DAYBREAK

A personalised digital newspaper that transforms morning doomscrolling into intentional, calm, curated storytelling & conscious consumption.

Let's replace doomscrolling with focused content, curated for you — by you.

My Role: UX Designer & Researcher

Timeline: May – Aug 2024

Tools Used: Figma, Framer, Notion

Overview

01

The Problem

Social media doomscrolling has become the default morning routine for millions, filling minds with noise, negativity, and distraction before the day even begins. This habit depletes mental energy, creates anxiety, and pulls focus away from personal goals and growth.

02

The Solution

Daybreak is a desktop-first digital platform that reimagines the morning scroll as a curated, newspaper-style experience. Users receive personalised content aligned with their goals, interests, and aspirations transforming passive consumption into an intentional practice.

03

My Role

I led the end-to-end design process, conducting user research, defining problem space, creating wireframes & prototypes. Focused on understanding how people consume content in the morning and designing an experience that feels both familiar (like a newspaper) and transformative.

Research & Discovery

User Research Methods:

User Research Methods:

Conducted 10 interviews with individuals aged 20-50 who struggle with morning social media habits. Gathered quantitative data on morning routines, content consumption patterns, and goal-setting behaviours

Key Insights:

Users reported that the first 30 minutes after waking up significantly impacted their entire day's mood and productivity. Current social media feeds exploit this vulnerable state with algorithmically-driven, often negative content. Many users fondly remembered the ritual of reading a physical newspaper with coffee.

Competitive Analysis:

Analysed existing solutions in the mindfulness, productivity, and content curation spaces - Feedly/Flipboard; Morning Brew/theSkimm; Headspace; Pinterest

Journey Mapping (Pain Points):

Current Journey (Morning Doomscroll) Wake up → 2. Reach for phone → 3. Open social media → 4. Scroll mindlessly for 30-60 min → 5. Feel anxious/depleted → 6. Rush through morning routine → 7. Start day unfocused

Desired Journey (With Daybreak) Wake up → 2. Make coffee/tea → 3. Open Daybreak on desktop → 4. Read curated newspaper (15-20 min) → 5. Feel inspired/focused → 6. Intentional morning routine → 7. Start day aligned with goals

User Personas

Maya, 27

The Ambitious Professional.

"I want to start my day feeling motivated, not anxious."

  • Age: 26-35

  • Struggles with comparing herself to others on Instagram

  • Has career goals but loses focus scrolling through negativity

  • Needs: Daily motivation, industry insights, progress tracking

Mike, 28

The Intentional Learner

"I want to grow my mind, not numb it."

  • Age: 28-40

  • Committed to self-improvement and learning

  • Feels guilty about time wasted on social media

  • Needs: Educational content, skill-building resources, manifestation tools

Define & Ideate

Design
Goals:

  1. Create Containment: Design a finite, complete experience that respects users' time and attention (unlike infinite scroll)

  2. Enable Intentional Customization: Allow users to shape their content without overwhelming them with choices

  3. Feel Elevated, Not Clinical: Balance wellness/productivity with beauty and joy—this should feel like a treat, not homework

  4. Build Progressive Trust: Use AI and user feedback to get smarter over time while keeping the user in control

  5. Make Progress Visible: Help users see the impact of their new morning routine on their wellbeing

Brainstorming

Key Questions Explored:

  • How might we make content curation feel effortless yet personalized?

  • What makes a "newspaper" or newsletter format feel complete and satisfying?

  • How can we design feedback mechanisms that improve content without feeling burdensome?

  • What visual language communicates "high-vibrational" without being cliché?

Ideas Generated:

  • Modular newspaper sections users can arrange

  • Daily "editions" that feel like collecting issues

  • Swipe-to-replace for content you don't like

  • End-of-month "Year in Review" style recaps

  • Themes/aesthetics users can choose (minimal, vintage newspaper, modern magazine)

Information Architecture:

Information Architecture:

User Flows:

Flow 1: First-Time User Onboarding 1. Land on welcome page → 2. Introduced to Daybreak concept → 3. Select 3-5 main goals/themes → 4. Choose preferred content sources → 5. Set notification preferences → 6. Generate first newspaper → 7. Guided tour of features

Flow 2: Daily Newspaper Consumption 1. Open Daybreak → 2. View today's curated edition → 3. Read through sections → 4. Interact with content (save, delete, replace) → 5. Complete daily mood rating → 6. Close with intention

Flow 3: Content Refinement 1. Encounter unwanted content → 2. Click delete/replace → 3. AI generates alternative → 4. Provide quick feedback (thumbs up/down) → 5. System learns preferences → 6. Future editions improve

Design Solution

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Reflection

Reflection

What I Learned


User Psychology is Everything
Daybreak's success depends on understanding the emotional needs behind morning routines—creating a ritual that makes people feel in control and hopeful.

Constraints Can Be Liberating
The "newspaper" metaphor became the project's superpower, differentiating Daybreak through its contained, edition-based format.

Feedback Loops Matter
Small moments of user input can create massive personalization value without burdening users.

Next Steps

Next Steps

Phase 1

MVP Launch

  • Core newspaper experience with 8-10 section types

  • Basic AI content curation

  • Daily mood tracking

  • Desktop web app

Phase 2


Creating an Ecosystem

API for third-party integrations, Daybreak for Teams (workplace wellbeing), Premium content partnerships, "Daybreak at Night" evening reflection edition.

Constraints Can Be Liberating
The "newspaper" metaphor became the project's superpower, differentiating Daybreak through its contained, edition-based format.

Feedback Loops Matter
Small moments of user input can create massive personalization value without burdening users.

Business Considerations

Revenue Model:

  • Freemium: Basic edition free, premium features ($6.99/month)

  • Premium includes: unlimited section customisation, advanced analytics, ad-free, exclusive content partnerships

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