Mosaic

A productivity app that bridges the gap between long-term goals and daily tasks.

Project

UX/UI Design Case Study

Timeline

June 2025

Role

UX Research, UI Design

Tools

Figma, Notion

Problem

I believe there should be a stronger connection between the goals we set for our lives and the projects we commit to in service of those goals. Right now, it often feels like there's a gap between "big-picture" ambitions and the day-to-day work that's supposed to lead us there. What I really want is for these projects to act as bridges—so that every task you check off is directly tied back to one of your larger goals.

By aligning your daily to-dos with the objectives you've outlined for the month or year, you stay motivated and keep your eye on the ultimate prize. Here's what I do: I maintain a Notion page (about 520 entries long) where all my goals are organized into clear categories. Once those categories become my high-level goals, I treat each one as a "project" in its own right. From there, I assign specific to-dos to each project. That way, when I review my tasks at the start of each day, I know exactly which daily actions will move me closer to achieving my most important goals.

Daily recurring routines such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Personal habits that support well-being like journaling, reading, meditating, exercising.

Work-related tasks such as meetings, reports, contracts, presentations.

Design & business projects—UI work, branding, layouts, planning.

No Guided Goal Definition

Apps rarely guide users in breaking big goals into actionable milestones.

Lack of Adaptive Re-Planning

Deadlines don't auto-adjust when plans slip.

Insufficient Motivation

Without small rewards, finishing tasks feels dull.

No Seamless Tool Integration

Goal tools can't sync smoothly with calendars or boards.

Lack of Data-Driven Insights

Users miss analytics on progress trends.

Difficulty Managing Multiple Goals

Managing several goals at once is confusing.

Missing Context-Aware Recommendations

Tools ignore context like time, place, and energy.

No Easy Impact Prioritization

Tasks aren't ranked by true impact.

Weak Habit-Goal Integration

Habits aren't linked to yearly goals.

Limited Social Accountability

Most apps offer only basic shared lists, not structured check-ins or peer feedback loops. The social motivation factor remains largely untapped.

The Current Market

The productivity app landscape is fragmented, with users cobbling together multiple tools that don't communicate with each other. Each solution addresses only part of the puzzle, leaving gaps between goal-setting, task management, and calendar integration.

Flexible but Complex Tools

Notion is powerful but needs heavy setup and lacks reminders.

Limited Free Features

Todoist free limits filters, reminders, and progress views.

Short-term Focus

Microsoft To Do focuses on daily lists, not long-term milestones.

Disconnected Features

TickTick's extras don't connect tasks to yearly goals.

Team-First Design

Trello favors team boards and paywalled add-ons over personal goals.

Overwhelming Complexity

Asana and ClickUp overwhelm solo users with enterprise complexity.

Temporal Limitations

Calendars schedule events but ignore task hierarchies and goals.

Premium Barriers

Any.do hides robust sync and recurrence behind paywalls.

Concept

Mosaic transforms how we think about productivity by creating clear connections between what we dream of achieving and what we do every day. Instead of having scattered to-do lists and forgotten goals, the app organizes your life into meaningful projects that each serve a larger purpose.

The core idea is simple: every task belongs to a project, and every project serves a goal. When you check off a task, you're not just completing a random item—you're making tangible progress toward something that matters to you. This creates a sense of momentum and purpose that traditional productivity apps often miss.

Think of it as building a mosaic where each small tile (your daily tasks) contributes to a beautiful, complete picture (your life goals). No task is meaningless when you can see how it fits into the bigger vision.

Functions

Mosaic bridges the gap between ambitious goals and daily execution through thoughtfully designed features that make productivity feel natural and rewarding. Each function is crafted to eliminate the friction between planning and doing.

Unified Dashboard

Your central command center displays today's priorities alongside progress toward your larger goals. See at a glance what needs attention and how today's work moves you closer to your yearly objectives.

Goal Progress Visualization
Track completion rates across all your major goals with clear progress indicators
Smart Priority Ranking
Tasks are automatically ordered by impact on your goals and urgency
Daily Focus Mode
Highlights the most important tasks to keep you focused on what truly matters

Organized Goal Structure

Create clear categories for different areas of your life—career, health, relationships, learning. Each category houses related goals and automatically organizes your tasks by theme, making it easy to maintain balance across all aspects of your life.

Life Area Organization
Separate personal, professional, and creative goals into distinct categories
Color-Coded System
Visual organization makes it easy to see which areas need more attention
Balanced Progress Tracking
Ensure you're making progress across all important life domains

Goal-Connected Task Lists

Every task is linked to a specific goal, creating meaningful context for your daily work. Break down big objectives into manageable steps and see exactly how each action contributes to your larger vision.

Hierarchical Task Structure
Break goals into projects, and projects into actionable tasks
Impact Scoring
See which tasks will move the needle most on your important goals
Context-Aware Organization
Tasks grouped by goal ensure you always understand the "why" behind your work

Intelligent Task Creation

Add tasks with rich context including deadlines, priority levels, and goal connections. The smart editing interface suggests optimal scheduling and reminds you to link tasks to meaningful objectives.

Smart Scheduling Suggestions
AI recommends optimal timing based on your calendar and energy patterns
Automatic Goal Linking
System suggests which goal a task might serve based on keywords and context
Rich Task Details
Add notes, attachments, and time estimates for comprehensive planning

Daily Achievement Overview

End each day with a clear view of your accomplishments. See which goals benefited from today's work and build momentum through visible progress across all areas of your life.

Achievement Celebration
Visual highlights of completed tasks and goal progress made today
Goal Impact Summary
See exactly how today's work advanced your larger objectives
Momentum Building
Track streaks and patterns that keep you motivated day after day

Smart Day Planning

Start with a clean slate and let Mosaic suggest how to fill your day productively. The AI considers your goals, deadlines, energy levels, and available time to recommend the perfect daily schedule.

AI Schedule Optimization
Intelligent recommendations based on your goals and calendar availability
Energy-Aware Planning
Match high-focus tasks to your peak energy times for maximum productivity
Flexible Templates
Quick-start options for common day types like work days, weekends, or focused project days

Intelligent Task Suggestions

Never wonder what to work on next. The AI analyzes your goals, deadlines, and current progress to suggest the most impactful tasks for any given moment, keeping you focused on what matters most.

Context-Aware Recommendations
Suggestions based on your location, available time, and current energy level
Goal-Driven Prioritization
AI ensures recommendations always serve your most important objectives
Adaptive Learning
System learns from your choices to provide increasingly personalized suggestions

Goal-Connected Habits

Build habits that directly serve your larger goals. Track daily routines and see how consistent small actions compound into significant progress toward your most important objectives.

Goal-Linked Habits
Connect daily routines to specific long-term objectives for added motivation
Streak Visualization
See your consistency patterns and celebrate milestone achievements
Impact Analytics
Understand how habit consistency correlates with goal progress over time

Progress Reflection Journal

Document your journey with guided reflection prompts that help you understand what's working and what needs adjustment. Regular journaling builds self-awareness and keeps you aligned with your values.

Guided Reflection Prompts
Thoughtful questions that help you process your progress and challenges
Goal Connection Insights
See patterns between your emotional state and progress on different goals
Weekly and Monthly Reviews
Structured check-ins to course-correct and celebrate achievements

Voice-Powered Quick Capture

Add tasks, update progress, and check your schedule hands-free. Voice integration makes it effortless to capture ideas and stay productive even when you're on the move or have your hands full.

Natural Language Processing
Speak naturally and let the AI understand your intent and context
Quick Task Addition
Add tasks to the right projects with simple voice commands
Progress Updates
Mark tasks complete or update your daily journal through voice

Comprehensive Progress Dashboard

Your personal command center shows long-term trends, achievement patterns, and areas for improvement. Understand your productivity rhythms and optimize your approach based on data-driven insights.

Achievement Analytics
See completion rates, productivity patterns, and goal progress over time
Personal Growth Metrics
Track how you're developing across different life areas and skill sets
Optimization Insights
AI-powered suggestions for improving your productivity and goal achievement

Brand Identity

Mosaic's visual identity reflects the app's core philosophy: that meaningful progress comes from thoughtful simplicity. The clean, minimal aesthetic reduces visual noise so users can focus on what truly matters—their goals and daily actions. Every design decision reinforces the idea that productivity tools should feel calm and purposeful, not overwhelming or distracting.

Brandmark

The Mosaic symbol combines two interlocking tiles, forming a subtle checkmark at their intersection. This simple geometric mark reflects the app’s core idea: individual tasks coming together to create a bigger picture of progress.

Color System

The grayscale foundation creates a neutral, distraction-free environment that adapts beautifully to both light and dark modes. This monochromatic approach ensures that content hierarchy is clear and that colorful elements—when used—have maximum impact for important actions and feedback.

Gray 0#F7F7F7

Gray 100#EAEAEA

Gray 200#DCDCDC

Gray 300#C0C0C0

Gray 400#A3A3A3

Gray 500#7E7E7E

Gray 600#5C5C5C

Gray 700#3F3F3F

Gray 800#262626

Gray 900#181818

Gray 1000#111111

Conclusion

Creating Mosaic taught me that true productivity isn't about doing more things—it's about doing the right things with purpose and clarity. I was frustrated with how scattered my own goal-setting had become, jumping between different apps that never quite connected my daily tasks to my bigger dreams. This project became deeply personal because I realized that without that connection, even the most well-intentioned goals can feel meaningless when you're checking them off a list. Mosaic represents my belief that technology should help us see the bigger picture, not just the next task. When you can clearly see how today's small actions build toward something you truly care about, productivity stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like progress toward the life you actually want to live.