CHANI*

"Serious stars, zero mystery. Big astrology energy — explained simply."

App Redesign

UI / UX DESIGN

2025

CHANI*

"Serious stars, zero mystery. Big astrology energy — explained simply."

App Redesign

UI / UX DESIGN

2025

CHANI*

"Serious stars, zero mystery. Big astrology energy — explained simply."

App Redesign

UI / UX DESIGN

2025

TEAM

TEAM

Solo Project

Solo Project

Solo Project

ROLE

UX Researcher // UI Designer

UX Researcher // UI Designer

PR0BLEM

The CHANI app offered incredible depth but struggled with clarity. Dense text, overlapping sections, and hidden features made navigation feel overwhelming.

PR0BLEM

The CHANI app offered incredible depth but struggled with clarity. Dense text, overlapping sections, and hidden features made navigation feel overwhelming.

PR0BLEM

The CHANI app offered incredible depth but struggled with clarity. Dense text, overlapping sections, and hidden features made navigation feel overwhelming.

GOAL

The challenge was to simplify and redesign key areas — Daily content, Birth Chart, and Practices — to create a calmer, more intuitive experience that still feels warm, human, and true to CHANI’s identity.

GOAL

The challenge was to simplify and redesign key areas — Daily content, Birth Chart, and Practices — to create a calmer, more intuitive experience that still feels warm, human, and true to CHANI’s identity.

GOAL

The challenge was to simplify and redesign key areas — Daily content, Birth Chart, and Practices — to create a calmer, more intuitive experience that still feels warm, human, and true to CHANI’s identity.

UX PROCESS
INSIGHT

01

Heuristic Analysis

I audited the existing CHANI app using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles to identify friction points in navigation, clarity, and visual hierarchy.

Main Issues

Users had to recall rather than recognize key sections Textured, collage‑style visuals created clutter on smaller screens. Free vs. paid content and system states weren’t always obvious. Poetic language added warmth but made guidance unclear for beginners.

01

Heuristic Analysis

I audited the existing CHANI app using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles to identify friction points in navigation, clarity, and visual hierarchy.

Main Issues

Users had to recall rather than recognize key sections Textured, collage‑style visuals created clutter on smaller screens. Free vs. paid content and system states weren’t always obvious. Poetic language added warmth but made guidance unclear for beginners.

01

Heuristic Analysis

I audited the existing CHANI app using Jakob Nielsen’s 10 principles to identify friction points in navigation, clarity, and visual hierarchy.

Main Issues

Users had to recall rather than recognize key sections Textured, collage‑style visuals created clutter on smaller screens. Free vs. paid content and system states weren’t always obvious. Poetic language added warmth but made guidance unclear for beginners.

02

Competitive Analysis

I compared CHANI to astrology apps like Co–Star and Sanctuary to position clarity and emotional tone effectively.

Tone & Structure

Co–Star excelled at structure and readability but felt cold. Sanctuary offered warmth and simplicity but lacked depth. CHANI’s opportunity: blend clarity, emotional resonance, and spiritual depth.

02

Competitive Analysis

I compared CHANI to astrology apps like Co–Star and Sanctuary to position clarity and emotional tone effectively.

Tone & Structure

Co–Star excelled at structure and readability but felt cold. Sanctuary offered warmth and simplicity but lacked depth. CHANI’s opportunity: blend clarity, emotional resonance, and spiritual depth.

02

Competitive Analysis

I compared CHANI to astrology apps like Co–Star and Sanctuary to position clarity and emotional tone effectively.

Tone & Structure

Co–Star excelled at structure and readability but felt cold. Sanctuary offered warmth and simplicity but lacked depth. CHANI’s opportunity: blend clarity, emotional resonance, and spiritual depth.

03

Target Audience

I created “Maya,” a 28‑year‑old creative who uses astrology for emotional reflection during quiet moments.

User Base

Maya seeks comfort, guidance, and visual calm. She values meaning and emotional safety but easily feels overwhelmed by text. The interface should offer clear entry points: summaries first, depth on demand.

03

Target Audience

I created “Maya,” a 28‑year‑old creative who uses astrology for emotional reflection during quiet moments.

User Base

Maya seeks comfort, guidance, and visual calm. She values meaning and emotional safety but easily feels overwhelmed by text. The interface should offer clear entry points: summaries first, depth on demand.

03

Target Audience

I created “Maya,” a 28‑year‑old creative who uses astrology for emotional reflection during quiet moments.

User Base

Maya seeks comfort, guidance, and visual calm. She values meaning and emotional safety but easily feels overwhelmed by text. The interface should offer clear entry points: summaries first, depth on demand.

Based on my analysis I had clear priorities and goals for this redesign:

01

Simplify Complexity

  • Make dense astrological content feel accessible through summaries, intuitive flows, and progressive disclosure.

01

Simplify Complexity

  • Make dense astrological content feel accessible through summaries, intuitive flows, and progressive disclosure.

01

Simplify Complexity

  • Make dense astrological content feel accessible through summaries, intuitive flows, and progressive disclosure.

02

Clarify Navigation

  • Ensure users always know where they are, what they’re reading, and what to do next.

02

Clarify Navigation

  • Ensure users always know where they are, what they’re reading, and what to do next.

02

Clarify Navigation

  • Ensure users always know where they are, what they’re reading, and what to do next.

03

Preserve Emotional Warmth

  • Keep CHANI’s therapeutic, soft, collage‑inspired voice while modernizing the interface.


03

Preserve Emotional Warmth

  • Keep CHANI’s therapeutic, soft, collage‑inspired voice while modernizing the interface.


03

Preserve Emotional Warmth

  • Keep CHANI’s therapeutic, soft, collage‑inspired voice while modernizing the interface.


04

Connect Insight to Action

  • Seamlessly link readings to practices, meditations, and journaling for deeper self‑reflection.


04

Connect Insight to Action

  • Seamlessly link readings to practices, meditations, and journaling for deeper self‑reflection.


04

Connect Insight to Action

  • Seamlessly link readings to practices, meditations, and journaling for deeper self‑reflection.


05

Enhance Transparency:

  • Make feature boundaries (free vs. premium, progress, states) clear and reassuring.


05

Enhance Transparency:

  • Make feature boundaries (free vs. premium, progress, states) clear and reassuring.


05

Enhance Transparency:

  • Make feature boundaries (free vs. premium, progress, states) clear and reassuring.


EARLY PROTOTYPES

Goal: Balance Mbwenze’s storytelling with a seamless shopping journey.

Wire frames & Flows

I mapped three key user journeys — daily guidance, birth chart exploration, and personal practices — to test hierarchy and content depth.

Focus: Find the right rhythm between quick insight and optional depth.

Key insight: Users preferred summaries upfront with deeper content revealed through “read more” and clear action cues, keeping the experience calm and guided.

Visual Design

I refined CHANI’s soft, handmade aesthetic into a lighter, more structured system.
Key updates:

  • Off‑white base with blush and lavender accents to mark hierarchy.

  • Clear typographic scale balancing legibility with expressive titles.

  • Collage and star motifs simplified and aligned to a consistent grid.
    Result: A modern yet gentle interface that preserves CHANI’s warmth and emotional intimacy.

REDESIGN

1. Daily / Start Screen

  • Introduced short daily mood lines and quick tags for instant overview.

  • Modular cards made readings scannable with clear visual hierarchy.

  • Simplified bottom navigation to improve orientation.
    Result: Users instantly understood their daily focus without losing depth.

2. Birth Chart & Placements

  • Transformed static chart into an interactive, thematic hub.

  • Grouped placements by life area and added “You today” overlay for relevance.
    Result: The chart became approachable and intuitive, bridging deep astrology with everyday meaning.

3. Practices / Me Section

  • Unified journaling, rituals, and meditations into one “Care & Practices” hub.

  • Clear visual cues highlighted time, tools, and themes.
    Result: Users naturally moved from insight to action with less friction.

FEEDBACK

“The redesign feels much more modern and readable — it keeps CHANI’s soul but finally lets the content breathe. Everything feels calmer, clearer, and easier to navigate.”

— Design Critique Feedback
FINAL PRODUCT

As a conceptual project, the redesign has not yet been deployed, but the prototype demonstrates how structural and visual changes can transform CHANI’s experience:

  • Clearer daily overview and practice suggestions reduce cognitive load.

  • The refined visual language (spacing, typography scale, component library) creates reusable patterns that can scale across future features like workshops, live readings, or expanded transit tracking.

High‑Fidelity Prototype
The final design translates Mbwenze’s mission into a clean, expressive shopping flow.

  • Homepage: A clear brand statement leads directly into shopping, with deeper storytelling available but never in the way.

  • Product Listing & Detail: Visual clarity and short story snippets connect cultural narratives to practical details like price, size, and sustainability.

  • Mobile: Optimized for vertical flow, larger touch targets, and balanced narrative moments that feel natural on small screens.