Noty
A student task tool built for effortless planning
Project Overview
70% of students still rely on sticky notes, not for lack of apps, but because every app feels too complex or too easy to ignore. Noty removes that friction: capture a task by voice or photo, and complete it with the satisfying feel of paper.
My Role
As UX Research Lead and Developer, I took Noty from research to reality. I planned and ran the interviews and usability tests, and guided the team through key design decisions and challenges along the way. I designed it in Figma, built it in Electron, and added AI task breakdown with voice and photo capture. Today, 40+ students use it daily.
See how it works
Leading The Research
I owned the research plan, designed the survey and interview guide, set quotas across the team, and ran sessions to align on findings.
"Look at my calendar, it's so overwhelming."Interview participant
"Crossing off a task on paper gives me a strong sense of completion, digital can't replicate that feeling."Interview participant
70% of students still haven't found a task-management tool that works for them.Survey
"There are too many apps, either it does too much or not enough, so I just give up."Interview participant
"It's always there. I don't need to open any app to know what to do."Interview participant
Main insight
Students kept missing deadlines and feeling guilty about it. They'd tried every app out there, and still went back to sticky notes.
I didn't want us designing around symptoms. So I ran the team through a Five Whys session to find what was actually driving the behavior.
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Why were students falling behind?
Their work was spread across too many places.
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Why was that a problem?
Keeping every tool updated took extra effort.
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Why did that effort matter?
Managing the system started to feel like another task.
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Why did they return to sticky notes?
They were immediate, visible, and easy to maintain.
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Why did that work better?
The tool stayed out of the way and kept attention on the work itself.
The root problem wasn’t organization. It was friction.
That insight became five design principles:
- CaptureAdd tasks with minimal effort
- FocusShow what matters today
- PlanBreak big work into manageable steps
- CompleteMake progress feel satisfying
- ReflectHelp students adjust without guilt
Aligning around one student
Each teammate pictured a different student. The persona gave us one shared user to design for.
How might we
help students manage academic tasks through a lightweight system that combines quick digital support with the satisfying feeling of handwriting?
With the principles set, I ran the team through Crazy 8s, eight ideas, eight minutes, no filtering. We then voted against our five design principles, not personal preference.
How I led the team from disagreement to alignment
When the team was split on whether Noty needed a desktop widget or if a mobile app was enough. I proposed expanding the research to test the idea with more students. After 13 of 15 participants expressed the same need for a visible, low-distraction option, the team aligned around the widget direction.
Designing two surfaces as one experience
I owned the desktop widget while the team developed the mobile experience, keeping both aligned as one product.
User Testing #1
I tested with 8 students across 3 core tasks, observing without instruction, then measured the experience through SUS and NPS.
How might we
reduce the steps and confusion around rescheduling tasks and checking project progress?
Iterations after Testing
Testing confirmed the features were right, students just couldn't find them fast enough. So we moved things where they expected them to be.
User Testing #2
After refining the prototype, I ran a second round of usability testing. Students navigated without hesitation this time, and recommendation rate nearly doubled.
90%"I could actually see myself using this every day, it's always there."
From prototype to working product
I used Claude as a development partner to translate my designs into Electron, troubleshoot implementation issues, and refine interactions through rapid build test cycles.
How does Noty solve the task-management problem?
Clarity
Before Noty, tasks were scattered across sticky notes, reminders, emails and mental lists. Important things slipped not because students didn't care, but because there was no effortless way to capture them in the moment. Noty gives every thought a place: spoken, photographed or typed, tasks are instantly captured, organised and ready to act on.
Progress
Large assignments feel overwhelming when students see the whole challenge at once. Noty turns intimidating projects into manageable steps, breaking them into actionable subtasks so students can focus on the next step and build momentum.
Satisfaction
Digital task managers made checking a box possible, but rarely made progress feel meaningful. Noty brings back the emotional reward of completion, a task crossed off, a small moment of celebration, the feeling of moving forward. For students managing endless deadlines, these small wins create the motivation to keep going.
Confidence
Many students start the day unsure where to begin. Noty creates a clear starting point, bringing deadlines, projects and daily tasks into one focused view. They can quickly see what needs attention, what they've done, and what comes next, the confidence to move forward.
The team behind Noty
Each teammate brought a unique perspective and skill set, and together those strengths shaped Noty from research to a working product.
- Xiaoming ZhangInteraction Designer
- Maryam EyvaziUX Lead & Developer
- Lujia XuUI Lead and Researcher
Simple enough to start.
Smart enough to never miss a deadline.
