The Learning Loop EP - 2 (Volume 1) : Deepti Krishna

My First Real App Prototype: How I Imagine It Looking, Feeling, and Growing By Deepti Krishna | December 2025 This blog is not about a finished product. It’s about how my first real app prototype is taking shape in my head. I’m writing this because when you start building something from scratch, people only see the end result. They don’t see the confusion, the iterations, the half-working ideas, or the thinking that happens before a single screen is finalized. This post is my attempt to document how I imagine my app will look, feel, and work, even while it’s still evolving. Why I Even Started Thinking About an App The idea for this app didn’t come from wanting to build a startup. It came from living as a student who constantly feels overwhelmed. Most productivity and study apps felt too aggressive to me. Too many notifications. Too much pressure. Too much obsession with streaks, hours, and rankings. I kept thinking that these apps were trying to control me instead of helping me. So I started asking myself a simple question: what kind of app would I actually want to open every day? The Core Feeling of the App Before features, before design, before tech, I decided one thing clearly: this app should feel calm. Not exciting. Not addictive. Not loud. I want someone to open the app and feel like their mind has slowed down a little. Like sitting at a clean desk after chaos. The app should respect the user’s mental space. Visual Theme: Soft, Simple, Human Colors The app lives in pastel tones, not because it’s trendy, but because harsh colors are mentally exhausting. Soft blues, muted shades, and gentle contrasts help users stay longer without feeling tired. Fonts Typography is clean and readable. Slightly rounded fonts for warmth, comfortable spacing, and no decorative overload. Text should feel like it’s talking with the user, not lecturing them. The First Screen: Home, Not Pressure When a user opens the app, they should not feel attacked by information. The home screen shows a simple greeting, one main focus for the day, and a gentle reminder instead of a command. The home screen answers only one question: what should I focus on right now? Tasks Without Traditional To-Do Lists Instead of endless to-do lists, the app uses focus blocks. Each block has a task, an approximate time, and one line explaining why it matters. Fewer tasks, more intention. If something isn’t completed, it doesn’t scream failure. It simply moves forward. Learning Mode: Understanding Over Time Most study apps track hours. Hours don’t mean understanding. This app focuses on clarity. What concept was studied, how clear it feels, and one takeaway from the session. Reflection Without Pressure Reflection is optional. The app asks soft questions like what felt difficult or what worked better than expected. No streaks. No punishments. Personal Knowledge Vault The app includes a private space to store notes, ideas, questions, and insights. Everything belongs to the user. Nothing is shared by default. Navigation and Simplicity Only a few clear sections exist: Home, Focus, Learn, Reflect, and Vault. No clutter. No confusion. Designed for Low Resources The app is designed to work on low-end phones, with minimal data usage and offline support. Performance matters more than fancy effects. Final Thoughts This prototype is unfinished and imperfect, but it is real. Building something real, slowly and honestly, matters more than pretending to have everything figured out. This is just the beginning.