Final Writeup

Baseline Study

Study Overview

The baseline study aimed to understand the current experiences, motivations, and challenges that students face in developing a consistent stretching habit.

Key Research Questions

• Why do students want to stretch? Identifying the most compelling motivators allows us to integrate them into our design, ensuring that prompts and rewards create a positive feedback loop that sustains engagement.
• What are students’ goals around stretching? Understanding students’ desired outcomes helps us tailor our solution to meet their needs, increasing its perceived value and long-term use.
• What challenges are students facing around stretching? Recognizing these barriers enables us to design interventions that reduce friction, making it easier for students to form a consistent stretching habit.

Purpose

By addressing these questions, the study sought to inform the design of an intervention that would effectively encourage students to integrate stretching into their daily routines.

Study Methodology

To understand students’ stretching habits, motivations, and challenges, we conducted a 4-day diary study supplemented by pre- and post-study interviews.

• Method: By asking participants to log in their diary when and where, we captured real-time behaviors, reducing recall bias. Further, by asking participants to log why they stretched and any obstacles they faced, we encouraged reflection that addresses our research question.
• Duration: The study spanned four days, allowing us to observe short-term habit formation. Pre-study interviews established baseline behaviors, while post-study interviews provided deeper reflections over the entire study.
• Rigor: By combining self-reported data with structured interviews, we ensured a comprehensive and reliable dataset.

Participant Recruitment

We recruited students aged 18-25 as college students often experience prolonged sedentary periods and juggle demanding lifestyles, leading to muscle tension and a need for accessible habit forming techniques.

• Selection Criteria: Participants were screened to ensure they stretched 0-2 times per week but aimed to stretch 3-5 times per week or daily. This ensured we studied individuals struggling to build a habit despite their clear intention.
• Relevance: We leveraged Stanford wellness and fitness mailing lists to reach students already interested in health-related behaviors, increasing the likelihood of engagement and meaningful insights.

Raw Data → Grounded Theory

We dug deeper into our raw data with affinity and frequency mapping. We welcome you to explore these maps in further detail here.

From these maps and insights, we developed this grounded theory document. This reveals several key trends, contradictions, and tensions that address our key questions. 

To develop our grounded theories, we utilized affinity mapping—a qualitative research method that organizes data into clusters based on natural relationships. This approach enabled us to identify patterns and themes within our data, facilitating a deeper understanding of the underlying issues. 

By systematically grouping related observations, affinity mapping allowed us to synthesize complex information into coherent categories. This process not only highlighted recurring themes, which was further emphasized by our frequency mapping, but also revealed nuanced insights that might have been overlooked otherwise. Consequently, our analysis was grounded in a structured framework, ensuring that our grounded theories accurately reflected the data’s inherent patterns.

Addressing Key Question 1: Why do students want to stretch?

• A significant tension exists between the short-term effectiveness of extrinsic motivation in initiating stretching habits and the long-term sustainability of such externally driven behaviors. Hence, we can intervene by designing solutions that transition from external to internal motivation over time.

Addressing Key Question 2: What are students’ goals around stretching?

• There’s a clear contradiction between students’ awareness of stretching benefits and their actual prioritization of the practice. While many acknowledge the importance of stretching, it often falls low on their list of priorities, especially when competing with academic demands. Thus, we can intervene by clearly communicating stretching benefits, especially in relation to academic performance.

Addressing Key Question 3: What challenges are students facing around stretching?

• There’s a notable conflict between students’ desire for control over their time and the potential benefits of spontaneity in forming new habits. Environmental and social factors also create tension, as students feel limited in where they can comfortably stretch, often restricting themselves to private spaces or designated exercise areas. So, we can intervene by normalizing stretching in various campus environments to expand “acceptable” stretching areas.

Our users, primarily Stanford students, are operating under high-stress conditions with packed schedules and competing priorities. They need solutions that seamlessly integrate stretching into their existing routines without adding perceived cognitive load or time pressure. What’s working for some students is anchoring stretching habits to established daily activities, such as morning coffee routines or bedtime rituals. Short, manageable stretching sessions and variety in stretching routines have also shown promise in maintaining engagement. We will leverage this by developing “habit stacking” strategies and diverse, micro-stretching sessions.

What’s not working is the reliance on willpower alone to establish stretching habits, especially when students are fatigued or stressed. The perception of stretching as a low-priority activity compared to academic work is a significant barrier. Additionally, the limited environments where students feel comfortable stretching is hindering consistent practice. We will combat this by providing low-friction, easy-to-follow routines that can be done anywhere—from laying in bed to sitting in a 100+ students lecture hall.

System Models

The diagrams reveal that students often skip stretching due to perceived time constraints, lack of awareness, low motivation, and environmental discomfort. Many feel too busy, unaware of the benefits, or find stretching boring and awkward to fit into their routines. Instead of framing the problem as “students don’t stretch because they lack time,” a more accurate problem statement would be: “Students do not prioritize stretching due to competing demands, lack of habit, and low perceived value.”

A possible intervention could involve reframing stretching as a quick, mindful break rather than a chore, integrating it into existing routines (e.g., study breaks), and creating social or environmental cues to encourage participation. By making stretching feel effortless, rewarding, and normalized, students may be more likely to engage in this practice.

Secondary Research

Our literature review and comparator analysis revealed several key insights that influenced our ideation phase.

We invite you to explore the visual above containing in-depth evidence, findings, and citations here. From our literature review, the following key insights emerged:

• We learned from Reguero (2023) in a study of stretching by university students that people lack stretching education. When surveyed, even university students studying Physical Education only knew 1.87 stretching techniques (not even two!). Thus, we should provide our users easy to follow, in-depth guidance while they stretch, removing a significant barrier to stretching.
• Since stretching inconsistently makes its effects temporary (Behm, David G., et al. 2016) and stretching consistency bears greater effects than intensity and duration (Warneke, Konstantin, et al. 2022), we should guide our users in achieving their desired results, improving the reward and increasing their motivation to stretch.
• The StretchArms study (Kim, SangBin, SinJae Lee, and JungHyun Han 2018) found that people stretched an average of 4.75 more times per day with reminders, 8.13 more times when adding feedback, and 7.14 more times when adding gamification. Hence, we should provide our users reminders, real-time feedback, and wellness-conscious gamification, helping them habit build and effectively increasing their motivation.
• Because people prefer customizable and flexible/adaptive reminders (Kim 2018) and people stretch more if incorporated with the context of their preferences and routine (Phillips, L. Alison, et al. 2024), we should tailor our methods per user and allow them to adapt as desired, seamlessly integrating stretching to help form a sustainable habit.

If you would like even more detailed evidence, insights, and how they influenced our ideation phase, refer here.

Comparator Analysis 2×2 Map

We analyzed the competition using two key axes:

• Effort: How much effort is required from the user to engage?
• Focus: How niche is the competitor? Is its sole focus on the task its intended for, or does it include additional incentives/features?

We felt these axes were important since many of our diary study participants excelled in engaging in the habit when it required low effort from them; however, almost always did not stretch if it required high effort from them. Also, since we are interested in helping users form a stretching habit, this requires a more robust over niche program.

Our map reveals that most existing stretching solutions fall into two categories:

1. High-effort, niche apps (e.g. StretchLab, Recharge, Contemplative Programs, STRETCHIT, Pliability)
   • Design Approach: Information-dense UI, structured programs, detailed instructional content.
   • User Experience: Requires high activation effort; users need to proactively select and commit to a stretching routine.
   • Visual Style: Clean, professional, and targeted toward dedicated users.
   • Engagement Mechanisms: Primarily focuses on guided stretching programs with long-term goals.

STRETCHIT Visuals: Information dense and catered to niche high effort audience

1. Low-effort, broad apps (e.g. BeReal, WeStretch)
   • Design Approach: Gamified elements with 3D avatars, leaderboards, and streak tracking.
   • User Experience: Minimal activation effort; users can engage with stretching without significant motivation or commitment.
   • Visual Style: More casual and playful, using animations and interactive graphics.
   • Engagement Mechanisms: Emphasizes low-commitment sessions with incentives like streaks, challenges, and leaderboards.

WeStretch: Incentives users with 3D visuals, leaderboard, and promise of low effort

Why is Stretchy in the Top Right (Low Effort, Broad Focus)?

1. Low Effort (Minimal Activation)

• Seamless Integration: Fits into routines without requiring commitment.
• Habit-Driven: Uses reminders, feedback, and gamification to encourage consistency.
• On-Demand: Quick accessible stretching guidance.

2. Broad Focus (Beyond Just Stretching)

• Gamified & Engaging: Leaderboards, streaks, and rewards keep users motivated.
• Personalized & Adaptive: Context-aware reminders tailored to user behavior.
• Accessible to All: Designed for general users, not just fitness enthusiasts.

How This Differentiates Stretchy from Competitors

• High-Effort, Niche Apps (e.g., StretchLab, STRETCHIT): These assume users are already motivated and need structured programs, making engagement harder for beginners.
• Low-Effort, Broad Apps (e.g., WeStretch, BeReal): These make stretching easily accessible but fail to support long-term habit formation, reducing user retention.

By combining habit-first stretching with low-effort engagement, Stretchy aims to eliminate barriers to entry while ensuring users stick to their stretching routines over time. 

Proto-Personas

We developed Shame Shawn, Procrastinating Pam, and Booked and Busy Beetrice because they all represent common student experiences: recognizing the benefits of stretching, but struggling to form a habit due to external pressures, avoidance tendencies, or packed schedules.

From these proto-personas and their journey maps, the following insights emerged:

• Since Shame Shawn needs reminders from people, we can provide socially-driven stretching cues such as group-based stretching during study group sessions, sports sessions, etc.
• Since Procrastinating Pam is often triggered by avoidance, we can provide subtle, friendly reminders rather than pressure-based prompts
• Since Booked and Busy Beetrice will immediately eliminate interruptions, we can integrate with users’ calendars and provide reminders that don’t conflict with their schedules.
• We can provide short, ultra-low-effort stretches that…
  • can be done in social settings, making it easier for Shame Shawn to stay accountable through peer participation.
  • feel easy to start, reducing the mental friction that leads to avoidance for Procrastinating Pam.
  • can be done while sitting, leveraging the sedentary lifestyle of Booked and Busy Beetrice.

Feel free to view our proto personas and journey maps closer here.

Intervention Design

Study Overview

We conducted a 3-day intervention study with 4 participants who already valued stretching but sought greater consistency. Our key research question was: Is external social pressure effective in initiating a consistent stretching habit?

Participants were placed on a digital leaderboard, advancing each day they stretched, regardless of duration. They self-reported their daily stretches via a Google Form, and updated leaderboard standings were shared in a dedicated group chat.

 

Tracking Progress & Reinforcing Consistency

Participant J highlighted behavior visualization’s power by noting they forgot to log their stretch once, stating, “I’m really competitive… [so] I’m going to make sure I don’t forget [again].” Participants W and G both attributed their motivation directly to the leaderboard, with G noting,“[I stretched to] keep the routine, even if it’s not perfect, it’s something.” This insight underscores progress-based motivation, emphasizing consistency over perfection.

Motivation Insights & Key Takeaways

Mapping participants’ motivation responses revealed key insights:

• Competition’s Dual Nature: Participant G found universal participation motivating (“harder to make excuses not to stretch”), whereas Participant W felt demotivated by it (“we all did it”). This illustrates varied reactions to competition and the need to balance uniqueness with social pressure.
• Decreasing Motivation: Participant W’s initially high motivation decreased significantly over time, suggesting that competition alone isn’t sustainable. Thus, our solution must include diverse motivational nudges beyond the leaderboard.
• Community and Social Bonding: Participant D indicated greater potential motivation if they personally knew other participants, reinforcing that competition involves social connection and community-building. Our final design will therefore emphasize social engagement features.

Conclusion & Design Implications

These findings shape our approach: integrating external motivation (leaderboard) with internal recognition and community-driven interactions to foster long-term habit formation.

Assumption Map

Key Insights

We assume that students don’t stretch because they lack the motivation to build this habit – possible reasons for this include being overwhelmed by school, relying on weak and inconsistent cues, and lack of awareness about the importance of stretching. We want to test these assumptions by experimenting with different types of cues/motivators (social, informative, low-effort) to determine what techniques are most effective in encouraging users to build a stretching habit.

Overwhelm from school is a major barrier to stretching.

• Users are overwhelmed with school responsibilities, which makes it hard to prioritize stretching. We’re testing if a brief stretch break feels manageable during study time when framed as a challenge. Since lack of time makes users deprioritize stretching, we want to validate if short, easy prompts can cut through that overwhelm.

Current solutions are reactive, weak, and lack structure

• Users rely on weak personal prompts, and current solutions are inconsistent and reactive. They don’t drive long-term habit formation. We’re testing whether social + time-sensitive prompts improve responsiveness. This addresses the weakness of personal, passive prompts by seeing if peer-driven or urgent cues are more effective.

Loss aversion might be a stronger motivator than gain

• Users understand stretching is good for them but don’t prioritize it because they only see it as a gain (benefit) and not as a loss when skipped. We’re testing if people feel more motivated by the consequences of not stretching than the benefits, to verify if loss aversion may drive stronger behavior change.

Assumption Tests

Key Insights

For Assumption Test #1, we asked participants to complete this survey. As you can see in the table above, people are equally motivated by the consequences and benefits of stretching – on average, they rated their levels of motivation as 7.67 and 7.83, respectively, on a scale from 1-10. We’ll employ both types of motivators in our messaging (nudges, loading screens, etc) – the variety will also help keep things interesting!

In Assumption Test #2, we challenged participants to stretch during the evening and intentionally didn’t offer instructions related to the length of the stretches. 75% of the people we contacted actually participated in the challenge – this tells us that spontaneous, low-effort stretching challenges are effective. Respondents reported stretching from a range of 30 seconds to over 6 minutes, so we’ll offer a variety of guided stretches that fall within this range in our solution.

In Assumption Test #3, we asked a group of friends to send a photo of themselves stretching on the spot – as you can see, the playful banter indicates that stretching with friends can make otherwise mundane habits fun! Based on this, we will build social features into our solution to increase motivation and make building habits enjoyable.

Storyboards

We present three storyboards, each inspired by a proto-persona: Booked and Busy Beetrice, Procrastinating Pam, and Shame Shawn. These interventions directly address key research questions by targeting specific behavioral challenges. For a more in depth explanation of each storyboard with lists of pros and cons, please refer to our blog post here.

Storyboard #1: Context-Based Stretching Nudges

Considerations:

• Effectiveness of real-time nudges: For users like Beetrice, who have packed schedules, timely nudges can be helpful but may also be ignored if they arrive at inconvenient moments, such as during meetings or deep work.
• Notification fatigue: Beetrice, who already receives numerous alerts, may disable notifications if they feel overwhelming, reducing the intervention’s impact.
• Lack of social reinforcement: This method relies solely on individual motivation, which may not work for users like Shame Shawn, who benefit from external accountability and social motivation.
• Integration with workflow: If the nudges can sync with Beetrice’s calendar or work schedule, they may be more effective in reminding her to stretch at appropriate moments.

Storyboard #2: Personalized Stretching Notifications

Considerations:

• User engagement with reminders: While scheduled notifications provide structure, users like Pam may still procrastinate and dismiss them, requiring additional engagement strategies like streak tracking or small rewards.
• Balancing flexibility and structure: While customization allows users to set their own schedules, too much flexibility may lead to inconsistent engagement, particularly for Pam, who struggles with self-discipline.
• Ease of setup: Beetrice, who values efficiency, may appreciate the ability to schedule stretches at times that fit her routine, but if the setup process is too time-consuming, she may not engage with it.
• Effectiveness for socially motivated users: Since this intervention is self-driven, it may not be as effective for Shawn, who benefits from social accountability rather than self-set reminders.

StoryBoard #3: Social Stretching

Considerations:

• Dependence on social engagement: This intervention is well-suited for Shawn, as it provides the external accountability he needs. However, users like Beetrice, who have packed schedules, may not have time to participate in group check-ins or challenges.
• Potential for social pressure: While friendly competition can be motivating for Shawn, it may also create stress or discourage users like Pam, who may avoid participation if they perceive themselves as underperforming.
• Privacy concerns: Some users, including Beetrice, may be hesitant to share their stretching activity or sync their calendars with a group.
• Long-term engagement: If a user’s social group loses interest, their motivation may decline, making it important to incorporate additional intrinsic motivators to sustain engagement.

System Paths

 

Process

The process began by mapping each persona’s motivations, behaviors, and typical app interactions individually to understand how they would engage with the system. This allowed us to identify unique entry points driven by distinct notification types—productivity cues for Beatrice, guilt-based streak warnings for Pam, and social invitations for Shawn. From there, we charted their paths through the app together, focusing on key decision points and actions.

Key Insights

A major insight from this process was how, despite different motivations, all users naturally converge at the core stretch flow—loading screen, guided stretches, and leaderboard updates. This revealed an opportunity to streamline design around shared features while using personalized notifications to drive initial engagement. Mapping these flows helped clarify where to offer tailored experiences (e.g., nudging Shame Shawn with personalized notification) versus where consistency supports usability (e.g., stretch routine selection).

Divergence occurs post-stretch: Beatrice often exits quickly, Pam may hesitate to engage further, and Shawn is more likely to nudge friends or explore Friends Activity. While notifications personalize entry, the core stretch flow unites users, allowing for targeted engagement without fragmenting the app experience.

MVP Features

Our core focus features categorized into three categories and for each part of the user story map journey and user journey, the actual core features we are implementing are listed under these categories within our list of features below:

• Personalized Reminders
  • Request permission for notifications.
  • Stretch Reminders (e.g., “Did you stretch today?” notification from avatar).
  • Stretch in App (users can follow guided stretches).

• Social Accountability
  • Request permission for contacts.
  • Invite/add friends during onboarding.
  • Leaderboard to track progress and encourage competition.

• Tracking Progress
  • Sign-up/registration for account (collect personal info: name, email, etc.).
  • Log Stretch Feature (users can track their stretch activity).

Bubble Map

Starting with MVP features, we mapped how they connect within the user experience. Using system paths and proto-personas, we identified which features are central for different user needs, shaping the size and placement of each bubble. This helped us streamline flows—like ensuring quick access to stretches—and address accessibility through custom routines and coach selection. The bubble map became a tool to visualize feature interaction, reduce friction, and align design with real user behaviors.

Key Insights

• Quick Access Reduces Friction: Users like Procrastinating Pam need minimal steps. Notifications link directly to relevant screens, with fast access to Guided Stretches from Home.
• Social Accountability Motivates: Shame Shawn benefits from social nudges. The Leaderboard, Friend Streaks, and Friends Activity tap into social proof and friendly competition.
• Efficiency for Busy Users: Booked and Busy Beetrice values speed. Guided Stretches show time estimates for easy, quick-start routines.

Interaction Design
Wireflows

For Shame Shawn to succeed in habit formation, he requires structured commitments and social cues from friends. Thus, we structured the onboarding process to immediately allow users like Shawn to personalize their experience (tailoring their own structured commitment) and connect with friends early on. Since Shame Shawn only stretches when external pressure is applied, we also quickly ask for notification permissions to provide socially-driven stretching cues through reminders from friends who have completed their stretches. The wireflow was made this way because it prioritizes social motivation, habit formation, and personalization/customization. By incorporating leaderboards, social encouragement (friends), and structured routines (like reminders), the app ensures that users like Shawn are more likely to stay consistent with stretching and turn it into a daily habit.

Sketchy Screens

Our team created Sketchy Screens for the Start/Welcome Screen, the Home Page/Leaderboard Screen, and the Add Friends/Contacts Screen. The FigJam above, which you can explore here, shows our team taking turns critiquing one another’s work. screen. These critiques improved our designs in the following ways:

Welcome Screen

Pre-Critiques

Post-Critiques

The earth design was chosen based on feedback that it “centers around stretching with friends”—a key factor for Shame Shawn, who relies on external motivation. This design helps transition extrinsic motivation into an intrinsic habit, aligning with our goal of long-term engagement.

To improve usability, we retained large sign-up/sign-in buttons, as teammates noted that “giant buttons make [the] next step super clear!” Smaller buttons made navigation harder, so this change ensures a clear call to action.

A teammate pointed out that the original title was “less clear [about] what the app is about.” To address this, we revised it to “Join Stretchy and Friends”, making the purpose explicit while maintaining an inviting tone.

Finally, we integrated Stretchy, the mascot, into the design. Stretchy now holds the sign-up button and remains at the center of the globe, reinforcing the app’s theme of social connection through stretching.

Invite Friends/Contacts Screen

Pre-Critiques

Post-Critiques

To improve clarity, we replaced the “i” icon with an “add” icon, as teammates found the original symbol unclear.

We also incorporated stretching elements into profile visuals and section headers, making the interface more dynamic and reinforcing the app’s theme.

To make inviting friends more engaging, we reworded labels:

• “Potential Stretch Buddies! – They’ll thank you for it ;)”
• “Guess who’s already stretching!!”

These playful changes align with Shame Shawn’s need for external motivation, making the process feel more social and rewarding.

A new feature displaying friends’ stretch streaks was added to provide visible social proof, encouraging users to stay active.

Home Page/Leaderboard Screen

Pre-Critiques

Post-Critiques

A teammate noted that the original design “had a lot going on, so it was a bit difficult to determine what the user was supposed to do.” To address this, we moved the leaderboard to the top, ensuring immediate visibility of rankings and motivation.

We also introduced personalized encouragement messages:

• If ahead: Reinforces progress.
• If behind: Encourages catching up.

This approach leverages social pressure to keep Shame Shawn engaged.

Finally, we decluttered the layout to make the primary action—stretching—more obvious, ensuring users can easily navigate and stay motivated.

Mood Board

A key feature of our app, Stretchy, is allowing users to set their stretching intentions, enabling a tailored experience. To capture the diversity of these intentions, we structured our mood board into four regions, each representing a core user persona:

• Yellow (top left): represents users stretching for fitness. The energizing yellow encourages an active mindset and mobility goals.
• Ivory/Cream (top right): represents users with sedentary lifestyles. The minimalist design ensures stretching feels seamless rather than a distraction.
• Blue (bottom left): represents users stretching for mental wellness. The calming blue fosters relaxation and mindfulness.
• Green (bottom right): represents stretching for overall health. The green symbolizes longevity and well-being.

Pink (spread out): represents joy and fun, fostering long-term habit formation by framing stretching as a rewarding activity rather than an obligation.

Style Tile

Our “Stretchy” app style tile was designed with a playful yet purposeful approach, using a color palette of joyful pink, mindful blue, energizing yellow, and grounding orange that invites users to embark upon a dynamic stretching experience. We aim to encourage our users to stretch with leaderboards that celebrate the user with encouragements like “You’re in the lead! Keep your crown :)”. In a similar manner, one of our adorable coaches featured on the login screen of our app, “Snuffles,” reminds everyone that caring for your health can be fun and rewarding, therefore sparking joy. Through rounded corners and flexible color schemes, we’ve designed an interface where stretching feels less like a chore, and instead feels like a casual and enjoyable invitation to join friends for a revitalizing break.

Prototype

Stretchy is a personalized stretching app designed to help college students build and maintain a consistent stretching habit. By integrating adaptive reminders, social engagement, and customizable stretch coaches, the app tailors the experience to different motivation styles—whether users thrive on accountability, efficiency, or gentle nudges. In our usability testing, we aim to evaluate the clarity and ease of three key features: account creation, coach selection and notification setup, and performing a guided stretch. We want to assess whether users can seamlessly set up their preferences, understand their coach’s role in shaping their experience, and complete a guided stretch without confusion or unnecessary friction.

Usability Report

An insurmountable amount of valuable insights emerged from our user study. If you are curious, we invite you to view our full Usability Report here. We have detailed the most important findings below:

1. Missing Back Buttons (Severe) – Users struggled with navigation during onboarding and coach selection.

   

    

2. Guided Stretch Confusion (Severe) – Users expected to start a stretch immediately after mode selection but encountered extra steps or were thrown into a stretch without context

   

3. Unclear Coach Purpose (Severe) – Users liked the concept but didn’t understand coach impact.

   

    

4. Leaderboard Ambiguity (Moderate) – Users didn’t understand what metrics it tracked.

   

    

5. Streak Visuals Lacked Clarity (Trivial) – Tracker looked like unrelated apps and wasn’t engaging.

   

6. Routine Details Unclear (Trivial) – Users wanted to know stretch length and content upfront.

   

    

7. Coach Bios Too Long (Trivial) – Text-heavy bios felt overwhelming.

   

Final Prototype

The culmination of each study resulted in our final prototype, Stretchy! You can dive into all of our screens here, and explore the four user/task flows below here.