spaces where body image issues manifest most visibly:
Competitive Analysis
Evaluated how current products address body image and health.
Students eating in one of the Ball State University's dining halls
The Presence of Comparison Culture
1
In dining halls and recreation centers at Ball State University, patterns emerged that confirmed the spread of comparison culture:
Groups of friends mirroring each other's food choices.
Calorie displays visibly influencing food decisions.
Exercise spaces becoming stages for body comparison rather than wellness.
Frequent phone-checking during workouts, suggesting disengagement from the activity itself.
Women want to change one physical aspect
90%
Body Dissatisfaction
Fuels Body Image Concerns
Impact of Social Media
Societal Beauty Standards
Societal Factors and compare oneself with others
Body Dissatisfaction
Disordered
Eating
Unintentionally reinforce body dissatisfaction
Social circles pressure
Academic Research Revealed Alarming Statistics
2
The quantitative research painted a concerning picture, but it was the in-depth interviews with six Gen Z female students that revealed the complex emotional landscape behind the statistics.
These conversations, conducted via Zoom with participants across different body types and including someone with a physical disability.
Deepening Understanding Through Personal Stories
3
Key Findings
THEME 2: An information paradox
Despite constant exposure to health content on social media, participants lacked awareness of evidence-based approaches like intuitive eating and the Health at Every Size movement.
THEME 1: Social circles acting as double-edged swords
While friends influenced body perceptions, the absence of supportive figures intensified vulnerability to body image issues.
THEME 3: The digital dilemma
While social media was the primary source of health information, it was simultaneously undermining users' body image and self-worth.
These findings pointed to a clear gap
These insights guided my decision to analyze current products and identify opportunities.
Next Step
Young women needed more than just another fitness tracker. They needed a digital companion that could:
Counter the negative feedback loop of social media and comparison.
Provide evidence-based, body-positive health information.
Create a personal, supportive space for developing a healthier relationship with their body.
Apps specifically targeting body image showed promise but had significant limitations:
Showcasing body diversity
Successfully implements CBT principles
Offers valuable therapy elements
Direct Competitors
Strengths
Offering comprehensive food tracking and community support.
Creates strong community engagement
Excels in activity tracking
Behavioral change focus
Indirect Competitors
My Body Gallery
Flourish
Strengths
Its focus on physical appearance could perpetuate comparison behaviors
Emphasis on calorie counting can reinforce unhealthy behaviors
Neglects physical wellness aspects
Heavily metric-focused and cost-prohibitive
Lacks comprehensive wellness integration
Fosters potentially harmful competitive mindsets
It’s metric focused and its structured approach may not accommodate individual wellness journeys
Considerations
Considerations
MyFitnessPal
Peloton
Strava
NOOM
Understanding the Current Market
4
My analysis revealed two distinct categories of competitors attempting to address aspects of body image and wellness:
Market Opportunities Identified
Need for a non-metric focused approach to wellness tracking
Opportunity to integrate mental and physical health in an accessible way
Potential for interactive features that promote engagement without competition
Space for personalized content that adapts to individual wellness journeys
Demand for affordable, comprehensive wellness support
Self Love
Next Step
Drawing from both market opportunities and user research insights,
I developed a unique approach that would:
Identifying the White Space
While existing apps excelled in either physical tracking or mental wellness, none successfully bridged the gap between body image and holistic health in an engaging way.
Develop 3D body model simulation for self-validation
Enable direct "conversation" between users and their body through avatar interactions
Provide personalized feedback and progress tracking
Replace Metrics with Meaning
Bridge the Education Gap
Create Personal Connection
Move away from calorie counting and competitive tracking
Introduce interactive body-avatar system for emotional connection
Focus on intuitive wellness over numbers
Address widespread health misconceptions through engaging myth-busting games
Integrate evidence-based therapeutic approaches (CBT, Mirror Exposure Therapy)
Make complex wellness concepts accessible and actionable
From Insights to Action
Test and Validation
Implemented a three-phase testing approach to validate user needs and solution effectiveness:
1. Concept testing, 2. Mid-fidelity testing, 3. High-fidelity testing.
Ideation
Sketched initial concepts and created three user flows on paper, focusing on feelings rather than calories.
Final iterations
Based on test results, refined the core features and finalized the app design.
Crafting the solution
Considering the research insights, I started to ideate solutions to fill the gap and address the hidden pains women experience to fit into societal beauty standards.
Leveraging insights from user research and competitive analysis, I started sketching ideas. Three core user flows emerged from my research insights.
5
Body-Self Relationships Through Digital Interaction
Flow 1: Personal Body Avatar
Unique 3D body model simulations as personal avatars.
Integrated holistic approach combining mental and physical wellness through avatar interactions.
Flow 2: Emotional Connection
Interactive avatars with expressive features and conversation elements.
Enabled intuitive food and activity discovery based on body needs.
Built emotional rapport through avatar's responsive expressions and messaging.
Flow 3: Educational Engagement
Myth-busting game format to deliver evidence-based health information.
Focused on countering social media misconceptions about body image and wellness
Two design thinking workshops with female university students provided crucial feedback that challenged my assumptions:
Early Concept Testing
Key Findings
Privacy concerns outweighed realism: Users preferred abstract representations over realistic body models.
Emotional safety was paramount: Avatars created a more comfortable space for self-reflection.
Engagement needed balance: Users wanted interactive features but worried about overwhelming complexity.
6
Sharpening Focus on Body Image
Adjusting Avatars for Clearer Body Representation
Simplified Navigation
Avatar Evolution
Original design: Cute animal characters for users's choice over 3D body model.
User feedback: Cute characters didn't create meaningful body connection.
Solution: Developed minimalistic, abstract human body-avatars that balanced relatability with comfort.
Feature Priority Shift
Original focus: Physical health tracking with body-avatar integration.
User reality: Emotional connection was getting lost among physiological metrics.
Solution: Repositioned self-validation and emotional check-ins as core features.
Interface Simplification
Original design: Six navigation options plus hamburger menu.
User pain point: Information overload and navigation confusion.
Solution: Streamlined to four essential features, and a dashboard view.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype Test
Testing the mid-fidelity prototype with four female university students revealed critical areas for improvement:
Customizable Body-Avatar
Multiple avatar options (animal, humanoid, mystical).
Personalization features to strengthen emotional connection.
Self-Validation Practices
Integration of CBT and mirror exposure therapy exercises.
Direct avatar interactions for building positive body relationships.
Mental Awareness Tools
Journaling with thoughtful prompts.
Affirmation practices and gratitude exercises.
Educational Engagement
Myth-busting game format for health education
Resources on intuitive eating and joyful movement
Final Solution Refinement
After conducting the high-fidelity test, I refined the ideas into four key features based on feedback.
7
The Final Design & Reflections
High-fidelity Prototype
Result:
Achieved 80% user satisfaction rate in final testing.
Successfully transformed complex body image concepts into accessible, engaging interactions.
Personal Insight:
Health app design requires a delicate balance between scientific validity and user engagement.
Sometimes the most impactful solutions come from challenging initial assumptions (like the shift from realistic to abstract avatars).
User trust is earned through consistent attention to emotional safety in every design decision.
Key lessons learned:
User empathy must drive feature prioritization: abstract avatars resonated more than realistic models.
Simplification leads to deeper engagement: reducing navigation options from 6 to 4 increased feature completion.
Balance is crucial: mixing therapeutic approaches with playful interactions created sustainable user habits.
Educational content needs context: myth-busting through games proved more effective than traditional learning.
Next Steps:
Engage with body image experts to validate and enhance therapeutic approaches.
Develop beta version with core features identified through MVP testing.
Explore community feature integration while maintaining user privacy and safety.
Research potential partnerships with university wellness programs for broader implementation.
OUTCOMES, TAKEAWAYS, REFLECTIONS
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Copyright © 2025 Mahnaz H.
