a person holding a cell phone in their hand showing starsense app

STARSENSE

TIME FRAME
3 Months
PROJECT TYPE
Concept, UX/UI Designer
SCOPE
Research, UX/UI, Illustration, Prototyping, Testing
project overview
BUILDING A MORE INTUITIVE ASTROLOGY APP
jump to prototype
down arrow

In cultural times of uncertainty, access to affordable and varied forms of mental health care are increasingly important. StarSense explores how we might make astrological information visually intuitive so that it can more effectively be used as a resource for self-validation and emotional regulation.

This case study begins with research on astrology and how it is used to promote wellbeing. The result is StarSense, an app which is structured for greater personal harmony and permission to rest in busy, task-driven environments. StarSense strategically uses the familiar visual language of weather forecasting to efficiently let users know what to energetically expect from their days. StarSense also pairs astrological forecasts with specific daily, creative exercises to assist users with managing emotions and self-awareness.

Why Astrology?

Conversations around astrology are seemingly pervasive in popular culture due to a growing interest from Gen Z and Millennials. In 2022, Google searches for “birth chart” and “astrology” reached a 5-year high. Additionally, a significant 64% revenue growth in astrology apps was observed in 2019, indicating substantial growth potential. As of 2021, the global astrology market was valued at $13 billion, and it is projected to reach $23 billion by 2031. 
‍
The convergence of growing interest, awareness, and market potential establish astrology apps as promising products. Astrology, a 4000-year-old established tool, is more primed than ever for innovative engagement.

the challenge

ASTROLOGY FEELS SUPERFICIAL

Gen Z and Millennials are turning to astrology as a form of self-care and connection. Astrology however is notoriously nuanced and has a steep learning curve. While astrology is perceived as useful to users, simple methods for implementing its value aren’t directly clear.

USER RESEARCH
DETERMINE HOW PEOPLE USE AND VALUE ASTROLOGY
three smartphones with different app screens on them
Research Goal

Learn how people engage with astrology and what they value most from using it.

Research Objectives
  • Determine how people people engage with and use astrology.
  • Determine what people value most from astrology
  • Determine which aspects of astrology are difficult to grasp or not useful
  • Determine which astrology apps people use, like, and dislike
  • Determine how people manage their daily work and calendars
Research Methods
  • Competitive analysis to study existing products on the market
  • User interviews to gain insights from people who use astrology
Co-Star Logo

  • Best tool for comparing charts with friends and surface learning

  • Vague advice without guidance to implement

Chani Logo

  • Best tool for lifestyle, self improvement, and meditation

  • Walls of text, hard to grasp concepts at a glance

Pattern logo

  • Best tool for compatibility assessments and transits

  • Readings from this app create anxiety, graphics aren't refined

Nebula Logo

  • Best tool for psychics or using astrology to answer questions

  • App feels predatory with many pay walls

Competitive Analysis

Co-Star and Nebula are the most popular astrology apps, with CHANI increasing rapidly behind. Nebula capitalizes on users who are in distress, somewhat predatorily. The popularity of Co-Star is due in part to its relationship compatibility feature, which promotes sharing and social downloads, as well as its clean interface. CHANI is the newest type of astrology app to the market, where astrology is used primarily as a tool for self-care and healing.

user interviews
SYNTHESIZING INSIGHTS
  • 4 participants
  • Online and in person
  • Followers of astrology
  • Women and Non-binary
  • Age range 32–37

Research showed that astrology empowers individuals to better understand their identities, fostering self-compassion and belonging. Additionally, astrology aids with social connection and offers a shared lens in which to interpret the world. Astrology was also found to be helpful with emotional processing and finding purpose in inexplainable challenges. Most intriguingly, astrology was felt to connect people with the cyclical rhythms of nature, promoting a deeper sense of humanity and permission to rest on days that felt energetically difficult.

affinity mapping link
arrow
“Knowing what‘s going on in astrology helps me normalize cycles and seasons. It helps me process what is in my body rather than resisting its natural cycle and I‘m able to let myself rest.”
—Shayna, 33
a silhouette of a woman with long hair
USER INTERVIEWS

KEY POINTS

Astrology is used to understand identity and form connections

Astrology is used as a tool to process emotions and challenges

Astrology is used to connect with cyclical rhythms of nature

surrender
rest
Key Insight

Users often turn to astrology during times of hardship, particularly because it helped explain a part of their circumstance that was outside of their control. Users generally relaxed and felt soothed by a sense of surrendering.

Key Insight

Users feel disconnected from their body’s natural cycles and tend to push their bodies to meet scheduling needs, ignoring calls for rest. Astrology allows a link to natural rhythms with its cosmic seasons and transits.

user personas

Based on themes found in user interviews, user personas were developed capturing familiarity with astrology, as this is what most often determined usage pattern. The three personas are defined as the curious user, the conscious user, and the expert user.

ideation

HOW MIGHT WE

How might we normalize the need for rest through awareness of particular astrological transits the way that seasons of rest are also normalized as a part of nature?

How might we promote people’s sense of belonging to the world through awareness of their personal astrology and uniqueness?

ideation
BRAINSTORMING

Given the research and how-might-we statements, ideation techniques were used to form as many solutions as possible. Techniques included top of mind, analagous inspiration, and playing with opposites. Below are a select few from the brainstorming session.

A weekly astrological forecast, visual in nature, showing how active or passive your week might be according to transit energy

A calendar app that makes suggestions for what your day could look like based on your transits and even schedules time for certain activities

An activity list generator that would counteract predicted stressors. None of these exercises would be productivity based.

Personalized tools to rest and re-couperate related to your sign and transits

An astronomy app like SkyWalk that links to astrology, reinforcing connection to nature

An artistic method for showing birth charts so users can perceive their individual cosmic signature

A visual design that shows the cycle of astrology really clearly, so that users can easily see their journey in it

Personalized productivity and organizational tools related to your sign and transits

a comic strip with different stages of writing
Expanding a solution

An app that offers tools for productivity as well as ways to rest based on personalized astrology and transits. It pairs a snapshot of the user’s day energetically with a suggested creative activity to promote balance.

ideation
SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMING

To develop ideas quickly, I started by sketching wireframes to visualize the organization of content. I then made a sitemap based on those basic sketched wireframes. With the sitemap as a new guide, I moved on to mid-fidelity designs. These designs helped to refine different task flows and find solutions that worked for all types of users.

As a learning tool for my process, I also diagrammed concepts in astrology to aid with efficient content organization.

astrology concept diagram
arrow
a sitemap diagram
a diagram showing the steps in the process of creating an app
INTERFACE DESIGN
PROTOTYPING

Astrology on the Forecast Homepage is organized by scales of time - Today, This Week, This Year, offering users the ability to jump into content wherever they are most interested. Every day, an astrological forecast is generated with an evocative weather visual. Text below summarizes what transit is influencing the energy of the day. The forecast is paired with a Creative Exercise to emphasize or offset whatever the energy of the day is.

two smartphones with StarSense App on the screen

Every week, the Astrological Energy Forecast visual is updated to show the predicted energy. Weather symbols are used to show the energetic signature of each day. An explanation of what to expect is offered beneath the slider to help clarify why each weather symbol was assigned. A day where confused communication is expected will have a hazy weather symbol or a day where intense transition is expected will have a windy weather symbol.

a cell phone with a weather icons on the screen

To help users more easily relate to the concepts in astrology, birth charts were developed to include visuals relating to astronomy. Birth charts condense a lot of astrological information using symbols, but adding a layer of literal imagery for those symbols make the information vivid and approachable. The Earth chart was developed based on the traditional birth chart. The Solar chart however is a new kind of chart I developed from my research. The Solar chart offers a perspective of astrology from the scale of the Solar System. This is particularly important for understanding retrograde cycles as well as the duration that planets spend in each zodiac sign.

a cell phone with a screen showing a series of birth charts

Organization of content was one of the most important objectives for all user personas. The curious user doesn't want to be overwhelmed with new information. The expert user wants to easily find exactly what they're looking for. Planets were visually grouped together under bold, meaningful headings. Each planet is paired with a symbol as well as description linking to a full page of in-depth content.

two cell phones showing astrological birth chart info

The Transit page is similarly organized to the Your Chart page, grouping the planets together under bold headings with descriptive subheadings linking to more in-depth content. Subtle color changes are also used to distinguish astrological time scales. Blue is used throughout the app when the content is related to present transits and the current sky, as opposed to the sky you were born under.

two cell phones showing astrological transit info
TESTING

IS IT INTUITIVE?

Since the product aids with self-discovery, the metrics of success measure exploration and learning.

INTERFACE DESIGN
USABILITY TESTING
a person holding a cell phone in their hand
Interviewees
Task flows
Testing Goals
A table of testing results
before and after screens side by side of app revision
Revision: Forecast slider

Weather slider feature: The slider feature on the Forecast page was missed by all. Updated UI was implemented to indicate that the state was adjustable and could be played with. A more familiar familiar slider UI component was used.

before and after screens side by side of app revision
Revision: Chart Symbol Key

Learn More Feature: All users mentioned being confused about what the elements in Birth Charts and Transit Charts. More information, with a “Learn More” feature was added.

CONCLUSION
LESSONS & NEXT STEPS
a bunch of cell phones that are next to each other

Packaging astrological information in a succinct and constructive manner is key for its success as a tool. Continuing with this project, my focus would be on refining and testing the new Birth Chart and Transit Chart, as these elements represent the most unique aspects of the product. Additionally, I envision the potential to create an immersive and interactive experience for users, possibly in the form of a stargazing app. Such an app could effectively showcase astrology, aiding in both learning about its roots and demonstrating its significance. Astrology has its origins in generations of humanity crafting stories around the few moving lights in the sky. There is a tremendous opportunity for technology and art to create an innovative product for astrology and a growing market to support it as well.

visual design

The StarSense typeface is Windsor, inspired from the Whole Earth Catalogue published in the 1960s and 1970s. The catalogue was known for its innovative environmental content, which aimed to provide tools for people seeking alternative and sustainable lifestyles. Much like astrology and StarSense, it captures a countercultural movement designed to represent the interconnectedness of humanity and the planet. The illustrative graphics I created for the app are inspired from tattoo design, another countercultural movement. It is aptly chosen for its visual language of high contrast and potential for metaphor.

tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, Lookback

Let’s Build Great Products Together!

LinkedinInstagram