CareYaya
Health Technologies
Delivered a microlearning tool for student caregivers, achieving a 94% NPS in prototype testing and increasing academic confidence by 13%.
DURATION
5 months
Aug-Dec 2022
ROLE
End-to-end product designer (research → handoff)
TOOLS
Figma, Miro, Qualtrics
TEAM
PM, UX Researcher, Engineer, CEO
The Problem
At CareYaya — a startup that connects student caregivers with families needing eldercare — burnout was common. Most worked 15–30 hrs/week while juggling intense academic loads.
“I give everything to my patients. By the time I get home, I have nothing left for school.”
— Chris, 21, Pre-med caregiver
said academics are suffering
85%
study in 5–10 min bursts
Most study in buses or between shifts
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
I interviewed 18 students, co-led 2 focus groups, and ran a 42-person survey. From 230+ data points, I mapped 5 themes — then shared them with engineers to align on early design direction. This shifted my goal: not a better study app — a sustainable habit.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
How might we help student caregivers feel momentum — without long sessions or cognitive overload? I defined 3 core design principles from research:
Time Efficient
Make the tool useful in <5 minute chunks
Emotionally Rewarding
Reinforce effort with streaks and encouragement, not pressure.
Frictionless
Start instantly, no cognitive load.
IDEATION & WIREFRAMING
By reframing success as consistency, rather than intensity, I unlocked designs that students could actually stick with.
AI-Assisted Deck Creation
“Tap a thought” — fast authoring from notes, audio, or files
Flashcard Authoring Workflow
Let students fix cards on the fly without clutter |
Study Session: Self-Rated Learning
Removed pressure by letting them rate difficulty, not recall manually |
Progress Dashboard & Self-Assessment
Made growth feel visible — streaks, completion, mastery
FINAL DESIGN
The final UI delivered one card at a time with large tap zones, calming colors, progress-driven affirmations. Each interaction reinforced progress over pressure — and that emotional loop increased retention.
Visualizes progress to drive habits and motivation.
Instantly turns notes or audio into study cards.
Edit or approve cards in one tap.
Smart recall based on self-rated difficulty.
Combine AI + manual edits in one focused workspace.
TESTING & ITERATION
We ran two testing rounds. Students asked for less text, faster feedback, and reminders tied to their care schedules. After changes, task completion improved and students said it finally “fit their life.”
“I want to know if I’m doing better — not just finish a deck.”
Added visual dashboard for progress, streaks, and mastery.
"The explanations were overwhelming — I wasn’t sure how to adjust anything."
Simplified tooltips, toggles, and in-context walkthroughs.
"Planning my study days felt overwhelming — I just wanted it to work around my life."
Redesigned schedule flow with opt-in reminders and pileup prevention.
OUTCOMES & IMPACT
The product didn’t just ship — it worked. It showed that compassionate UX can drive adoption, emotional relief, and behavioral lift in a high-stakes environment.
92%
Reported better fit with school + care routines.
78%
More users completed 3+ day study streaks after reminders were added.
67%
Started a session within 10 sec of opening.
8 in 10
Said it helped reduce stress about falling behind.
REFLECTIONS
Designing for student caregivers meant more than simplifying UX — it meant respecting their time, energy, and reality. By focusing on progress over performance, I built something they could sustain — and feel good using.
REACH OUT!
If you're building for education, care, or real-life complexity, reach out: naoboru@sas.upenn.edu — I’d love to collaborate.