Optimal Dose
Project: Optimal Dose — a wellness & CBD app for the National Wellness Institute
Role: UX researcher + product designer + UI / branding lead.
Responsible for end-to-end work: research, ideation, UX flows, UI system, prototyping, and usability validation.
Case Study: 2020, Las Vegas, NV
Challenge
People are increasingly using CBD oil as a natural alternative for stress, pain, or sleep management, but many struggle with: Not knowing how much to take or how often, Confusion from contradictory information online, Trial-and-error that leads to ineffective results, Lack of medical guidance when adjusting dosage, Fear of side effects or dependency.
There is no trustworthy, science-backed tool that calculates safe CBD dosages and helps users adjust based on results.
Solution
"Optimal Dose" is an app designed for CBD users worldwide.
Design a safe, personalized CBD guidance experience that:
Builds trust through education
Helps users find their optimal daily dose faster
Tracks personal progress and effects
Reduces uncertainty and trial-and-error
Connects users to certified wellness professionals when needed
Impact
Empowered, informed users
Users gained clear, science-based understanding of CBD through expert-led lessons and personalized recommendations — reducing confusion and misinformation.
Faster learning & confidence building
Simplified onboarding and progressive content design helped users grasp complex CBD topics 2× faster and apply knowledge safely in daily routines.
Healthier habits, happier users
The experience encouraged mindful routines, improved daily wellness tracking, and left users feeling supported and motivated — the ultimate goal of the design.
Quick Links
Design Brief & Context
The National Wellness Institute (NWI), a respected advocate for holistic health, wanted to innovate by bridging education and wellness through digital tools. With increasing public interest in CBD products, NWI saw an opportunity to guide users safely and responsibly — not just with content, but with interactive, personalized support.
My mission: design a mobile experience that helps people understand and use CBD safely and effectively, while providing access to certified wellness professionals for advice. The product must strike balance between education, trust, and practical utility.
Project scope constraints:
Solo designer over 10 days for initial MVP
Strict domain risk: health / wellness subject to regulation
High trust requirement: users are skeptical, domain is sensitive
Minimal stakeholder input initially — prototype stage.
Secondary Research
To ground the project in facts rather than stigma, I explored historical, scientific, and cultural perspectives on CBD.
Key findings revealed:
CBD use dates back thousands of years as a natural remedy.
WHO (2017) recognized CBD as non-addictive and generally safe.
Global legalization remains inconsistent — education is crucial for safe use.
🔗 Read more about the secondary research process (PDF)
Business & Customer Alignment
Using a Lean UX Canvas, I aligned business and user needs to define value areas:
Business Goals + User Needs
Expand NWI’s relevance through modern wellness education.
Create new income channels for certified experts.
Clarity on CBD dosage, safety, and effectiveness.
Access to verified expert guidance.
A supportive space for progress and learning.
Concept:
A digital platform connecting curious users and certified wellness coaches — built around education, empowerment, and trust.
Lean UX Canvas
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed leading CBD and wellness apps.
Most focused on news, dispensary maps, or generic articles, but lacked:
Personalized recommendations
Human interaction
Clarity around safe usage
Opportunity:
Position Optimal Dose as the first trust-centered CBD wellness platform, combining professional guidance with personal education.
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning Chart
Interviews & Surveys
To better understand user behaviors and perceptions around CBD use, I combined quantitative and qualitative research methods.
I distributed surveys across Slack, Reddit, and my professional network, and conducted six in-depth interviews to uncover motivations, pain points, and trust barriers.
“I’m open to natural remedies, but
I worry about side effects —
especially since everyone reacts differently.”
Sasha, Europe
“I wish there was one reliable place
that explained how it actually works.”
Kate, AZ
Summarizing Interviews & Quantitative Data
68% of respondents reported CBD oil as effective for managing pain, stress, or anxiety.
32% did not find it effective, often citing inconsistent dosage or product quality.
Users lack clarity about dosage, intake methods, and credible guidance.
Trust and education are recurring themes—users rely heavily on social media for information.
“Effective results came from getting a sufficiently high dose, using a superior method of intake such as tincture under the tongue, and avoiding isolate.”
— Tony Spencer, Founder of Spruce CBD
Further secondary research confirmed that the gap lies in education and expert guidance, rather than product availability. This insight directly shaped the concept of a guided, expert-supported platform.
Synthesis: Persona & Journey Map
From qualitative and quantitative data, I built:
Affinity Map to group recurring themes
Persona (Marie Ann) representing health-conscious, skeptical users
Journey Map outlining her emotions, decisions, and frustrationst.
Affinity Map
User Persona
Journey Map
Key Findings
Motivation & Behavior:
Most users turn to CBD to relieve stress, anxiety, and pain — often after conventional treatments fall short. Their motivation is rooted in a desire for natural, holistic wellness rather than trend-following.
Knowledge & Usage Gap:
Users feel uncertain about dosage, intake method, and effectiveness. Their understanding of CBD is limited and often shaped by anecdotal advice or social media, not by credible sources.
Trust & Credibility Challenge:
Conflicting information and lack of expert presence lead to low confidence and hesitation. People want reassurance from professionals or verified education before committing to regular use.
Emotional Journey
The emotional path is defined by hope and fear: users approach CBD hopeful for relief, yet anxious about safety and results. Emotional reassurance plays a major role in adoption and retention.
Opportunity Space:
The market is expanding, but education and trust remain underserved.
There’s a clear opportunity to design a credible, human-centered digital experience that connects users with expert-backed knowledge, guided discovery, and personalized support.
Brainstorming
I turned user pain points into “How Might We” questions:
How might we make CBD knowledge accessible and trustworthy?
How might we simplify communication with certified coaches?
How might we track wellness progress and build routine confidence?
Using Miro, I clustered solutions around personalization, education, and motivation.
Brainstorming
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Optimal Dose focuses on building trust through simplicity and expert connection.
The MVP delivers:
Personalized onboarding
Expert matching
Dosage and progress tracking
Safe, educational content
This lean approach ensures users can act immediately, while NWI validates engagement and value.
I used the MoSCoW method to prioritize features that add the highest value to users.
MoSCoW Method - Feuters
User Flow & LowFi & MidFi Prototype
Designed Low-Fi wireframes to focus on structure and navigation logic and later refined with Mid-Fi prototypes for usability and consistency testing.
Low-Fi Prototype (Selected Screens)
Mid Fi Prototype (Selected Screens)
Heat Map Testing
Before finalizing high-fidelity designs, I conducted a Maze heat map test to validate click behavior and navigation clarity.
Results confirmed that users intuitively followed the main flow and interacted most with “My Conditions” and “Coach Chat.” These insights informed adjustments for better content hierarchy before final testing.
Mid-Fi Usability Test (Selected Screens)
Summary
The ideation phase transformed user insights into structured solutions.
Every decision — from feature prioritization to flow design — was rooted in user empathy, clarity, and trust-building.
This process ensured that the Optimal Dose experience not only supports users’ wellness journey but also helps them feel safe and empowered using CBD.
Visual Design & Prototype Development
With the brand attributes defined, I shaped the visual identity through an iterative process — starting from mood exploration to systemizing every UI element. I built a cohesive design language that translated the app’s safe, supportive, and holistic character into visuals: soft contrasts, rounded shapes, and a calm, trustworthy palette.
To guide consistency, I created a UI Kit including color palette, typography, and core interface components — all structured in a Design System inventory I used while developing the High-Fidelity Prototype.
“The design feels bright and clean — professional, yet warm.” — User feedback
Below, you can explore the key visual foundations that shaped the prototype:
Onboarding is a crucial phase in an app user's journey. I developed this process to guide users on what to expect and included icons to assist with navigation once their profiles are set up.
In the "Setting the Profile" stage, I incorporated micro-interactions to enhance user engagement. Although my goal was to create a functional experience by adhering to logical principles, I also considered the wide age range of my users.
SignIn
Onboarding
Set up the Profile
Homepage, Dashboard, Clock, Product page
Chat & Call with the CBD Expert
Goal & Method
To validate the clarity, navigation flow, and emotional tone of the CBD Guidance App, and to assess whether the prototype successfully addressed users’ main concerns — trust, safety, and confidence in using CBD.
Five participants representing the target audience tested the prototype remotely.
Each was asked to complete key tasks:
Set up their profile and add conditions
Check their optimal dose
Access educational content
Schedule a reminder
After each task, participants rated usability, clarity, and overall satisfaction on a 1–10 scale.
Interview mode: Interviews were conducted in person and via Google Meet!
Question 1: How would you rate your experience with onboarding and building a profile? (1=terrible to 10=approve)
Question 2: Rate your experience connecting with professionals.
(1=terrible to 10=approve)
Question 3: How easy was add and later change all the preferences in the app (1=terrible to 10=approve)
Question 4: Would you suggest this app to your friends and family?
(1=terrible to 10=approve)
“The flow feels easy and clear, with sufficient information about the experts. The icons are clear as well, making navigation simple and allowing easy access to the right person.”
— Participant 03, Tampa
“I had issues when trying to add the note.It was not clear enough and I spent to much time exploring that area"
— Participant 05, Las Vegas
I searched online and discovered that this app is very unique! I couldn't find a similar one where you can talk with people knowledgeable about CBD.
I would recommend it!
— Participant 02 Las Vegas
“Using it for the first time, especially the prototype, feels a bit unusual, but it turns out that setting and changing the preferences is very easy.”
— Participant 01, NY
Final Prototype
Optimal Dose
Impact & Learnings
Imagined Impact (Post-Development)
If implemented by NWI:
+40% faster learning curve for CBD users
Increased trust in expert-verified wellness
New revenue stream for certified coaches
Stronger awareness of safe, science-backed usage
Reflection
This project challenged me to balance emotional design with scientific accuracy.
Through research, iteration, and testing, I learned how to:
Translate uncertainty into trust-driven UX.
Prioritize learning and connection over commerce.
Prototype quickly while maintaining strategic focus.
“Design isn’t just clarity of information — it’s clarity of confidence.”
Next Steps
Integrate AI-powered coach matching and personalized dosage predictions.
Expand educational content verified by medical professionals.
Explore gamified wellness streaks to encourage daily engagement.