Successful is an iOS app designed to help people acknowledge their daily achievements, no matter how small. My goal in designing this product is to help people improve the way they perceive themselves, and hopefully teach them how to give themselves some of the credit they deserve.

I started by considering all the things that people try to get done on a daily basis. Obviously, this is a long, long list: it could be as typical and automatic as brushing your teeth, or as uncommon and difficult as learning to backflip. So my next immediate step was to reduce those tasks down to their essential nature and identify any themes or categories amongst these goals; goals that may otherwise be invisible to us and so too our success in completing them.

What I didn’t want is to design a productivity app. This is different. This is about acknowledging things you otherwise may forget to acknowledge, not about checking goals off of a list.

More coming soon…

I got the idea for Sleep Sounds because I use my phone to fall asleep with noise loops. While at a coffee shop, I spoke to someone who also uses noise to sleep. She said she needs consistent, steady, unobtrusive noise because of her anxiety.

I researched popular sounds people use to sleep and found that I personally don't care about customizing or choosing from a variety of sounds; I just want to sleep. So, with Sleep Sounds, you can open the app and choose the noise you like with one tap. The app will experiment with different sounds to determine the best one for you. You can review your sleep score and get more details about your sleep on the dashboard screen.

I have tried a dozen GTD apps, including Things 3 and Sorted 3, and love them both for different reasons. However, my ideal GTD app would be a combination of both, and I call it "Thorted" 😂. I believe it strikes the perfect balance between a chronological structure and a to-do list, without requiring outright daily planning.

Keep track of your animals using an AirTag with my no-nonsense approach. Get all the essential information on the home screen and respond quickly using an action menu when necessary.

I came up with the idea of using a physical dimmer switch, which is likely installed in one of the rooms in your house, as a mental model. It made sense to preserve this model and reinforce it with a toggle between light and dark mode.

I had the idea to design this during Thanksgiving. With so many dishes being prepared simultaneously, it's easy to forget about one or more of them. Since most dishes require periodic checking while they cook, I included a "Repeat" function. Additionally, I added a "Snooze" feature to interrupt the Repeat. When you need to turn or mash the potatoes, the Snooze gives you enough time to do so without feeling rushed to keep up.

This is a dating app and it's designed to be fun. You might be wondering why there's so much color. While accessibility is a concern, I made sure the colors used provide accessible contrast and don't vibrate. I thought it would be a fun way to break the ice if the first thing you see when you match with someone is their favorite color. The prompts are presented in a list to encourage more meaningful conversation, rather than just asking "how are you?" Another feature is the "Ready to Meet" badge which, when toggled, prompts the modal on the right.

This is a UI pattern that I've come to appreciate. The settings modal is an effective way to make adjustments without feeling like you're interrupting your current task. I've often found the alternative of leaving the screen to be disruptive, like losing your place in a book you're reading. If this disruption can be avoided, it makes for a more seamless experience.

I did a little bit of branding here. FareWell is an airfare platform that aggregates mileage rewards into a single place. I followed common UI patterns to create the profile experience.

Inspired by the Braun calculator (very original), I decided to include a history function in my design. This feature comes in handy for those times when I'm several calculations deep and accidentally press the wrong mathematical function or hit clear. In addition, I made parentheses front-and-center to make it easier to perform multi-step calculations without having to break them down into individual parts.

My favorite part of this design is the progress indicator in the nav menu. Although I can't remember where I saw it first, it sends a crystal-clear message while saving space. Additionally, it appears in the navigation bar, making it easy to use.

This design makes sense because it’s responsive. It saves the need to make any additional considerations.

samueldsacks@gmail.com

719.663.9242