From Crumbs to Concept

I wanted to transform the mundane experience of task management into something genuinely enjoyable and encouraging. Inspired by the phrase "You're a tough cookie,” I created a lightweight desktop app that makes daily productivity feel rewarding and less like a chore.

What’s Missing from the Recipe

Although the app started as a personal project, I began with a simple user assumption:

People are more motivated to complete tasks when the experience is emotionally rewarding and visually delightful.

I loosely validated this through informal conversations with friends and peers. A consistent theme emerged; many described the satisfying feeling of "crossing things off" their lists, yet admitted to abandoning productivity apps that felt monotonous or visually uninspiring. This highlighted how emotional engagement and visual appeal play a crucial role in maintaining user motivation and retention.

Preheating...

MOODBOARDING

To guide the visual and interaction design, I pulled inspiration from nostalgic games, playful packaging, and productivity tools that are emotionally engaging.

KEY INGREDIENTS

Streak counter gamifies progress and consistency, turning routine tasks into a sense of achievement.

Progress bar turns completed tasks into tangible results, reinforcing motivation with clear feedback.

Motivational alerts reduce burnout and make productivity into a more personal experience.

Together, these features support a healthier approach to productivity. It's especially helpful when trying to stay determined through the visualized progress and push through difficult periods when motivation naturally dips.

VISUAL ASSETS

I drew out the main cookie assets on Procreate, then created a set of pixel-art styled components to match the playful theme.

button

Once those were ready, I brought all of the visual assets into Figma to lay out the different screens and interactions for the app.

WRITE OUT TASKS

Add or remove tasks into the input field. Productivity starts when writing out what needs to get done.

Ready to Serve.

Baked to make every task feel easy & sweet :-)

PROGRESS BAR

As tasks are completed, the progress bar fills up.

UNFINISHED TASKS

Leaving tasks incomplete triggers gentle encouragement to keep going.

My Review

I learned how to own a product from start to finish—design, develop, debug, and deliver. While simple on the surface, the experience of building this app helped sharpen my skills in interface design, JavaScript logic, and feature implementation. It’s important to just try out your ideas, especially because there are so many AI programs that are able to address debugging issues and other roadblocks.


I experimented with a more integrated workflow this time by designing core visual assets in Figma and then translating them into pixel-art styled components for implementation, keeping design and development closely connected. I leaned on AI tools to debug and explore new ideas. Learning to write more effective prompts became a key part of my process and helped me problem-solve more efficiently. It not only removed roadblocks but also helped me to keep building.

COMPLETED TASKS

Upon task completion, a message appears to celebrate the achievement.

Sometimes, the hardest part of being productive is getting started. So many task manager tools exist, but many of them feel boring or overly corporate, which miss out on how satisfying (and even fun) it can be to check things off a list.


As someone who thrives on daily routine and a little creativity, I wanted to build something that felt truly mine—a tool that I’d excited open each day, turning everyday to-dos into something much more fun to finish.

The Cookie Crumbled Here

ROLE

Product Designer, Developer

TIMELINE

June 2025 (4 Days)

TOOLS

Procreate, Figma, VS Code, HTML/CSS/ JavaScript (ElectronJS)

I wanted to start a project for myself that combined my limited coding experience with design and love for daily productivity. There's a small satisfaction that I get every time I check something off my to-do list.


So, I decided to build my own :)


One Tough Cookie lets me list out my daily goals and encourages me to complete them before the day ends. It's turned into a fun way to stay on top of my to-do's, staying more consistent and motivated every day.

one tough cookie

A task tracker designed to make daily productivity feel a little sweeter.