Citrology
Tarot
B2C native mobile app ( 2021 )
shipped
2023
My role
Designer
Research/Testing
Product Strategy
Team
CEO
2 Dev Engineers
How did we differentiate our product from expert-level Tarot products on the market?
In 2020, many expert-level Tarot apps on the market followed complex card rules and were too much for beginners who just wanted to have fun without much learning.
This product was designed with an intuitive interface and workflows that let beginner-level users pick it up with zero training. Aimed at providing a smooth and simple tarot experience moving from the physical deck to the digital tarot world.
I designed Citrology from scratch and worked closely with the CEO to define the product strategy. Iterated on the design system with developers, ensuring it bridged the gap between the established brand's language and this new product experience.
Coaching-based Tarot experience
“The major arcana only have 22 cards. I can pull one or three cards at most for Yes and No questions, or for past/present/future spread, but beyond that, I’m not really sure what I’m looking at.”
— Participant A
“My best friend and I would spend hours reading each other’s tarot cards. I have my own physical tarot deck at home that I use often and it’s nice to look at their brief descriptions.”
— Participant B
As the product targets beginner-level users, the core function of the "Reading daily card" workflow aims to take less than 60 seconds to complete, which encourages users to open the app every single day. As a coaching-based feature that helps beginners learn the meanings of the cards by creating a Tarot glossary to speed up their tarot journey, saving their reading experience with the reading notes, and sharing with friends.
Digital deck interaction experience
Bridging The Physical & Digital World.
As the product targets beginner-level users, the core function of the "Reading daily card" workflow aims to take less than 60 seconds to complete, which encourages users to open the app every single day. As a coaching-based feature that helps beginners learn the meanings of the cards by creating a Tarot glossary to speed up their tarot journey, saving their reading experience with the reading notes, and sharing with friends.
Offering three types of reading formats, guiding users from spread selection to detailed reading results.
A Coach-Based Tarot Reading Experience.
For beginners who are interested in reading cards but often feel overwhelmed by the rules. The Tarot glossary feature guiding them how to read rather than just telling them what to read, without leaving the app for educational resources to have a consistent reading experience.
This feature allows beginners to seamlessly switch between two learning modes
Shift From A One-time Entertainment Experience To A Long-term Personal Growth Tracker.
How to balance the business goals and users needs? By designing this tracking tool under a user's account, they can see at a glance when they did readings. Allow users to save a reading experience for a specific life area (e.g., Career, Relationships, Self-Growth) and record their mood after each draw, providing critical context for future reflection. This feature keeps users coming back to the application, increasing user retention and the daily active engagement rate.
Premium upgrade, user dashboard, and profile editing screens.
Offering three types of reading formats, guiding users from spread selection to detailed reading results.
Design System
My primary goal was to establish a consistent user experience for light and dark themes across the product, seamlessly bridging the brand identity across diverse product sections. I built the foundational design system, defining reusable patterns, UI components, and usage guidelines.
Considered the product ecosystem, I've also extended the visual style guide into a holistic framework for other business sections by delivering clear, robust documentation, empowering cross-functional teams to adopt the system easily, and ensuring a unified and frictionless user experience across the board.
Tarot Made Simple
Task completion rate:
Achieved a 80% task completion rate during high-fidelity usability testing with core user personas.
Time-on-Task:
Reduced redundant user flows by 10% through prototype testing, reducing cognitive load and time-on-task for end-users.
"Honestly, I was always a bit intimidated by Tarot, but this app makes it so simple. The layout just makes sense. I didn't have to guess what any of the spreads meant, and I picked up the rules almost immediately without feeling overwhelmed."
— Matthew Anderson
"It's so easy to navigate. I love that I don't have to go digging for information. Everything from pulling the cards to understanding their meaning is right there. It feels really welcoming for someone who has never done this before."
— Jessica Miller