——— Mock ups
——— App Store Thumbnails
made in figma
App Store Process
008
As of today we submitted our app to the App store for beta test review. We set a date back
in May and now that we built this from the ground up, it feel fulfilling.
Takeaways
009
——— Enjoy the
Process
——— IOS
interfaces
Design ins't something that comes over night. When I decided to go into UI/UX I had no
idea that I would be sitting in front of a computer for hours on end, but I've grown to
enjoy the process. Creativity takes patients and throughout this project I was tested many
times
I've gotten very familiar with the tools Figma offers, as well as Framer from building this website.
Im truly grateful for Joshua Jenkins for coming to me with this idea, we've been friends for 10
years now and to work on this project with him has been nothing short of a blessing.
Focusing on creating layouts that feel both intuitive and emotionally engaging. I learned how
important it is to follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines while still leaving space for
creativity, especially when balancing visual hierarchy with minimal, distraction-free design.
Building interactive components helped me understand how micro-interactions like smooth
transitions, clear navigation, and subtle animations—can make an app feel natural and
trustworthy. More importantly, I learned to design interfaces that don’t just look good but
also guide users seamlessly through emotional storytelling, which became a core principle of
Recallia’s user experience.
Chasing Nostalgia
No dedicated space for reflection and nostalgia, especially
important for Gen Z and Millennials navigating major life transitions.
Centralized Experience
People juggle multiple tools: photo albums, notes apps, social
media, but none integrate emotions, photos, and daily reflection in
one place.
Emotional Disconnect
People want to relive the emotions behind their memories, but
most apps only focus on visuals. Photos feel flat without context or
reflection.
Memory Overload
Scrolling through thousands of images to find a specific moment is
time-consuming and frustrating.
Problem
004
007
Design Ideas
moments
start scrolling
search
Gallery
Recall
Profile
add tags
home feed
log in
launch
page
button
Key
filter
take moment
create moment
add to drafts
gallery
recall
profile
monthly
(view)
weekly
moments
discover more
——— App Structure
——— Low Fidelety
Ideas Following
We wanted a seamless user experience. Structuring the app around moments and the idea of
creating moments helped us in the long run. By doing so users move with the app rather than
through it.
After user story mapping, I created low-fidelity user flows to turn concepts into actionable
designs. These visual blueprints outlined user interactions, helping us refine the journey and
identify issues.
Original ideas for the app was very much "rough". I created a skeleton interface and later
implemented features and aesthetics.
Experimental gallery view, was playing with colors and layout. Initially I wanted to color
coordinate each month, but soon realized it was extremely unpleasant to the eye.
These are the feature screens. Camera (middle) where we capture a moment. Recall (right) where
users can discover more and remember. Home (left), this is an old iteration and home has changed
since
007
High-Fidelity
After user research and given the past iterations, features, and color palettes, I locked in the
these interfaces.
———The decision
——— Finalized Designs
Main core loop. From moment -> Gallery -> Weekly -> Recall
Asked participants to capture a memory (photo + reflection).
Had them revisit the memory using Recallia’s timeline.
Compared the process to scrolling their phone’s gallery.
Collected feedback on speed, emotional clarity, and ease of use.
Questions Asked
Recallia was 2.3x faster than scrolling through a
default gallery.
Users described the app as “more meaningful” and “less overwhelming.”
Emotion tags were the most valued feature for reflection.
Results
Participants found Recallia not only quicker but more emotionally engaging than traditional photo galleries. While galleries stored data, Recallia helped them remember with meaning, making it the preferred tool for authentic recall.
Summary
——— Metrics and Research
——— Step-by-Step Testing Process
Recruitment
12 participants (mix of students, young professionals, and siblings — aligning with Recallia’s personas).
Balanced between people who frequently use photo galleries and those who don’t organize their photos.
Task Set-up
Asked participants to “Find a memory that made you feel happy/sentimental from the past month.”
Each participant completed this task twice:
Using their phone’s default photo gallery.
Using Recallia’s prototype (with emotion tags + timeline).
Observation Method
Number of steps/clicks taken.
Whether participants could also recall the feeling behind the memory.
Post Task
Interview
Asked how easy or difficult each method felt.
Asked which method felt more emotionally satisfying vs. more efficient.
Captured direct quotes (e.g., “I felt less overwhelmed with Recallia” or “The gallery just felt cluttered”).
12
Participants
9
Recallia
Preferred
2.3x
Fast Recall
Mark
26
New Grad
Context
User Journey
Marcus just moved to a new city for his first job after grad school. He feels a bit isolated and misses the authentic connection he had
with college friends.
Marcus journals life milestones like his first apartment and new job. He uses Recallia to share timelines with distant friends and stay
connected. He often finds himself rereading his moments during college.
Emily
20
College student
Context
User Journey
Emily is enjoying her early years in college, she like to go out with friends, play basketball, and travel. She takes a lot of pictures and
often forgets the context behind each one.
Emily uses Recallia to create a shared timeline with roommates, capturing both the photos and the feelings attached. She values
nostalgia and enjoys rereading about her nights out with friends.
Jasmine
29
Married, family-foucsed
Context
User Journey
Jasmine is married and lives far from her younger brother. She’s sentimental about family milestones but finds them scattered across
albums and group chats
Jasmine co-creates a sibling timeline with her brother and builds a scrapbook of her marriage journey with her spouse using Recallia.
Target Audience
005
Nostalgia chasing Gen Z and Millennials. People who are emotionally reflective and like to articulate feelings,
keeping memories through exciting times in life
Anti-hype: Those who are tried of nosy social media
Ideal Use Cases: College students, People navigating major life changes, couples co-creating timeline, Post
grad emotions
Approach
006
With nostalgia in mind me and my co-founder focused on the following
——— Our Ideas
We decided to use a warm color palette as warm colors feel more welcoming and nostalgic.
For the majority of the app our topography is rounded and simple as our approach was
lighthearted evading any harsh or bold interfaces.
"YOU" centered design
Instead of just storing photos, Recallia helps you capture how you felt in each moment, giving your memories deeper meaning.
With personalized recaps and easy ways to revisit shared timelines, you can reflect, connect, and relive life’s milestones without
getting lost in endless photo scrolls.
Memory-First Design
Recallia is built around you and your emotions, not algorithms. By combining photos with emotional reflections, the app gives you
a deeper way to capture and revisit your personal journey.
Shared-Timelines
We make it easy for you to co-create memory collections with friends, siblings, or partners. Whether it’s a trip, a semester, or a
milestone, everyone’s moments and feelings come together in one meaningful timeline.
Personalized Recaps
With AI-powered summaries, Recallia helps you reflect on your growth over time. Weekly, monthly, or yearly recaps highlight
not just what you did, but how you felt, making nostalgia effortless and authentic.
#F6E7DD
#f4465c
#fdedee
#821425
#fac8cb
#F69098
#F3B801
#F69098
#F69D1F
#69604E
It's a simple idea: create an app what centralizes emotions, pictures,
and memories - all in one place. Designed to capture not just what
happened, but how it felt.
Figma
Notion
Procreate
Toolkit
Team
Role
Skills
Joshua Jenkins
Charlie Wang
UI/UX Design
Prototyping
Identity Branding
Lead Designer
My Role
001
My was responsibility as Lead Designer of Recallia, is overseeing every design aspect of the project from
inception to final delivery. My role consisted of planning and executing research strategies, executing the
design direction, and ensuring that each phase aligned with our goals.
Product Preview
002
Started end of my junior year at USC, we followed the double diamond design process
Timeline
003
Discover
Deliver
Define
Develop
Delivery
App Structure
Initial Research
User interviews to develop
understanding
Mapping the system
Design system and final
fidelity prototyping
May
July
Aug-Sep
