Design Critiques

Finch is a self-care app that works like a digital Tamagotchi. It blends nostalgic virtual pets with wellness routines. Users nurture a virtual pet bird by completing wellness tasks, check-ins, and reflections. As the Finch grows, so does the user’s sense of progress in their self-care journey. By following the app’s flow, from creating your […]

Astopia is an all in one astrology guide, with the goal of making difficult astrological principles understandable to everyday consumers. In this critique, I look at Astopia from the standpoint of a novice user. My focus is on how well the app bridges the gap between the user’s mental model and the system’s behavior, On

Wise is a money transfer platform that lets users send funds abroad, receive international payments, check exchange rates, and pay bills globally. In this critique, I examine the experience of a user who depends on a personal Wise account to exchange money with her sister studying and working overseas. My analysis draws on Don Norman’s

This critique explores the Kitty Collector app, launched in 2014, which appears outdated compared to 2025’s small gaming apps. Despite its age, the developers (Hit Point Co. Ltd.) have effectively addressed key design elements, reflecting Japan’s emphasis on user experience. The app is crafted with the mental model of cat lovers in mind, avoiding the hook of prolonged screen time, a challenge even for small game apps today.

Wordle is a web-based word game in which players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word, receiving feedback through colored tiles that indicate correct letters and their placement. The New York Times Games publishes a single puzzle daily, available on both its website and NYT Games mobile app.

Introduction Chase is one of the largest banks in the United States, serving millions of customers through its online and mobile banking services. Having personally used the app for everyday banking, I have noticed both strengths and shortcomings in its usability. Using Don Norman’s concepts from The Design of Everyday Things, I will analyze a

The app “Garmin Connect” is studied here with its smartwatch use case. It syncs activities, stats, and settings between app and watch. While there is more to evaluate in the overall UX, this critique focuses only on one specific user flow, using concepts from Don Norman’s Design of Everyday Things.