For my UX Design class, I designed Turnli, an app that helps roommates track purchases of shared household items. This project focused on the research and design process. Scroll through the steps I took to see the full case study, then view the final Figma screens at the end of the page.
Process images are shown at a smaller size to save space. Click any image to enlarge it.
Problem Statement
Deciding whose turn it is to buy shared household items is a challenge for roommates because it is difficult to keep track of everything and each person's’ sense of personal responsibility may differ.
User Scenario & Goals
I identified five scenarios users might encounter and set five goals for the app to address them.
Scenario: Manually keeping track of every item that is shared in the house is exhausting and confusing. Arguments can start if someone thinks that the person tracking everything is doing it wrong.
Goal: Automated rotation
Scenario: When one person never buys anything it can be awkward to confront them about it.
Goal: Directly states whose turn it is to buy something
Scenario: With so many shared items, it can be hard to keep track of what's empty and needs to be bought vs what doesn't. Methods like texting in a group chat can easily be ignored or get lost.
Goal: Easily keeps track of what does/does not need to be bought at any given time
Scenario: Preset categories and faulty smart categorization can make apps frustrating to use.
Goal: Customizable items and categories
Scenario: If for whatever reason someone can't buy something when it's their turn, another person may have to buy it instead which could be confusing for a rotation.
Goal: Possible override for whose turn it is in special cases
Survey & Interviews
I interviewed two people and surveyed 17 others about their experiences living with roommates, managing shared household items, and what they would want in an app to solve these problems. I organized the findings into the affinity map below.
Common problems reported were that roommates struggled to share purchasing responsibilities fairly, keep track of whose turn it was, and replace household items before they ran out, while conversations about these issues often felt awkward.
Participants suggested a purchasing rotation, one-tap purchase confirmations, and low-stock reminders, while emphasizing that the app should simplify sharing responsibilities rather than create more work.
User Personas
One challenge was designing for the roommate least likely to download the app. Because Turnli depends on everyone participating, it needed to encourage fairer purchasing habits without making anyone feel singled out or reluctant to use it.
Competitive Analysis
Splitwise offers flexible ways to divide expenses and makes it easy for groups to see who owes what. Its focus on balances leaves an opportunity for Turnli to address other parts of shared household purchasing, such as tracking items, knowing when they need replacing, and deciding whose turn it is to buy them.
OurGroceries makes it easy for household members to coordinate shopping through shared lists that update across devices. Its strength is planning what to buy, but it offers limited support for tracking who bought an item or whose turn is next.
AnyList combines shared shopping lists with recipes and meal planning, making it useful for food-related household coordination. Its broader set of planning tools may be more than roommates need for everyday shared items, giving Turnli an opportunity to offer a simpler, more focused experience.
Storyboard, Task Analysis, & User Flow
Below are two scenarios featuring Rachel, Persona 1, explored through a storyboard and task analysis with the user flow.
Site Map
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Drafts & Moodboard
These early app icon and logo drafts are shown alongside my original moodboard. As the project developed, I refined the color palette and other design details for the final version.
Sketch
Wireframe
Draft
Feedback on my wireframes highlighted two areas for improvement: making better use of the empty space on the onboarding screens and adding more variety to the home page.
Final
Feedback on my draft led me to break the “Add New Item” process into multiple screens. I also added an activity page for financial information and chose a higher-contrast color palette to improve accessibility and give the app a more practical, trustworthy feel. Smaller refinements included adding the group code to the group section.
