branchOUT
Concept of a gamified app designed to encourage users to overcome social anxiety. Created in collaboration with Carmina Tolome and Mike Gabriel Ayson.
about the project…
branchOUT is a concept for a mobile app designed to aid users in overcoming social anxiety through gamification. It was developed in a single day during NJIT SIGCHI’s 2025 Design Jam. I was primarily responsible for the visual and UI designs, while my team members focused on research and UX development.
branding development
icon
I designed the icon that would be used for the app, which features stylized tree branches, given the name of the app, branchOUT.
From the initial to the final iteration of the icon, the silhouette was adjusted to “flow” more seamlessly and for easier readability. Additionally, the colors were adjusted to have a brighter and warmer appearance.
logo
Similar to the icon, the logo had similar adjustments for color palette and readability. These adjustments were made after receiving feedback from the team.
UI conceptualization
User progress is visually represented through a tree that grows as the user levels up; hence the name of the app, which refers to “branching out” in both a figurative and literal sense.
To gamify progress, the user completes goals related to socializing. These goals are depicted as part of roots of a tree.
Sketches were made in the process of conceptualizing the user interface of branchOUT. We wanted to consolidate both the essential ideas of goal completion and progress visualization. Our solution was to combine both main visual elements into the same screen with user navigation mechanics: the user views different goals to be completed by scrolling down from the main screen.
UI concepts
UI concepts
UI concepts
the mascot (a.k.a. the “mouse-cot”)
Our team chose a mouse as a mascot for a number of reasons including that:
Mice are stereotypically known to be skittish and timid, and
Mice have been featured in research related to social anxiety in animals.
In branchOUT, the mascot provides friendly encouragement to the user. I decided against incorporating it into the main branding of the app (logo and icon) to avoid taking emphasis away from the core visual — the growing tree.
limitations and reflection
Due to the limited timeframe, research and prototyping had to be scoped down. As branchOUT is targeted towards those with social anxiety disorder (SAD), a mental health condition, extensive research would be necessary for a full version of the app. Additionally, the team and I did not have any time to conduct any user testing.
As far as the experience of the Design Jam itself, it was my first time participating in such an event. As my team agreed with putting me in charge of visuals, in a sense, I stayed with what I was comfortable with. Should future opportunities arise, I hope to take them as a chance to expand my skills in user experience design.
Personally, I am affected by mental illness — including anxiety — myself, so this was a project that I was quite passionate in working on, as the concept hits close to home. Ultimately, despite its shortcomings, branchOUT is a project that I enjoyed being a part of and that I am proud of.
