Waddle is a lightweight AI usage companion designed to help people use AI more intentionally, not less. Through baseline research, diary studies, and intervention testing, we found that the core issue with AI over-reliance is often not dramatic dependence, but invisible habit formation: small, repeated moments of defaulting to AI under pressure, fatigue, or low friction. Our project focused on making those habits more visible while preserving user autonomy, productivity, and trust.
We designed Waddle as a reflective layer that sits alongside existing AI workflows. The product passively tracks AI usage, visualizes it through a playful resource meter, and introduces soft nudges and end-of-day reflection rather than hard limits or restrictions. Across our process, we learned that users want a healthier relationship with AI, not abstinence. While our intervention study showed that passive awareness alone was not enough to meaningfully change behavior, it revealed an important design insight: future tools in this space need to go beyond tracking and create more context-aware, trustworthy, and meaningful moments for reflection. Waddle ultimately explores a product space between productivity tool and behavior-change intervention, aiming to support more mindful AI use without disrupting the real benefits AI provides.
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